1. A Stroll Through the PARCC A Closer Look at Grades 3-5
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers

2. A Stroll Through the PARCC
Testing Dates and Tasks
Grades 3-11
March
ELA has three Performance-Based Assessments (PBA)

3. A Stroll Through the PARCC
ELA PBA
Narrative Task (NWT)
Literary Analysis Task (LAT)
Research Simulation Task (RST)

4. A Stroll Through the PARCC
Narrative Writing Task (NWT)
Students read one story
Multiple Choice questions:

5. A Stroll Through the PARCC
Sample Writing Task: NWT (Grade 3)
From “A Once in a Lifetime Experience” by Sandra Beswetherick
This story tells about Derrick’s first camping trip.
Write Derrick’s journal entry about this camping trip. Include information about how the character responded to the events in the story as you write the journal entry.

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Sample Writing Task: NWT (Grade 4)
From “Those Wacky Shoes” by Julie Parker Amery
In “Those Wacky Shoes,” a girl has to outsmart a pair of shoes. Think about the details the author uses to create the characters, settings, and events.
Imagine that you, like the girl in the story, find a pair of wacky shoes that won’t come off. Write a story about how you find the pair of shoes and what happens to you when you are wearing them. Use what you have learned about the wacky shoes when writing your story.

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Sample Writing Task: NWT (Grade 5)
From “The Growin’ of Paul Bunyan” by William J. Brooke
You have read a passage from “The Growin’ of Paul Bunyan.” Think about how the story would be different if it were told from Johnny’s point of view. Write the story from the point of view of Johnny.

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Literary Analysis Task (LAT)
Always two works of fiction
Multiple Choice questions:

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Sample Writing Task: LAT (Grade 3)
You have read “Johnny Chuck Finds the Best Thing in the World” and “Me First.” Old Mother West Wind and the Sandwitch both try to teach important lessons to characters in the stories.
Write an essay that explains how Old Mother West Wind’s and the Sandwitch’s words and actions are important to the plots of the stories. Use what you learned about the characters to support your essay.

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Sample Writing Task: LAT (Grade 4)
You have read the passage “Just Like Home” and the poem “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me.” Identify a theme in each text.
Write an essay that explains how the theme of the story is shown through the characters and how the theme of the poem is shown through the speaker. Include specific details from the story and poem to support your essay.

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Sample Writing Task: LAT (Grade 5)
The stories titled Ida B and Moon Over Manifest both include events that did not happen exactly how the narrators expected them to happen.
Write an essay describing how each narrator’s point of view influenced how these events are described. Be sure to use details from both stories.

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Research Simulation (RST)
At least two non-fiction tasks possibly a third or a video
Multiple Choice questions:

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Sample Writing Task: RST (Grade 4)
You have read a passage from “The Wild Horses of Assateague Island,” “Wild Ponies of Chincoteague, “ and “ In Thunder and Rain, Chincoteague Ponies Make the Annual Swim.” Think about the illustrations from the passages and how they help the reader learn more about the ponies.
Write an essay explaining what can be learned from the illustrations about the lives of ponies described in the passages. Include details from all three sources.

14. A Stroll Through the PARCC
Sample Writing Task: RST (Grade 5)
You have read three articles about penguin rescue efforts after an oil spill.
Write an essay explaining the similarities and differences in each article’s point of view about penguin rescue efforts after an oil spill. Support your essay with information from all three sources.

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Technology Features

16. Resources http://www.parcconline.org/
Grade 11 ELA
grade 4 math item with explanation from "what's new this week.
Parent guides
different overview
different between the NJASK and PARCC…elementary school
different between the NJASK and PARCC…middle school (126 Brass (This was not asked but 42 Percussion))
practice tests
keys