The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment - English Language Arts Item and Scoring Sampler

Oct 4, 2026

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Revised September 2021 English Language Arts Item and Scoring Sampler for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment provides educators with aligned sample item types, directions, and scored response examples for Grade 5. It explains Pennsylvania Core Standards alignment, item formats (multiple-choice, evidence-based selected-response, and text-dependent analysis), testing time and delivery mode, and how the materials support focused instruction. The sampler clarifies purpose, uses for classroom response and scoring, and includes conventions questions and sample item summary data, plus guidance for accessible Braille access.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages54

Reading Time2 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Information About English Language Arts

Introduction

Pennsylvania Core Standards (PCS)

What Is Included

Purpose and Uses

Item Format and Scoring Guidelines

English Language Arts Grade 5

PSSA English Language Arts Grade 5

Test Directions for Reading Passages and Questions

Passage 1

Passage 2

Passage 3

Text-Dependent Analysis Prompt

Test Directions for Conventions of Standard English Questions

Conventions of Standard English Multiple-Choice Questions

English Language Arts—Sample Item Summary Data

Acknowledgements

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment English Language Arts Item and Scoring Sampler * This is a revised version of the 2017 Item and Scoring Sampler. Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction—September 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS INFORMATION ABOUT ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS .................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................. 1 General Introduction ....................................................... 1 Pennsylvania Core Standards (PCS) ........................................... 1 What Is Included .......................................................... 1 Purpose and Uses ......................................................... 2 Item Format and Scoring Guidelines .......................................... 2 Testing Time and Mode of Testing Delivery for the PCS-Based PSSA ................. 3 English Language Arts Grade 5 .............................................. 3 PSSA ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS GRADE 5 .......................................... 4 English Language Arts Test Directions for Reading Passages and Questions .............. 4 Passage 1 ................................................................... 6 Multiple-Choice Questions .................................................. 8 Evidence-Based Selected-Response Question ................................. 12 Passage 2 .................................................................. 13 Multiple-Choice Questions ................................................. 15 Passage 3 .................................................................. 19 Text-Dependent Analysis Prompt ............................................ 22 Text-Dependent Analysis Scoring Guideline .................................... 26 English Language Arts Test Directions for Conventions of Standard English Questions ...... 44 Conventions of Standard English Multiple-Choice Questions .......................... 45 English Language Arts—Sample Item Summary Data ................................ 48 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................... 51 INFORMATION ABOUT ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS INTRODUCTION General Introduction The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) provides districts and schools with tools to assist in delivering focused instructional programs aligned with the Pennsylvania Core Standards (PCS) . These tools include Academic Standards, Assessment Anchors and Eligible Content documents, assessment handbooks, and content-based item and scoring samplers . This Item and Scoring Sampler is a useful tool for Pennsylvania educators in preparing local instructional programs by providing samples of test item types and scored student responses . The item sampler is not designed to be used as a pretest, a curriculum, or other benchmark for operational testing . This Item and Scoring Sampler is available in Braille format . For more information regarding Braille, call (717) 901-2238 . Pennsylvania Core Standards (PCS) This sampler contains examples of test questions designed to assess the Pennsylvania Assessment Anchors and Eligible Content aligned to the Pennsylvania Core Standards . The Mathematics, Reading, and Writing PSSA transitioned to PCS-based operational Mathematics and English Language Arts assessments starting with the spring 2015 PSSA administration . The PCS-aligned Assessment Anchors and Eligible Content documents are posted on this portal: ¾ [www.education.pa.gov](www.education.pa.gov) [Hover over “Data and Reporting,” select “Assessment and Accountability,” and select “PSSA-PA System of School Assessment .” Then select“Assessment Anchors/Eligible Content” on the right side of the screen .] What Is Included This sampler contains stimulus reading passages with test questions, Conventions of Standard English questions, and a text-dependent a

FAQs

How can educators use the sampler to score responses?

Educators can use the sampler as a guide to score text-dependent analysis responses independently or collaboratively with colleagues in a school or district.

Oct 4, 2026

Upload by adawds