COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS

Transcription

1 ENGLISH COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS Score Rage 1 12 Stadards Topic Developmet i Terms of Purpose ad Focus Orgaizatio, Uity, ad Coherece Word Choice i Terms of Style, Toe, Clarity, ad Ecoomy Studets who score i the 1 12 rage are most likely begiig to develop the kowledge ad skills assessed i the other score rages. read ad discuss the work of favorite writers regularly write iformal resposes to literature (fictio ad ofictio) i their jourals idetify seteces that covey the mai ideas i a variety of texts ad the practice composig such seteces write short texts, i a variety of geres, illustratig simple orgaizatio use paragraphig as a orgaizatioal device revise writig to clarify seteces cotaiig too may phrases ad clauses check writig to make sure proou refereces are clear revise writig to edit out empty words (e.g., really, very, big, kid of ) Stadards Use cojuctive adverbs or phrases to show time relatioships i simple arrative essays (e.g., the, this time) Revise seteces to correct awkward ad cofusig arragemets of setece elemets Revise vague ous ad proous that create obvious logic problems read writers of various geres ad imitate their work revise writig to esure that every setece is ecessary to the purpose of the piece ad that o importat iformatio has bee left out write may simply orgaized short texts of various geres revise writig to esure that iformatio is i the best order idetify ad revise obviously wordy, redudat, or cluttered material Stadards Idetify the basic purpose or role of a specified phrase or setece Delete a clause or setece because it is obviously irrelevat to the essay Select the most logical place to add a setece i a paragraph Delete obviously syoymous ad wordy material i a setece Revise expressios that deviate from the style of a essay cotiue readig writers of various geres ad imitatig their work write loger ad more complicated essays, stories, reviews, etc. state the mai theme of or summarize essays they have writte revise essays by elimiatig seteces or ideas that violate the essay s focus recogize ad experimet with more sophisticated orgaizatioal structures (e.g., compariso-cotrast, cause-effect) revise writig to delete illogical cojuctive adverbs discuss the most logical place to add specific iformatio i a draft essay discuss the purpose ad the importace of the opeig paragraph for directig the rest of the piece revise writig to make it more cocise ad precise discuss ad model toe ad style 4

2 Setece Structure ad Formatio Covetios of Usage Covetios of Puctuatio vary setece legth by combiig simple seteces check writig to make sure verb teses are cosistet make sure to use adjectives like well, less, ad worst correctly lear to recogize whe commas are overused Use cojuctios or puctuatio to joi simple clauses Revise shifts i verb tese betwee simple clauses i a setece or betwee simple adjoiig seteces Solve such basic grammatical problems as how to form the past ad past participle of irregular but commoly used verbs ad how to form comparative ad superlative adjectives Delete commas that create basic sese problems (e.g., betwee verb ad direct object) revise writig to correct glarig shifts i verb tese or voice revise writig to correct basic grammar ad puctuatio errors practice ad uderstad correct usage of commo homoyms (e.g., their/there, past/passed) practice usig puctuatio correctly i simple seteces (e.g., He ra, jumped, ad swam. ) check for ad correct uecessary commas Determie the eed for puctuatio ad cojuctios to avoid awkward-soudig setece fragmets ad fused seteces Decide the appropriate verb tese ad voice by cosiderig the meaig of the etire setece Solve such grammatical problems as whether to use a adverb or adjective form, how to esure straightforward subject-verb ad proou-atecedet agreemet, ad which prepositio to use i simple cotexts Recogize ad use the appropriate word i frequetly cofused pairs such as there ad their, past ad passed, ad led ad lead Provide appropriate puctuatio i straightforward situatios (e.g., items i a series) Delete commas that disturb the setece flow (e.g., betwee modifier ad modified elemet) experimet with writig more sophisticated seteces; check to esure verbs agree with subjects ad modifiers do t dagle revise seteces to esure that each verb agrees with its subject whe there is some text betwee the two use commas to set off parethetical phrases 5

