ELA Performance Task Guidance Document and FAQs

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1 Page 1 ELA Performance Task Guidance Document and FAQs 1. What is a performance task? Performance tasks (PT) are extended activities that measure a student s ability to integrate knowledge and skills across multiple standards a key component of college and career readiness. Performance tasks will be used to better measure capacities such as depth of understanding, research skills, and complex analysis, which cannot be adequately assessed with selected- or constructed-response items. 2. What are the components of the performance task for English language arts (ELA)? The ELA performance task will consist of a Classroom Activity and a two-part performance task. 3. What is an ELA Classroom Activity? An ELA Classroom Activity allows students an interaction that increases their basic understanding of the topic addressed in the ELA performance task. It helps prepare students for the kind of thinking and writing they will be asked to demonstrate in the performance task. The ELA Classroom Activity is administered before Part 1 and Part 2 of the ELA performance tasks. 4. How long is the ELA Classroom Activity? The Classroom Activity takes about 30 minutes to complete but may vary depending on the ability level of the students. 5. Does the ELA Classroom Activity have to be administered in a computer lab? No, the Classroom Activity may be administered in the classroom under standard conditions. Test administrators will be provided specific instructions to follow. 6. Does the ELA Classroom Activity have to be administered by an ELA teacher? No, the Classroom Activity may be administered by any trained test administrator. Classroom Activities should be administered by a teacher. It is preferable but not essential that the teacher or test administrator administering the Classroom Activity has content knowledge in that area of the assessment. 7. Can students take notes during the ELA Classroom Activity? Yes, students may take notes during the Classroom Activity, but any notes taken during the Classroom Activity may not be used during the performance task. Classroom Activity notes must be collected before proceeding to the PT and stored in a secure location until securely shredded.

2 Page 2 8. Does the ELA Classroom Activity have to be administered before Part 1 of the ELA PT? Yes, the ELA Classroom Activity must occur prior to the ELA performance task. 9. Can the ELA Classroom Activity and Part 1 of the ELA PT be administered on the same day? Yes, although it is recommended that the Classroom Activity and Part 1 of the ELA PT be administered on separate days, schools may choose to administer the ELA Classroom Activity and Part 1 of the ELA PT on the same day. It is recommended that a break be provided between the ELA Classroom Activity and Part 1 of the ELA PT. 10. If a school chooses to administer the ELA Classroom Activity and Part 1 of the ELA PT on separate days, how long can the time be between the two? There should be no more than a three-day lapse between the ELA Classroom Activity and Part 1 of the ELA PT administration. 11. What if a student completes any part of the ELA PT before completing the Classroom Activity? Administering the PT before or without the Classroom Activity constitutes a testing irregularity. 12. Is the ELA Classroom Activity secure? No, the Classroom Activity is nonsecure; however, it should not be supplemented with any other content that the administrator may think is helpful. Supplementing the ELA Classroom Activity may detract from the intended purpose and is not allowed. The ELA Classroom Activity is scripted for test administrators and includes possible student answers. 13. What happens if a student is absent during the ELA Classroom Activity? In the event a student is absent during the ELA Classroom Activity, a make-up session must be scheduled. The ELA Classroom Activity may be recorded; however, the make-up session should provide students with an experience similar to that of his or her peers. To the greatest extent possible, the make-up session should provide students an opportunity to interact with the teacher or test administrator and his or her peers. 14. What is Part 1 of the ELA Performance Task? During Part 1 of the ELA Performance Task, students are presented stimuli that serve as research sources that the student uses to answer an initial set of selected-response, technology-enhanced or constructed-response questions designed to help students elicit evidence from the sources. This is in preparation for the full write, or essay, which will occur during Part 2 of the ELA Performance Task. These stimuli can be reading texts and audio or visual presentations. During Part 1, students are encouraged to use the embedded Global Notes tool or scratch paper to take notes as they read. Any notes taken in Part 1 will be available during Part 2.

3 Page How is Part 1 of the ELA Performance Task administered? Part 1 of the ELA Performance Task must be administered in the computer lab. Students will access Part 1 through the Test Delivery System. Students will complete all Part 1 questions on the computer. 16. Can students go back to Part 1 of the ELA PT after they have completed the test and started Part 2? No, once students have completed Part 1 of the ELA performance task, they cannot go back to change their answers to questions in Part Can students take notes on the computer during Part 1 of the ELA PT? Yes, students may take notes using the Global Notes tool or using provided scratch paper. 18. If students use the embedded universal tool, Global Notes, to take notes, will they have access to those notes for Part 2 of the ELA PT? Yes, students will access the Global Notes by clicking on the Global Notes button that opens an embedded note-taking program. Any notes students type in Global Notes must be saved by the student by pressing the Save and Close button. These notes are saved as students progress through Part 1. Then, the students will click on the Global Notes button in Part 2 to view their saved notes. 19. Can students use scratch paper instead of the Global Notes for Part 1 of the ELA PT? Yes, while the embedded Global Notes is the preferred mode for note taking during the ELA PT, students may use scratch paper to make notes. To ensure that students using scratch paper for notes have the same allowance as students using the online notes, test administrators should tell students to write their names (or some appropriate identifying information) on each piece of scratch paper, collect the scratch paper at the completion of Part 1 of the ELA PT, and securely store it for students use during Part 2 of the ELA PT. 20. Will the scratch paper have to be shredded like rough drafts used on the Writing Assessment? Yes, following the conclusion of the PT, all scratch paper must be collected, inventoried, and immediately shredded to maintain test security. Be sure to follow the county s and school s protocols for maintaining security of and shredding scratch paper and rough drafts.

4 Page What is Part 2 of the ELA PT? During Part 2 of the ELA PT, students are presented the same stimuli as in Part 1 and are given a writing prompt. Students must use the stimuli, along with their notes and responses from Part 1, to write a fully developed essay using evidence from the sources. 22. How is Part 2 of the ELA PT administered? As with Part 1, Part 2 of the ELA PT is administered on the computer. Students access Part 2 through the Test Delivery System the same as they accessed Part Do students have to include formal citations of the sources in their full writes, or essays? No, students do not have to include formal citations of the sources like they would in a formal research paper, and there is not a particular citation style (i.e., MLA or APA) that is required. However, students should be sure to cite which source provided them with a particular piece of information or evidence in their essays. Instead of providing a formal citation, students may reference the sources in a variety of ways. For example, a student may write Source 1 says or according to Source 1. Students also may use the author s last name or the title of the article when referring to information from the sources. 25. Are Part 1 and Part 2 of the ELA PT timed? No, neither Part 1 nor Part 2 of the ELA PT is timed. However, it is recommended that each part be completed on the same day it begins. 26. Can Part 1 and Part 2 of the ELA PT be administered on the same day? It is highly recommended that students complete Part 1 of the ELA PT in one test session and Part 2 the next school day. 27. If a student starts the ELA PT, does it have to be completed in the same day? It is highly recommended that students complete each part of the PT within one day. However, once a student has started the PT, it will be available for 10 days or until the end of the testing window, whichever comes first. However, it is recommended that students complete the PT within three days of starting.

5 Page How will Part 1 and Part 2 of the ELA PT be scored? Student responses in Part 1 will be scored in different ways depending on the question type. For example, multiple-choice questions will be scored automatically, but constructed response questions will be scored by professional hand scorers using specific scoring rubrics. Student essay responses submitted in Part 2 will be scored by hand scorers using genre specific writing rubrics, which can be found under Resources and Documentation at