2019 MCAS
Grade 7 English Language Arts
Question 16

The narrative provided is insufficiently developed, particularly in the limited reference to Lisa's parents. The reader learns little about Lisa beyond the fact that she "liked watching the birds and drawing them," and Lisa's enjoyment of drawing is mentioned repeatedly: "She loved drawing" and "Lisa drew all the time." The quick jump to Lisa going to bed in the conclusion shows weak connection to the task, as it does not clearly describe what happens next. Lack of development also contributes to unclear organization, not just because of the narrative's short length, but also because of missed connections between events and ideas.

The narrative contains errors throughout, including a lack of capitalization at the beginning of some sentences and misspellings (e.g., "hafl way," "bord," "wundow," "out sid"). Sentences lack complexity: "She loved drawing. Her parents didn't as much. Lisa drew all the time." Given the presence of errors and the narrative's brevity, little control of conventions is demonstrated.