School Improvement in Maryland

Sample Assessments: Each sample assessment item gives an idea of how an assessment item on the High School Assessment (HSA) might be presented. The items appropriately measure the content of the Core Learning Goals and are formatted similarly to those appearing on the HSA.

Goal 2 Composing in a Variety of Modes

Expectation 2.2 The student will compose texts using the prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing strategies of effective writers and speakers.

Indicator 2.2.1 The student will use a variety of prewriting strategies to generate and develop ideas.

Assessment Limits:

  • Identifying an appropriate prewriting strategy for a specific purpose or topic
  • Identifying relevant sources of information

Selected Response Item - Released in 2003

After reading the essay “Starving Pea Pickers,” students searched for more information about photographers and photography to use in their own writing. The following question is about what the students did when researching and writing their reports.

Jennifer wanted to learn about other famous photographers. All of these strategies would be helpful except

  1. talking to photographers
  2. learning how cameras work
  3. consulting an encyclopedia
  4. conducting an Internet search
/share/clg/xml/sample_assessment/english/2003_221_eng11.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2003

After reading a novel set in the future, students were asked to write about significant changes that occurred in the last two centuries. Pedro decided to write about changes in communication technology.

Which of these would most likely contain useful information about Pedro's essay topic?

  1. a list of types of communication technology devices
  2. an Internet article about using technology efficiently
  3. a book about the history of communication technology
  4. a table of data showing the falling cost of new technology
/share/clg/xml/sample_assessment/english/2003_221_eng28.xml

Correct Answer:
C