3 ENGLISH (cotiued) COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS Score Rage Topic Developmet i Terms of Purpose ad Focus Orgaizatio, Uity, ad Coherece Word Choice i Terms of Style, Toe, Clarity, ad Ecoomy Stadards Idetify the cetral idea or mai topic of a straightforward piece of writig Determie relevacy whe preseted with a variety of setece-level details Use cojuctive adverbs or phrases to express straight - forward logical relatioships (e.g., first, afterward, i respose) Decide the most logical place to add a setece i a essay Add a setece that itroduces a simple paragraph Delete redudat material whe iformatio is repeated i differet parts of speech (e.g., alarmigly startled ) Use the word or phrase most cosistet with the style ad toe of a fairly straightforward essay Determie the clearest ad most logical cojuctio to lik clauses cotiue readig the work of writers of various geres; begi experimetig with a variety of writig styles revise fairly straightforward writig to sharpe focus ad coherece of etire piece experimet with usig words ad phrases that create clear trasitios i writig rearrage seteces i a paragraph i order to improve its coherece write itroductios that capture the reader s iterest, write coclusios that provide a sese of closure, ad describe the rhetorical effects that each creates cotiue to edit seteces for empty laguage, wordiess, ad redudacy revise structurally complex seteces to correct vague or ambiguous proou refereces Stadards Idetify the focus of a simple essay, applyig that kowledge to add a setece that sharpes that focus or to determie if a essay has met a specified goal Delete material primarily because it disturbs the flow ad developmet of the paragraph Add a setece to accomplish a fairly straight forward purpose such as illustratig a give statemet Determie the eed for cojuctive adverbs or phrases to create subtle logical coectios betwee seteces (e.g., therefore, however, i additio) Rearrage the seteces i a fairly ucomplicated paragraph for the sake of logic Add a setece to itroduce or coclude the essay or to provide a trasitio betwee paragraphs whe the essay is fairly straightforward Revise a phrase that is redudat i terms of the meaig ad logic of the etire setece Idetify ad correct ambiguous proou refereces Use the word or phrase most appropriate i terms of the cotet of the setece ad toe of the essay develop awareess of ways that form ad cotet ca be chaged as the audiece for the writig chages lear how meaig ca be expressed through cootatio experimet with more subtle orgaizatioal structures revise writig by refiig itroductios, coclusios, ad trasitios i complex paragraphs select ad maipulate words, phrases, ad clauses to covey shades of meaig ad toe avoid clutter ad use vivid verbs ad specific ous 6

4 Setece Structure ad Formatio Covetios of Usage Covetios of Puctuatio Recogize ad correct marked disturbaces of setece flow ad structure (e.g., participial phrase fragmets, missig or icorrect relative proous, daglig or misplaced modifiers) Use idiomatically appropriate prepositios, especially i combiatio with verbs (e.g., log for, appeal to) Esure that a verb agrees with its subject whe there is some text betwee the two Use commas to set off simple parethetical phrases Delete uecessary commas whe a icorrect readig of the setece suggests a pause that should be puctuated (e.g., betwee verb ad direct object clause) revise writig to correct faulty coordiatio ad subordiatio of clauses revise seteces to correct icosistecies i verb tese ad proou perso check to be sure proous agree with atecedets i icreasigly complex seteces use puctuatio to set off oessetial iformatio i a setece recogize iappropriate uses of commas Revise to avoid faulty placemet of phrases ad faulty coordiatio ad subordiatio of clauses i seteces with subtle structural problems Maitai cosistet verb tese ad proou perso o the basis of the precedig clause or setece Esure that a proou agrees with its atecedet whe the two occur i separate clauses or seteces Idetify the correct past ad past participle forms of irregular ad ifrequetly used verbs ad form preset-perfect verbs by usig have rather tha of Use puctuatio to set off complex parethetical phrases Recogize ad delete uecessary commas based o a careful readig of a complicated setece (e.g., betwee the elemets of a compoud subject or compoud verb joied by ad) Use apostrophes to idicate simple possessive ous Recogize iappropriate uses of colos ad semicolos use setece-combiig techiques to create more sophisticated seteces; check to avoid fragmets, comma splices, ad ru-os recogize the differece betwee its ad it s, your ad you re, who ad whom use commas to set off oessetial appositives or clauses use semicolos to idicate relatioships betwee idepedet clauses 7

5 ENGLISH (cotiued) COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS Score Rage Topic Developmet i Terms of Purpose ad Focus Orgaizatio, Uity, ad Coherece Word Choice i Terms of Style, Toe, Clarity, ad Ecoomy 28 32* Stadards Apply a awareess of the focus ad purpose of a fairly ivolved essay to determie the rhetorical effect ad suitability of a existig phrase or setece, or to determie the eed to delete plausible but irrelevat material Add a setece to accomplish a subtle rhetorical purpose such as to emphasize, to add supportig detail, or to express meaig through cootatio Make sophisticated distictios cocerig the logical use of cojuctive adverbs or phrases, particularly whe sigalig a shift betwee paragraphs Rearrage seteces to improve the logic ad coherece of a complex paragraph Add a setece to itroduce or coclude a fairly complex paragraph Correct redudat material that ivolves sophisticated vocabulary ad souds acceptable as coversatioal Eglish (e.g., a aesthetic viewpoit versus the outlook of a aesthetic viewpoit ) Correct vague ad wordy or clumsy ad cofusig writig cotaiig sophisticated laguage write essays that idicate a heighteed awareess of the audiece for those essays recogize the role that specific seteces play i terms of the essay as a whole revise or add itroductory seteces or trasitios based o a uderstadig of the logic ad rhetorical purpose of the paragraph ad the essay as a whole revise writig to delete redudacies i terms of the paragraph as a whole Stadards Determie whether a complex essay has accomplished a specific purpose Add a phrase or setece to accomplish a complex purpose, ofte expressed i terms of the mai focus of the essay Cosider the eed for itroductory seteces or trasitios, basig decisios o a thorough uderstadig of both the logic ad rhetorical effect of the paragraph ad essay Delete redudat material that ivolves subtle cocepts or that is redudat i terms of the paragraph as a whole * PLAN ad ACT oly ACT oly 8

