1. How is the seventh grade MCAS in ELA different from the sixth grade test?
2. When do we take the test?
3. What type of writing is asked of a seventh grader for the long composition?
4. Where can I find out more information about the test?

How is the seventh grade MCAS in ELA different from the sixth grade test?

In sixth grade you took the MCAS reading test.  It included reading selections
followed by multiple choice questions.  Open-response items were also part of
the sixth grade ELA MCAS.  
In seventh grade you take the same style reading test over a similar three day
period, but you must also write a long composition as part of the seventh
grade requirement.  The long composition test is given in grades 4, 7, and 10.
 In 10th grade it is a graduation requirement.   

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When do we take the test?

Both test are scheduled for the spring.  Last year the long composition part
of the ELA test was given at the end of March.  The reading test is given
about two weeks later.  The long composition test is given on the same day to
all seventh graders enrolled in a Massachusetts public school.  All seventh
graders get the same prompt.  If you are absent on the day of the test, you
will be allowed one make-up test.  That make-up is usually given one week from
the first test.  If you miss the second date, you receive a zero. 

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What type of writing is asked of a seventh grader for the long composition?

The writing piece the state expects you to produce is called an expository
piece.  The word expository comes from the verb, 'to expose.'  When you write
to explain or inform, you are writing an expository piece.  In the months
leading up to the test, you will become familiar with the types of prompts
students responded to in the past, and you will be asked to write one for
practice.  

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Where can I find out more information about the test?

The state's DOE or Department of Education has a very comprehensive website. 
Check it out.  Not only will you find information about the test, but all old
tests are archived there.  You can read through the old prompts for the long
composition and check out old reading tests.  Keep checking my website for
updates and information as well.

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