2018 MCAS
Grade 8 English Language Arts
Question 16

Sentence formation, grammar, usage, and mechanics are mostly controlled. The narrative is brief and relies heavily on information from the passage, yet complexity is sufficient to demonstrate a mostly consistent sense of control. Errors are scattered throughout, but they are not frequent or severe enough to disrupt meaning.

The narrative provides an incomplete view of plot and action in the passage. Characterization is correct and Keo's voice is consistent, but characters are developed in a limited manner. Details are basic and paraphrased from the passage with little original thought or expansion: "When it got over his head[,] he looked like he was struggling to stay above the water, so we went back." Organization is limited, as seen in the abrupt shift between events: "We went to [Mom's] house. I left to go with Sonny and his dad. I came back to the house because I reali[z]ed Sonny wasn't following me." The writer demonstrates a partial awareness of the writing task.