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Exam Strategy

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What do the four MCAS achievement levels mean, and what is the MCAS used for now that the November 2024 ballot changed the graduation requirement?

Achievement levels and graduation on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: the four next-generation achievement levels (Exceeding, Meeting, Partially Meeting, Not Meeting Expectations) and what they describe, and the November 2024 ballot Question 2 that removed passing the MCAS as a graduation requirement while the test continues to be administered for state measurement.
What the four MCAS achievement levels mean (Exceeding, Meeting, Partially Meeting, Not Meeting Expectations) and the accurate picture of graduation: November 2024 Question 2 removed passing MCAS as a graduation requirement, though the test is still administered. Confirm current rules with DESE.
9 min answer →

How do you manage your time across the two sessions so you read carefully, answer every item, and leave time for the long composition?

Pacing the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: managing time across the two sessions, balancing close reading of passages against the number of items, budgeting enough time to plan, draft, and proofread the long composition, and using the strategy of answering everything (there is no penalty for a wrong selected-response answer).
How to pace the Grade 10 ELA MCAS across its two sessions: balancing close reading against item count, budgeting time to plan, draft, and proofread the long composition, and answering every item since there is no penalty for a wrong selected-response answer.
9 min answer →

How do you read the command words in questions and the long-composition prompt, and how does knowing the rubric change the way you answer?

Reading the prompt and the rubric on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: interpreting the command words in selected-response items (best, most nearly, supports, except) and in the long-composition prompt (argue, explain how, analyze), and using knowledge of the two-trait essay rubric to write toward what scorers reward.
How to read command words and the rubric on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: interpreting question command words (best, most nearly, supports, except) and prompt verbs (argue, explain how, analyze), and using the two-trait essay rubric to write toward what scorers reward.
9 min answer →

What technology-enhanced item formats appear on the computer-based MCAS, and how do you approach each one?

Technology-enhanced item types on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: the computer-based formats beyond standard multiple-choice (multiple-select, hot text or evidence selection, drag-and-drop or ordering, and two-part evidence-based items), what each asks, and a reliable method for handling each so the unfamiliar format does not cost points.
The technology-enhanced item formats on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: multiple-select, hot text or evidence selection, drag-and-drop or ordering, and two-part evidence-based items, with a method for each so the computer-based format does not cost points.
9 min answer →

How is the Grade 10 ELA MCAS structured across its two sessions, and what does each session contain?

The two-session format of the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: how the test is delivered as a computer-based assessment in two sessions, what each session contains (reading passages with selected-response and technology-enhanced items, plus the long composition), and how the parts map to the Reading, Writing, and Language reporting categories.
How the Grade 10 ELA MCAS is structured: a computer-based test in two sessions, each with reading passages and selected-response and technology-enhanced items, plus the long composition, mapping to the Reading, Writing, and Language reporting categories. Foundation for exam strategy.
9 min answer →