6 Setece Structure ad Formatio Covetios of Usage Covetios of Puctuatio Use setece-combiig techiques, effectively avoidig problematic comma splices, ru-o seteces, ad setece fragmets, especially i seteces cotaiig compoud subjects or verbs Maitai a cosistet ad logical use of verb tese ad proou perso o the basis of iformatio i the paragraph or essay as a whole Correctly use reflexive proous, the possessive proous its ad your, ad the relative proous who ad whom Esure that a verb agrees with its subject i uusual situatios (e.g., whe the subject-verb order is iverted or whe the subject is a idefiite proou) Use commas to set off a oessetial/ orestrictive appositive or clause Deal with multiple puctuatio problems (e.g., compoud seteces cotaiig uecessary commas ad phrases that may or may ot be parethetical) Use a apostrophe to show possessio, especially with irregular plural ous Use a semicolo to idicate a relatioship betwee closely related idepedet clauses maitai parallel structure betwee phrases ad clauses i a complex setece employ a variety of setece structures i their writig revise seteces to esure agreemet betwee verb ad subject whe a phrase betwee the two suggests a differet umber for the verb use the colo to itroduce a example or a elaboratio Work comfortably with log seteces ad complex clausal relatioships withi seteces, avoidig weak cojuctios betwee idepedet clauses ad maitaiig parallel structure betwee clauses Provide idiomatically ad cotextually appropriate prepositios followig verbs i situatios ivolvig sophisticated laguage or ideas Esure that a verb agrees with its subject whe a phrase or clause betwee the two suggests a differet umber for the verb Use a colo to itroduce a example or a elaboratio 9

7 READING COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS Score Rage 1 12 Stadards Mai Ideas ad Author s Approach Supportig Details Studets who score i the 1 12 rage are most likely begiig to develop the kowledge ad skills assessed i the other score rages. locate details i a literary text that suggest the author s or arrator s itet speculate about a author s or arrator s beliefs, motives, or thikig write, exchage, ad aswer a series of questios that examie sigificat details preseted i a text locate ad discuss details preseted i a text (e.g., who, what, where) Stadards Recogize a clear itet of a author or arrator i ucomplicated literary arratives Locate basic facts (e.g., ames, dates, evets) clearly stated i a passage work with peers to create logical statemets about the mai idea or purpose of simple paragraphs determie which details i a text are essetial to uderstadig the author s or arrator s iteded message sca a text i order to locate specific details (e.g., dates, specialized terms, facts) idetify the author s or arrator s reasos for icludig specific iformatio i the text Descriptios of the Readig Passages Ucomplicated Literary Narratives refers to excerpts from essays, short stories, ad ovels that ted to use simple laguage ad structure, have a clear purpose ad a familiar style, preset straightforward iteractios betwee characters, ad employ oly a limited umber of literary devices such as metaphor, simile, or hyperbole. More Challegig Literary Narratives refers to excerpts from essays, short stories, ad ovels that ted to make moderate use of figurative laguage, have a more itricate structure ad messages coveyed with some subtlety, ad may feature somewhat complex iteractios betwee characters. Complex Literary Narratives refers to excerpts from essays, short stories, ad ovels that ted to make geerous use of ambiguous laguage ad literary devices, feature co mplex ad subtle iteractios betwee characters, ofte cotai challegig cotextdepedet vocabulary, ad typically cotai messages ad/or meaigs that are ot explicit but are embedded i the passage. 18

