V. English Language Arts, Grade 6

V. English Language Arts, Grade 6

Grade 6 English Language Arts Test

The spring 2019 grade 6 English Language Arts test was a next-generation assessment that was administered in two primary

formats: a computer-based version and a paper-based version. The vast majority of students took the computer-based test. The

paper-based test was offered as an accommodation for students with disabilities who are unable to use a computer, as well as

for English learners who are new to the country and are unfamiliar with technology.

Most of the operational items on the grade 6 ELA test were the same, regardless of whether a student took the computer-based

version or the paper-based version. In places where a technology-enhanced item was used on the computer-based test, an

adapted version of the item was created for use on the paper test. These adapted paper items were multiple-choice or multipleselect items that tested the same ELA content and assessed the same standard as the technology-enhanced item.

This document displays released items from the paper-based test. Released items from the computer-based test are

available on the MCAS Resource Center website at mcas.released-items.

Test Sessions and Content Overview

The grade 6 ELA test was made up of two separate test sessions. Each session included reading passages, followed by

selected-response questions and essay questions. On the paper-based test, the selected-response questions were multiple-choice

items and multiple-select items, in which students select the correct answer(s) from among several answer options.

Standards and Reporting Categories

The grade 6 ELA test was based on grades 6¨C12 learning standards in three content strands of the Massachusetts Curriculum

Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy (2017), listed below.

?

Reading

?

Writing

?

Language

The Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy is available on the Department website at

doe.mass.edu/frameworks/current.html.

ELA test results are reported under three MCAS reporting categories, which are identical to the three framework content

strands listed above.

The tables at the conclusion of this chapter provide the following information about each released and unreleased operational

item: reporting category, standard(s) covered, item type, and item description. The correct answers for released selectedresponse questions are also displayed in the released item table.

Reference Materials

During both ELA test sessions, the use of bilingual word-to-word dictionaries was allowed for current and former English

learner students only. No other reference materials were allowed during any ELA test session.

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Grade 6 English Language Arts

This session contains 8 questions.

Directions

Read each passage and question carefully. Then answer each question as well as

you can. You must record all answers in this Test & Answer Booklet.

For most questions, you will mark your answers by filling in the circles in your

Test & Answer Booklet. Make sure you darken the circles completely. Do not make

any marks outside of the circles. If you need to change an answer, be sure to erase

your first answer completely.

Some questions will ask you to write a response. Write your response in the space

provided. Only responses written within the provided space will be scored.

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English Language Arts

Read the article and the memoir about an Antarctic expedition. Then

answer the questions that follow.

EL706046508

passage

This article describes how Ernest Shackleton¡¯s second attempt to explore the

Antarctic ended in near disaster.

Shipwrecked!

Explorer Ernest Shackleton¡¯s ship

S.S. Endurance is trapped by ice in

the Weddell Sea during his second

expedition to the Antarctic, in this

photo from 1915.

1 When Ernest Shackleton packed for his trip to Antarctica in July 1914,

he seemed ready for anything. Among the items he and his crew stowed

in his ship were cans of meat, a miniature pool table, a banjo, lanterns,

a bicycle, and soccer balls. Shackleton hoped to become the first person

to travel across the frozen continent at the bottom of the world.

2 But nothing could have prepared Shackleton or his crew for what did

happen. Instead of crossing Antarctica, they made history in one of the

most incredible survival stories ever.

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English Language Arts

Stuck in Miles of Ice

3 Shackleton was already famous when he prepared for the 1914 trip. In

1908 he had come within 100 miles of the South Pole but had turned

back because of bad weather.

4 By 1914, he was eager for another adventure. Nearly 5,000 people

volunteered to go with him. Shackleton chose a crew of 26 sailors and

scientists, plus a photographer, Frank Hurley. On the way to Antarctica,

Shackleton picked up at least 69 sled dogs to pull the explorers on the

long trek across land.

5 Shackleton¡¯s last stop before heading for Antarctica was a whaling station

on South Georgia Island. Norwegian whalers told the crew that it was ¡°a

bad year for ice.¡±

6 They were right. Upon entering the Weddell Sea, Shackleton was forced

to zigzag through dangerous ice sheets, sometimes passing more than

400 icebergs a day. On January 18, 1915, the ice closed around the

ship. It was stuck, as one sailor put it, ¡°like an almond in the middle

of a chocolate bar.¡±

7 Although he was less than 100 miles from Antarctica, Shackleton soon

realized he could not possibly cross the continent that winter. The crew

would just have to wait.

Fighting Boredom and Cold

8 As the ship slowly drifted with the ice, the sailors played cards, listened

to records, held singing contests, or got silly haircuts. On the snow

outside, the men built fancy ¡°dogloos¡± with porches and domes. Some

even slept with the dogs for warmth. Meanwhile Hurley kept busy taking

photos. He often braved the cold while others stayed inside.

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