2022 MCAS Sample Student Work and Scoring Guide - Grade 8 English Language Arts Question 12 Essay

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Lute

2022 MCAS Grade 8 English Language Arts Question 12 provides an essay item description and prompt requiring students to compare the importance of art in Kiko’s and Xiomara’s lives using evidence from two passages. It lists relevant reporting categories and standards for language and writing, including conventions of grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling, as well as informative/explanatory writing. The guide then supplies scoring rubrics for Idea Development and Standard English Conventions with score-point descriptors (0–5A/5B and 0–3D).

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Essay Prompt

Scoring Guide for Idea Development

Scoring Guide for Standard English Conventions

Idea Development—Score Point 5A

# 2022 MCAS Sample Student Work and Scoring Guide Grade 8 English Language ArtsQuestion 12: Essay Reporting Categories: Language and Writing Standard: L.PK-12.1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard Englishgrammar and usage when writing or speaking. Standard: L.PK-12.2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard Englishcapitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. Standard: L.PK-12.3 - Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functionsin different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehendmore fully when reading or listening. Standard: W.PK-12.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and conveycomplex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection,organization, and analysis of content. Standard: W.PK-12.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Item Description: Write an essay that analyzes characters in two passages on similartopics; use information from both passages to support the analysis. View item in MCAS Digital Item Library ## Essay Prompt For this question, you will write an essay based on the passage(s). Your writing should: • Present and develop a central idea. • Provide evidence and/or details from the passage(s) . • Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Based on Starfish and The Poet X, write an essay that compares the importance of art inKiko’s and Xiomara’s lives. Be sure to use information from both passages to develop youressay. Continue to the following page to see the scoring guides for this question. Sample studentresponses begin on page 3. The annotations that appear above each sample responsedescribe elements of the response that contributed to its score for Idea Development andStandard English Conventions. Grade 8 ELA Question 12 page 2 of 12 ## Scoring Guide for Idea Development Select a score point in the table below to view the sample student response. | Score* | Description | | --- | --- | | 5A | • Central idea is insightful and fully developed
• Skillful selection and explanation of evidence and/or details
• Skillful and/or subtle organization
• Rich expression of ideas
• Full awareness of the task and mode | | 5B | | | 4 | • Central idea is clear and well-developed
• Effective selection and explanation of evidence and/or details
• Effective organization
• Clear expression of ideas
• Full awareness of the task and mode | | 3 | • Central idea is general and moderately developed
• Appropriate selection and explanation of evidence and/or details
• Moderate organization
• Adequate expression of ideas
• Sufficient awareness of the task and mode | | 2 | • Central idea may be present and is somewhat developed
• Limited selection and explanation of evidence and/or details
• Limited organization
• Basic expression of ideas
• Partial awareness of the task and mode | | 1 | • Central idea is not developed
• Insufficient evidence and/or details
• Minimal organization
• Poor expression of ideas
• Minimal awareness of the task and mode | | 0 | The response shows evidence the student has read the text, but does not address thequestion or incorrectly responds to the question . | ## Scoring Guide for Standard English Conventions Select a score point in the table below to view the sample student response. | Score* | Description | | --- | --- | | 3A | • Consistent control of a variety of sentence structures relative to length of essay
• Consistent control of grammar, usage, and mechanics relative to complexity and/orlength of essay | | 3B | | | 3C | | | 3D | | | 2 | • Mostly consistent control of sentence structures relative to length of essay
• Mostly consistent control of grammar, usage, and mecha

FAQs

What does the Grade 8 ELA Question 12 essay require students to do?

Write an essay that analyzes characters in two passages on similar topics and compares the importance of art in Kiko’s and Xiomara’s lives using information from both passages.

What writing standards are emphasized for this prompt?

The guide emphasizes command of standard English conventions (grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling), effective use of language in different contexts, and producing clear, coherent writing with appropriate organization and style.

How are essays scored for Idea Development and Standard English Conventions?

Idea Development uses score points (0–5A/5B) to describe how well the central idea is developed and how effectively evidence and details are selected and explained. Standard English Conventions uses score points (0–3D) to describe control of sentence structures and accuracy of grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Sep 22, 2026

Uploaded by Lute