8 Sequetial, Comparative, ad Cause-Effect Relatioships Meaigs of Words Geeralizatios ad Coclusios use various strategies (e.g., timelies, evet chais, discussio) to determie whether a evet occurred ad, if so, whe it occurred discuss a issue of iterest, determiig how past evets affected the preset locate evidece i a text that explicitly states why a evet or a series of evets occurred use various resources (e.g., dictioary, thesaurus) to explore cootatios of familiar words or descriptive laguage recogize geeralizatios about the mai character i a literary text combie several pieces of iformatio to make a reasoable geeralizatio about a specific character make predictios about characters ad evets preseted i a literary text, verifyig or rejectig those predictios ad makig ew oes as they read search for patters or clues (e.g., sigal words) that idicate cause-effect relatioships Determie whe (e.g., first, last, before, after) or if a evet occurred i ucomplicated passages Uderstad the implicatio of a familiar word or phrase ad of simple descriptive laguage Draw simple geeralizatios ad coclusios about the mai characters i ucomplicated literary arratives Recogize clear cause-effect relatioships described withi a sigle setece i a passage aalyze how a author or arrator uses descriptio, dialogue, ad actio to suggest relatioships betwee characters i writte or oprit sources (e.g., films, ads) select phrases or statemets from a literary text that illustrate how a specific character feels toward others i the text examie specific laguage i a text ad propose plausible iterpretatios based i part o their ow viewpoits ad experieces aalyze the reasoableess of geeralizatios by reviewig iformatio preseted i the text ad from other sources compose geeralizatios that iclude qualifyig laguage (e.g., a few, sometimes) whe limited evidece is preseted by the author or arrator read portios of a literary text, predictig how a perso s actios or words would likely impact a specific situatio determie what a literary arrative is geerally about, orgaizig the text s iformatio ito geeral statemets that are supported by details from the text use various strategies (e.g., questioig, role-playig) to determie plausible cause-effect relatioships draw reasoable coclusios about people ad situatios usig evidece preseted i a text Ucomplicated Iformatioal Passages refers to materials that ted to cotai a limited amout of data, address basic cocepts usig familiar laguage ad covetioal orgaizatioal patters, have a clear purpose, ad are writte to be accessible. More Challegig Iformatioal Passages refers to materials that ted to preset cocepts that are ot always stated explicitly ad that are accompaied or illustrat ed by more ad more detailed supportig data, iclude some difficult cotext-depedet words, ad are writte i a somewhat more demadig ad less accessible style. Complex Iformatioal Passages refers to materials that ted to iclude a sizable amout of data, preset difficult cocepts that are embedded (ot explicit) i the text, use demadig words ad phrases whose meaig must be determied from cotex t, ad are likely to iclude itricate explaatios of processes or evets. 19

9 READING (cotiued) COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS Score Rage Mai Ideas ad Author s Approach Supportig Details Stadards Idetify a clear mai idea or purpose of straightforward paragraphs i ucomplicated literary arratives Locate simple details at the setece ad paragraph level i ucomplicated passages Recogize a clear fuctio of a part of a ucomplicated passage aalyze techiques used by the author of a text to reveal or coceal his or her poit of view explai i their ow words the sigificace of specific iformatio i writte or oprit sources distiguish betwee what is most ad least importat i a text Stadards Ifer the mai idea or purpose of straightforward paragraphs i ucomplicated literary arratives Uderstad the overall approach take by a author or arrator (e.g., poit of view, kids of evidece used) i ucomplicated passages Locate importat details i ucomplicated passages Make simple ifereces about how details are used i passages determie how a iferece might chage based o the iclusio of additioal iformatio sythesize iformatio from challegig texts to clarify uderstadig of importat cocepts ad ideas distiguish betwee key cocepts ad subordiate ideas i a text ad write a cocise summary search for clues that suggest the viewpoit from which a literary text is writte or told ad determie whether the author s or arrator s poit of view is valid or biased aalyze the relatioship betwee a author s or arrator s iteded message ad the rhetorical devices used to covey that message (e.g., laguage used, evidece provided) gather ad iterpret details preseted i a text, determiig the cotributio of each to the author s or arrator s iteded message idetify details that clearly support the key poit(s) of writte or oprit sources check ifereces agaist iformatio provided i a text, idetifyig what is ad is ot sufficietly supported by the text 20

10 Sequetial, Comparative, ad Cause-Effect Relatioships Meaigs of Words Geeralizatios ad Coclusios Idetify relatioships betwee mai characters i ucomplicated literary arratives Recogize clear cause-effect relatioships withi a sigle paragraph i ucomplicated literary arratives Use cotext to uderstad basic figurative laguage Draw simple geeralizatios ad coclusios about people, ideas, ad so o i ucomplicated passages place evets from a literary text i chroological order by locatig substatial evidece from the text idetify similarities ad differeces betwee people, objects, evets, or ideas, drawig accurate coclusios idetify iterrelatioships betwee ad amog people, objects, evets, or ideas i writte or oprit sources determie factors that have clearly iflueced the outcome of a situatio idetify statemets i texts that clearly state the cause(s) ad effect(s) of specific effects clarify the meaigs of words or descriptive phrases by searchig for clues i the text (e.g., setece structure, cotext, prefixes/suffixes, spellig patters) make accurate geeralizatios about people ad evets based o evidece preseted i the text idetify iaccurate geeralizatios (e.g., stereotypes) i writte or oprit sources idetify details i a challegig text that cofirm or disprove coclusios draw by the author or arrator ad by the studets themselves or their peers make reasoed judgmets about ideas ad evets based o evidece from writte or oprit sources Order simple sequeces of evets i ucomplicated literary arratives Idetify clear relatioships betwee people, ideas, ad so o i ucomplicated passages Idetify clear cause-effect relatioships i ucomplicated passages Use cotext to determie the appropriate meaig of some figurative ad ofigurative words, phrases, ad statemets i ucomplicated passages Draw geeralizatios ad coclusios about people, ideas, ad so o i ucomplicated passages Draw simple geeralizatios ad coclusios usig details that support the mai poits of more challegig passages aalyze the sequece of evets i writte or oprit sources map sequeces of evets i texts or films or from everyday occurreces, defedig their reasoig evaluate the extet to which comparisos made by the author or arrator help clarify specific textual relatioships search for clues embedded i a text that suggest cause-effect relatioships examie evets i writte or oprit sources to determie the precipitatig cause(s) ad fial outcome(s) ivestigate the meaigs of words ad their possible effect(s) o the perceptios ad behavior of people research words ad phrases from differet sources, idetifyig their shades of meaig i various cotexts or situatios defed or challege the author s or arrator s assertios by locatig several key pieces of iformatio i a challegig text make accurate geeralizatios based o implicit iformatio i the text aalyze specific parts of a text, drawig accurate coclusios 21

