Grade 10 ELA MCAS (Massachusetts): complete guide to the two-session test, the long composition and its rubric, the item types, the standards, and the achievement levels

The Grade 10 English Language Arts MCAS is the Massachusetts high school English assessment, part of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System and administered by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). It tests transferable skills applied to unseen texts: close reading of literary and informational material, evidence-based writing in the long composition, command of language, and the ability to revise and edit. This page is the index for our Grade 10 ELA MCAS content: a map of the two-session test, the long composition and its rubric, the item types, the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework behind it, the achievement levels, the recent change to graduation, and how to study, with links to every dot point.

The test at a glance

The Grade 10 ELA MCAS is a computer-based test given in two sessions. You read passages and answer questions, and you write one long composition.

• Two test sessions. Across the sessions you read literary and informational passages and answer questions on them, and you write one long composition (an essay) in response to reading.
• Selected-response and technology-enhanced items. Multiple-choice (one answer) and multiple-select (more than one), plus computer-based technology-enhanced items such as drag-and-drop, selecting evidence in the passage, and two-part evidence-based items.
• The long composition. One essay written in response to one or more passages, scored on two traits: Idea Development (0 to 7) and Standard English Conventions (0 to 3).
• Texts. Literary (fiction, drama, poetry, literary nonfiction) and informational or argumentative passages, presented as unseen reading.
• Computer-based. The standard administration is on a computer, with paper forms for approved accommodations.

Scores are reported in four achievement levels (Exceeding, Meeting, Partially Meeting, Not Meeting Expectations) with an accompanying scaled score.

Reading literary texts

The test presents unseen literary texts and asks you to analyze them. Questions test theme and central idea, plot and structure, character and point of view, the craft of fiction and poetry, tone, and figurative language. The reliable approach is to read actively, then answer with the text in front of you, returning to the lines a question points to.

• Analyzing theme and central idea
• Character and point of view
• Plot, structure, and setting
• Figurative language and literary devices
• Tone and author's craft
• Reading poetry on the MCAS

Reading informational texts

Informational passages ask you to analyze central ideas, the structure and logic of an argument, an author's purpose and rhetoric, and how a text is organized. The questions test reading skill, not background knowledge of the topic.

• Central ideas in informational texts
• Analyzing arguments and claims
• Author's purpose and rhetoric
• Text structure and features
• Text evidence and inference

Language and vocabulary

The Language strand is tested in context: vocabulary in a passage, figurative and connotative meaning, word parts, and the conventions of standard English. These skills also feed the Standard English Conventions trait of the long composition.

• Vocabulary in context
• Word parts and word relationships
• Figurative and connotative meaning
• Grammar and usage conventions
• Punctuation and sentence structure

The long composition

The long composition is the essay: one response to a passage or set, scored on the two-trait MCAS rubric. You establish a clear central idea or claim, develop it with specific text evidence and explanation, organize it logically, and write with clean conventions.

• Understanding the essay task
• Analyzing the prompt and the writing mode
• Developing a thesis or controlling idea
• Using text evidence in the essay
• Organizing the composition
• The essay rubric and scoring

Revising and editing

Revising and editing items present a draft and ask you to improve it. Revising targets clarity, development, and organization; editing targets grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling. The same conventions are scored on the long composition.

• Revising for clarity and development
• Editing for grammar and usage
• Sentence boundaries and combining
• Word choice and precision
• Revising and editing item types

Exam strategy

Knowing the two-session structure, the item types, the timing, the rubric, the achievement levels, and the recent change to graduation is its own skill. These pages cover how to navigate the test and budget your time.

• The two-session test format
• Technology-enhanced item types
• Pacing the test
• Reading the prompt and the rubric
• Achievement levels and graduation

The long composition rubric

The long composition is scored on a two-trait rubric, and learning it is one of the highest-leverage things you can do.

• Idea Development, 0 to 7 points. Rewards a clear central idea or claim and how fully it is developed: relevant and specific evidence from the text, explanation that connects evidence to the idea, logical organization, and a response that stays on task. This is the larger share of the score, so develop and explain rather than pad.
• Standard English Conventions, 0 to 3 points. Rewards control of grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling across the whole response.
• Hand-scored as a whole. Trained readers score each trait against the score-point descriptors, so consistent quality across the essay matters more than any single sentence.

The standards behind the test

The Grade 10 ELA MCAS is built on the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy (2017), drawing on the grades 6 to 12 band. The test reports items in three categories that match the Framework strands: Reading (close reading of literary and informational texts, central ideas, craft and structure), Writing (the long composition: developing and supporting ideas in writing), and Language (vocabulary, grammar, usage, and conventions). The reading items assess Reading; the long composition assesses Writing; and the vocabulary items and the conventions trait of the essay assess Language.

Has graduation changed? Yes

In November 2024, Massachusetts voters passed ballot Question 2, which removed passing the Grade 10 MCAS as a state graduation requirement, effective for the class of 2025. The Competency Determination, the state graduation standard, still exists, but a student now earns it by completing coursework that the district certifies as meeting the state academic standards in English, mathematics, and science, rather than by a qualifying MCAS score. Importantly, the MCAS continues to be administered: the ballot change affected how the Competency Determination is earned, not whether students take the test. So the Grade 10 ELA MCAS still matters for state measurement and for what it tells you about your skills, but it is no longer a diploma gate. Confirm current requirements with DESE and your school, because graduation policy is set by the state and your district.

How to study Grade 10 ELA MCAS

1. Treat reading and writing as one connected skill, because the long composition is text-based and the reading items reward the same close analysis.
2. Read unseen texts widely (literary prose, drama, poetry, and informational or argumentative pieces), practicing close analysis and inference.
3. Write toward the rubric. Know the two traits so your central idea is clear, your evidence is specific and explained, and your conventions are clean.
4. Find the line that proves it. Most reading items and all good essay evidence come back to a specific place in the text; practice locating it quickly.
5. Practice the item types and the pacing (multiple choice, multiple-select, technology-enhanced, and the long composition) using released MCAS items, and rehearse the long composition under time.

For the official exam materials

DESE publishes released test questions, computer-based practice tests, scoring guides, and the achievement-level descriptors on its assessment pages. See the MCAS released test questions and practice tests page, the MCAS home page, and the Spring MCAS test administration resources. The Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy is published on the DESE ELA and Literacy framework page. For the change to graduation, see DESE's update on student Competency Determinations. Always study from the current released materials, because the item types, scoring, and achievement levels are set by DESE.