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 3 Controlling Language

Expectation 3.3 The student will use capitalization, punctuation, and correct spelling appropriately.

Indicator 3.3.2 The student will use available resources to correct or confirm revisions and/or editorial choices.

Assessment Limits:

  • Using a resource for all punctuation or capitalization skills not internalized or for rules that may be in flux
  • Using a resource for standard English usage
    • agreement of subject and verb
    • agreement of pronoun and antecedent
    • clear pronoun reference
    • appropriate case of nouns and pronouns
    • appropriate and consistent verb tenses
  • Using a resource to apply other common rules of language usage that are grade appropriate
  • Using a resource for standard English in place of nonstandard English and slang

Selected Response Item - Released in 2005

Mariah is interested in carrier pigeons and decides to write an essay about them. The draft of Mariah's essay requires revisions and edits. Read the draft, and answer the following question.

Read this rule from a language handbook.

Do not change verbs unnecessarily from one tense to another.

Read this sentence from Mariah's essay.

The officers gradually increase the distance, and eventually the pigeons can fly as far as 310 miles, stop for a meal of wheat and millet, and then returned to their homes.

What is the correct way to write the underlined verbs?

  1. fly...stop...return
  2. fly...stopped...return
  3. fly...stopped...returned
  4. Best as it is
/share/clg/xml/public_release/english/2005_332_eng50.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

After reading literature from around the world, students researched their own family backgrounds. One student, Shelli, decided to research her Irish heritage and learned that some Irish sports are popular in the United States. The draft of Shelli's essay, “Irish Sports,” requires revisions and edits. Read the draft. Then answer Numbers 46 through 50.

After reading literature from around the world, students researched their own family backgrounds. One student, Shelli, decided to research her Irish heritage and learned that some Irish sports are popular in the United States. The draft of Shelli's essay, “Irish Sports,” requires revisions and edits. Read the draft. Then answer the following.

Shelli found the information below in a language handbook.

Use a colon

  • to mean “note what follows”
  • before a list of items when the list does not immediately follow a verb

Which sentence in Shelli's draft should be edited using this rule?

  1. Sentence 4
  2. Sentence 6
  3. Sentence 8
  4. Sentence 12
/share/clg/xml/public_release/english/2006_332_eng46.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2007

Terry is writing about the War of 1812 and the origin of the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The draft of the first part of Terry’s essay, “Oh, Say Can You See,” requires revisions and edits. Read the draft. Then answer the following:

Terry found this information in a language handbook.

Periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks: Sally decided to recite the poem “Birches,” but Stan chose to memorize “The Raven.”

According to this information, what is the correct way to edit Sentence 11?

  1. Originally titled “The Defense of Fort McHenry,” the poem soon became known as “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
  2. Originally titled “The Defense of Fort McHenry”, the poem soon became known as “The Star-Spangled Banner”.
  3. Originally titled “The Defense of Fort McHenry”, the poem soon became known as “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
  4. Best as it is
/share/clg/xml/public_release/english/2007_332_eng48.xml

Correct Answer:
A
Resources for 3.3.2:
PUBLIC RELEASE ITEMS | Sample Assessment Items |