11 READING (cotiued) COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS Score Rage Stadards Mai Ideas ad Author s Approach Idetify a clear mai idea or purpose of ay paragraph or paragraphs i ucomplicated passages Ifer the mai idea or purpose of straightforward paragraphs i more challegig passages Summarize basic evets ad ideas i more challegig passages Uderstad the overall approach take by a author or arrator (e.g., poit of view, kids of evidece used) i more challegig passages Supportig Details Locate importat details i more challegig passages Locate ad iterpret mior or subtly stated details i ucomplicated passages Discer which details, though they may appear i differet sectios throughout a passage, support importat poits i more challegig passages develop a reasoable iterpretatio of the cetral theme(s) or mai poit(s) of a challegig text divide challegig texts ito sectios, determiig what the key poits are for each sectio determie the primary purpose of specific sectios of a text or the text as a whole use two differet mediums (e.g., sculpture, poetry, photography, music) to preset a syopsis of the mai idea(s) of a text, thereby expadig uderstadig of the text s meaig idetify subtle evidece that coveys the author s or arrator s poit of view i challegig texts chage the wordig of a text i order to covey a differet toe or attitude (e.g., from persuasive to serious) eumerate aspects or characteristics of people, objects, evets, or ideas iterpret ad itegrate details i a text i order to verify or cotradict a specific poit or claim made by the author or arrator recogize ad study the evolutio of a author s argumet(s) as preseted i a complex iformatioal text 22

12 Sequetial, Comparative, ad Cause-Effect Relatioships Meaigs of Words Geeralizatios ad Coclusios Order sequeces of evets i ucomplicated passages Uderstad relatioships betwee people, ideas, ad so o i ucomplicated passages Idetify clear relatioships betwee characters, ideas, ad so o i more challegig literary arratives Uderstad implied or subtly stated cause-effect relatioships i ucomplicated passages Idetify clear cause-effect relatioships i more challegig passages Use cotext to determie the appropriate meaig of virtually ay word, phrase, or statemet i ucomplicated passages Use cotext to determie the appropriate meaig of some figurative ad ofigurative words, phrases, ad statemets i more challegig passages Draw subtle geeralizatios ad coclusios about characters, ideas, ad so o i ucomplicated literary arratives Draw geeralizatios ad coclusios about people, ideas, ad so o i more challegig passages read texts cotaiig challegig sequeces (e.g., flashback, flashforward), discussig how the order of evets affects uderstadig of the text explai how alterig a series of evets would likely chage the outcome of a situatio or the actios of the characters develop a i-depth uderstadig of the fie distictios betwee literary characters i a challegig text by closely examiig the laguage used by the author or arrator idetify relatioships betwee ideas ad/or people i a challegig text ad how those relatioships develop over the course of the text idetify clues i a challegig text that suggest possible motives for ad effects of a perso s actios or words read coflictig viewpoits of a evet ad use textual evidece to idetify which oe has the most reasoable explaatios of causes ad effects develop ad use strategies for decipherig the meaigs of words or phrases embedded i richly figurative or techical cotexts aalyze figurative ad techical laguage i the media, relatig some istaces to a persoal experiece sythesize iformatio i challegig texts, makig valid geeralizatios or coclusios about people ad situatios cofirm or disprove geeralizatios suggested i texts by providig examples or couterexamples from other sources 23

13 READING (cotiued) COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS Score Rage Mai Ideas ad Author s Approach Supportig Details 28 32* Stadards Ifer the mai idea or purpose of more challegig passages or their paragraphs Summarize evets ad ideas i virtually ay passage Uderstad the overall approach take by a author or arrator (e.g., poit of view, kids of evidece used) i virtually ay passage Locate ad iterpret mior or subtly stated details i more challegig passages Use details from differet sectios of some complex iformatioal passages to support a specific poit or argumet locate ad aalyze ideas i a complex text ad write a reasoed syopsis of the text determie the author s or arrator s positio toward a specific topic, issue, or idea by otig key facts, claims, ad details from the text idetify facts embedded i complex iformatioal texts Stadards Idetify clear mai ideas or purposes of complex passages or their paragraphs Locate ad iterpret details i complex passages Uderstad the fuctio of a part of a passage whe the fuctio is subtle or complex * PLAN ad ACT oly ACT oly 24

