A student achieves one of five possible levels based on the student's Total Score. The Total Score that a student could achieve on each subject area ranges from 100 to 500. The test requires students to produce a piece of writing within established quidelines and specific parameters. Focus refers to how clearly the paper presents and maintains the theme, unifying point, or main idea without extraneous information. Good organization uses transitions to signal the plan or text structure and ends with summary or concluding statements.
Support refers to the quality of details used to explain, clarify, or define.
The quality of support depends on word choice, specificity, depth, credibility, thoroughness. Papers should provide fully developed examples and illustrations in which the relationship between the supporting ideas and the topic is clear. Conventions refer to punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and variation in sentence structure. Papers should follow the correct conventions for each of these and use a variety of sentence structures to present ideas. Back to Top Literacy Folders Literacy Folders are kept for each student, grades K-5, and are an assessment device used at the beginning of each school year to place students in appropriate reading and writing levels.