School Improvement in Maryland

Public Release Item: Public Release items have appeared on HSA forms and then are released for public viewing and use. Releasing items is one step to ensuring that schools, districts, and other stakeholders understand how the core learning goals are assessed on the HSA.

Goal 1 Reading, Reviewing and Responding to Texts

Expectation 1.2 The student will construct, examine, and extend meaning of traditional and contemporary works recognized as having significant literary merit.

Indicator 1.2.5 The student will extend or further develop meaning by explaining the implications of the text for the reader or contemporary society.

Assessment Limits:

  • Identifying and/or explaining ideas and issues of a text or across texts that may have implications for readers or contemporary society
  • Extending ideas found in a text or across texts by connecting them to ideas that have personal or societal relevance

Selected Response Item - Released in 2005

Read the essay "Starwalking with Sarah." Then answer Numbers 7 through 13.

Read the essay "Starwalking with Sarah." Then answer the following.

After reading this essay, a reader would most likely conclude that parents should

  1. take walks to teach their children about night animals
  2. take an active role in preserving nature for their children's enjoyment
  3. encourage their children to have a sense of wonder about the world
  4. make sure their children know the names of the stars and constellations
/share/clg/xml/public_release/english/2005_125_eng07.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

Read the essay “Yes, I Can!” Then answer the following.

This essay would most likely encourage a reader to

  1. begin a new educational program
  2. develop a more responsible attitude
  3. appreciate the traditions of other cultures
  4. recognize the importance of positive thinking
/share/clg/xml/public_release/english/2006_125_eng29.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

Read the essay “Ghost Crab.” Then answer the following.

Reading this essay would most likely encourage a reader to

  1. compose a poem about crabs
  2. enjoy the sounds of the ocean
  3. think about how animals get their names
  4. consider the significance of small creatures
/share/clg/xml/public_release/english/2006_125_eng41.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2007

Read the essay “Down with the Forests.” Then answer the following:

With which statement would the author of “Down with the Forests” most likely agree?

  1. Natural resources should be used.
  2. Respect for nature must be maintained.
  3. Pollution is an acceptable by-product of industry.
  4. Political action improves environmental conditions.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/english/2007_125_eng29.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2007

Read the essay “A Sea Worry.” Then answer Numbers 34 through 43.

Read the essay “A Sea Worry.” Then answer the following:

The author would most likely agree that body-surfing represents

  1. competition
  2. escape
  3. rules
  4. tradition
/share/clg/xml/public_release/english/2007_125_eng34.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2008

Read the essay “The Architecture of a Soul.” Then answer the following item.

Based on information in the essay, with which of these statements would the author most likely agree?

  1. Children need constant supervision during their leisure time.
  2. Walking on the beach detracts from a child’s good use of time.
  3. Souvenirs carefully preserved will increase in monetary value over time.
  4. A systematic and precise study of the natural world is a valuable way to spend time.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/english/2008_125_eng18.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2008

Read the article “Titanic’s Tempestuous Afterlife.” Then answer Numbers 30 through 34.

Read the article “Titanic’s Tempestuous Afterlife.” Then answer the following item.

The information in the article helps a reader consider the issue of

  1. exploring the ocean’s environment
  2. understanding the mysteries of the past
  3. benefiting from international cooperation
  4. finding volunteers to conduct explorations
/share/clg/xml/public_release/english/2008_125_eng30.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2009

Read this excerpt from the first chapter of The Sea of Grass, a novel set in New Mexico in the late 1800s. Then answer the following item.

Reading this excerpt would most likely encourage a reader to

  1. question why people marry
  2. respect the authority of older relatives
  3. appreciate the value of attending school
  4. understand the lost freedom of the frontier
/share/clg/xml/public_release/english/2009_125_eng22.xml

Correct Answer:
D