14 Sequetial, Comparative, ad Cause-Effect Relatioships Meaigs of Words Geeralizatios ad Coclusios Order sequeces of evets i more challegig passages Uderstad the dyamics betwee people, ideas, ad so o i more challegig passages Uderstad implied or subtly stated cause-effect relatioships i more challegig passages Determie the appropriate meaig of words, phrases, or statemets from figurative or somewhat techical cotexts Use iformatio from oe or more sectios of a more challegig passage to draw geeralizatios ad coclusios about people, ideas, ad so o determie the chroological sequece of evets ad the spatial relatioships i complex texts (e.g., Dickes, García Marquez, Morriso, Tolstoy) aalyze subtle relatioships betwee ad amog people, objects, evets, ad ideas i complex texts or films, formig accurate ifereces idetify implicatios ad possible cosequeces of actios i complex texts employ strategies for defiig a difficult cocept, such as idetifyig its characteristics or providig examples of what it is ad is ot like examie iformatio from multiple sources ad perspectives (icludig the author s or arrator s) i order to make reasoable geeralizatios about people, objects, ideas, ad situatios evaluate the impact of literary devices (e.g., figurative laguage) o the meaig of a literary arrative Order sequeces of evets i complex passages Uderstad the subtleties i relatioships betwee people, ideas, ad so o i virtually ay passage Uderstad implied, subtle, or complex cause-effect relatioships i virtually ay passage Determie, eve whe the laguage is richly figurative ad the vocabulary is difficult, the appropriate meaig of cotext-depedet words, phrases, or statemets i virtually ay passage Draw complex or subtle geeralizatios ad coclusios about people, ideas, ad so o, ofte by sythesizig iformatio from differet portios of the passage Uderstad ad geeralize about portios of a complex literary arrative 25

15 ACT WRITING TEST COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS Score Rage 2 Stadards Expressig Judgmets Focusig o the Topic Developig a Positio Scores below 3 do ot permit useful geeralizatios about studets writig abilities. discuss the goal of a persuasive essay ask five people for their opiio o a issue; ote the rage i viewpoits a sigle issue ca brig out idetify a local commuity or school issue; phrase the issue i the form of a questio; the experimet with ways to aswer that questio clearly i a sigle setece study model paragraphs that have topic seteces; otice that i each example the idea i the topic setece is explaied by the rest of the seteces i the paragraph i a model persuasive essay, list the ideas that the writer talks about; discuss which is the essay s mai idea ad which are ideas that support or illustrate the mai idea 3 4 Stadards Show a little uderstadig of the persuasive purpose of the task but eglect to take or to maitai a positio o the issue i the prompt Maitai a focus o the geeral topic i the prompt through most of the essay Offer a little developmet, with oe or two ideas; if examples are give, they are geeral ad may ot be clearly relevat; resort ofte to merely repeatig ideas Show limited recogitio of the complexity of the issue i the prompt Show little or o movemet betwee geeral ad specific ideas ad examples geerate a list of issues, the practice restatig them clearly ad precisely with origial wordig practice geeratig possible positios o a issue idetify ad discuss reasos for selectig oe positio o a issue over others choose a positio o a issue ad state it clearly ask who, what, whe, where, ad especially why of the topic to establish clear focus for the essay lear to recogize whe a essay waders away from its topic critique writig i peer workshops to idetify ay ideas that are obviously off the mai poit of the essay read a variety of model persuasive essays recogize that essays are composed of ideas that must be explaied or illustrated with specific examples ad details redraft writig to iclude additioal ideas that support the essay s mai claim lear prewritig strategies such as freewritig ad braistormig for geeratig ideas about a topic ACT oly 30

16 Orgaizig Ideas Usig Laguage practice groupig seteces that share like subjects costruct a simple timelie of a evet; discuss how the evet has a begiig, a middle, ad a ed read the works of favorite writers regularly write iformal etries (resposes to readigs, or origial ideas) i a joural Provide a discerible orgaizatio with some logical groupig of ideas i parts of the essay Use a few simple ad obvious trasitios Preset a discerible, though miimally developed, itroductio ad coclusio Show limited cotrol of laguage by correctly employig some of the covetios of stadard Eglish grammar, usage, ad mechaics, but with distractig errors that sometimes sigificatly impede uderstadig usig simple vocabulary usig simple setece structure use clusterig, cocept mappig, or aother visual orgaizer to idetify relatioships amog ideas recogize paragraphs as a meas for orgaizig a essay geerate a list of words ad phrases typically used as trasitios (e.g., however, first, ext, moreover, as a matter of fact, etc.) study the itroductios ad coclusios of model essays discuss the purpose ad importace of the opeig paragraph for directig the rest of the essay read ad discuss the works of favorite writers; use a dictioary to lear ay ufamiliar words or phrases recogize that clarity of expressio is essetial to clarity of meaig lear to cosult a writer s referece o questios of word choice ad usage practice proofreadig to idetify obvious errors ad missig words 31

