2018 MCAS
Grade 6 English Language Arts
Question 24

The central idea of how Rinko in A Jar of Dreams and the speaker in Somewhere Among feel about their heritage is somewhat developed. The essay demonstrates a basic understanding of how Rinko and the speaker feel out of place. Limited selection of evidence supports these feelings: "'I hate always being different and left out.'" and "'Not like anyone else here or there I sometimes feel alone on an island.'" Organization is limited, as basic ideas are grouped into two body paragraphs with an introductory and concluding sentence. The response demonstrates a partial awareness of the writing task.

The response demonstrates mostly consistent control of Standard English conventions in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Sentences are repetitive in form, particularly those that include text-based evidence. While sentences are usually correctly punctuated, this brief response cannot demonstrate more than mostly consistent control of sentence structure.