17 ACT WRITING TEST (cotiued) Score Rage 5 6 Stadards COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS Expressig Judgmets Focusig o the Topic Developig a Positio Show a basic uderstadig of the persuasive purpose of the task by takig a positio o the issue i the prompt but may ot maitai that positio Show a little recogitio of the complexity of the issue i the prompt by ackowledgig, but oly briefly describig, a couterargumet to the writer s positio choose a positio o a issue ad geerate a list of possible objectios others might have to that positio liste to a public debate; idetify strategies skilled speakers use i respodig to their oppoet s viewpoit experimet with ways to ackowledge a opposig viewpoit without weakeig the essay s focus or positio practice writig brief resposes to opposig viewpoits Maitai a focus o the geeral topic i the prompt throughout the essay uderstad the relatioship betwee a geeral topic ad a specific issue withi that topic practice writig short resposes (oe paragraph) that stay focused o a specific topic idetify the thesis statemets i a variety of model essays critique writig i peer workshops to esure that the thesis is clear ad that the thesis, itroductio, ad coclusio all focus o the same idea Offer limited developmet of ideas usig a few geeral examples; resort sometimes to merely repeatig ideas Show little movemet betwee geeral ad specific ideas ad examples uderstad that a thesis statemet expresses a essay s mai idea ad must be supported with reasos, examples, ad details discuss how to geerate specific examples ad details to illustrate geeral ideas read model essays that derive geeralizatios from specific examples ad details 7 8 Stadards Show uderstadig of the persuasive purpose of the task by takig a positio o the issue i the prompt Maitai a focus o the geeral Show some recogitio of the complexity of the issue i the prompt by ackowledgig couter - argumets to the writer s positio providig some respose to couterargumets to the writer s positio topic i the prompt throughout the essay ad attempt a focus o the specific issue i the prompt Preset a thesis that establishes focus o the topic Develop ideas by usig some specific reasos, details, ad examples Show some movemet betwee geeral ad specific ideas ad examples uderstad that issues exist withi a larger cotext; discuss ways i which a certai issue is coected to broader questios of cocer to more people practice idetifyig implicatios of a positio: what would be the outcome if this positio were adopted or eacted; who would beefit/ot beefit ad why develop a awareess of how factors may complicate a positio: adopt a positio o a issue, the discuss whether it is always a valid ad reasoable positio; cosider how the positio might be affected if certai factors were to chage revise writig to esure that every paragraph remais focused o the issue ad that o essetial iformatio is left out practice composig thesis statemets that clearly state a positio o a issue ad offer a ratioale for adoptig that positio geerate a full-setece outlie or visual represetatio of all major ideas i a essay ad the examples ad details that support them practice drawig geeralizatios from specific historical, persoal, or literary details lear to idetify the most relevat examples to support a idea critique writig i peer workshops to idetify ay ideas that eed further developmet i order to be persuasive or clear 32 ACT oly

18 Orgaizig Ideas Usig Laguage Provide a simple orgaizatio with logical groupig of ideas i parts of the essay Use some simple ad obvious trasitioal words, though they may at times be iappropriate or misleadig Preset a discerible, though uderdeveloped, itroductio ad coclusio Show a basic cotrol of laguage by correctly employig some of the covetios of stadard Eglish grammar, usage, ad mechaics, but with distractig errors that sometimes impede uderstadig usig simple but appropriate vocabulary usig a little setece variety, though most seteces are simple i structure compare the outlie of a origial essay to the outlie of a model essay; discuss ways to reorgaize the origial writig to make it more effective critique writig i peer workshops to see if paragraphs are orgaized effectively: idetify seteces out of sequece, paragraphs that lack clear topic seteces, ad ideas that do t belog review paragraphs to see if smooth trasitios are provided from oe to the ext draft a itroductio that icludes a clearly stated thesis, ad a coclusio that cofirms the mai theme of the essay cotiue to read ad discuss works by skilled writers to become more familiar with correct laguage use read origial writig aloud to hear ad idetify laguage errors revise writig to reduce uecessary repetitio of words ad phrases practice varyig setece legth by combiig simple seteces experimet with varyig setece costructio by movig pre - positioal phrases to the begiig of seteces Provide a adequate but simple orgaizatio with logical groupig of ideas i parts of the essay but with little evidece of logical io of ideas Use some simple ad obvious, but appropriate, trasitioal words ad phrases Preset a discerible itroductio ad coclusio with a little developmet Show adequate use of laguage to commuicate by correctly employig may of the covetios of stadard Eglish grammar, usage, ad mechaics, but with some distractig errors that may occasioally impede uderstadig usig appropriate vocabulary usig some varied kids of setece structures to vary pace practice arragig seteces withi a paragraph so that discussio logically builds ad es idetify specific trasitioal words ad phrases, icludig those idicatig causal relatioship (e.g., as a result, this meas that) practice writig a itroductio that briefly but effectively itroduces a cotext for the discussio as well as a thesis cosider ways to coclude a piece of writig that will emphasize its mai theme without restatig the discussio or otherwise beig repetitive uderstad correct usage of commo homoyms (e.g., their/there, past/passed, it s/its, you re/your) practice usig a wider vocabulary by replacig vague or geeral laguage with more precise words experimet with more sophisticated setece costructios read model essays to see how skilled writers cotrol pace ad emphasis by varyig the legth of seteces 33

19 ACT WRITING TEST (cotiued) Score Rage 9 10 Stadards COLLEGE READINESS STANDARDS Expressig Judgmets Focusig o the Topic Developig a Positio Show clear uderstadig of the persuasive purpose of the task by takig a positio o the specific issue i the prompt ad offerig a broad cotext for discussio Show recogitio of the complexity of the issue i the prompt by partially evaluatig implicatios ad/or complicatios of the issue, ad/or posig ad partially respodig to couter - argumets to the writer s positio Maitai a focus o discussio of the specific topic ad issue i the prompt throughout the essay Preset a thesis that establishes a focus o the writer s positio o the issue Develop most ideas fully, usig some specific ad relevat reasos, details, ad examples Show clear movemet betwee geeral ad specific ideas ad examples uderstad that a issue has a cotext; thik about what cosideratios outside the issue shape or limit it lear how to idetify ad critique assumptios uderlyig the issue as stated; cosider perspectives that might call ito questio some aspect of the issue itself i a exteded discussio, practice demostratig the logical or practical weakesses of a couterargumet revise writig to esure that every setece is ecessary to the purpose of the piece refie thesis statemets to reflect subtle, critical thikig about complex issues lear how to elaborate ideas fully by logically describig their coectio to the essay s mai idea practice sustaiig a logical ad relevat discussio by writig loger ad more complex essays check to see if the essay s treatmet of each idea is proportioal to the idea s importace liste to ews aalyses o televisio or radio; otice the strategies that skilled speakers use to preset their ideas o a issue Stadards Show clear uderstadig of the persuasive purpose of the task by takig a positio o the specific issue i the prompt ad offerig a critical cotext for discussio Maitai a clear focus o discussio of the specific topic ad issue i the prompt throughout the essay Show uderstadig of the complexity of the issue i the prompt by examiig differet perspectives, ad/or evaluatig implicatios or complicatios of the issue, ad/or posig ad fully discussig couterargumets to the writer s positio Preset a critical thesis that clearly establishes the focus o the writer s positio o the issue Develop several ideas fully, usig specific ad relevat reasos, details, ad examples Show effective movemet betwee geeral ad specific ideas ad examples ACT oly 34

20 Orgaizig Ideas Usig Laguage Provide uity ad coherece throughout the essay, sometimes with a logical io of ideas Use relevat, though at times simple ad obvious, trasitioal words ad phrases to covey logical relatioships betwee ideas Preset a somewhat developed itroductio ad coclusio Show competet use of laguage to commuicate ideas by correctly employig most covetios of stadard Eglish grammar, usage, ad mechaics, with a few distractig errors but oe that impede uderstadig usig some precise ad varied vocabulary usig several kids of setece structures to vary pace ad to support meaig practice arragig ideas so that oe paragraph leads logically to the ext throughout the essay cosider how trasitioal phrases ad seteces ca help covey logical coectios betwee ideas ad betwee paragraphs thik about how a itroductio ad coclusio ca work together to provide uity withi a essay experimet with how to coclude a essay while cotiuig to challege the audiece with critical questios or implicatios discuss the effect of a coclusio that suggests the essay has bee oly part of a much larger discussio check to be sure proous agree with atecedets i complex seteces edit seteces for empty laguage, wordiess, ad redudacy read a wide variety of texts to improve vocabulary ad gai exposure to precise ad effective laguage use read ad discuss the effects of rhetorical devices such as rhetorical questios, sarcasm, ad humor used by favorite authors Provide uity ad coherece throughout the essay, ofte with a logical io of ideas Use relevat trasitioal words, phrases, ad seteces to covey logical relatioships betwee ideas Preset a well-developed itroductio ad coclusio Show effective use of laguage to clearly commuicate ideas by correctly employig most covetios of stadard Eglish grammar, usage, ad mechaics, with just a few, if ay, errors usig precise ad varied vocabulary usig a variety of kids of setece structures to vary pace ad to support meaig 35