Each mini-assessment contains a passage or passages and a set of associated items. In addition, teachers can review text complexity worksheets for each passage. Each worksheet provides a detailed analysis of the specific elements that make each text complex. Each mini-assessment also contains rationales for each distractor associated with a test question, detailing why each option would be considered correct or incorrect. After students have completed a mini-assessment, teachers can use the rationales to facilitate discussion around the test questions, guiding students back to the text to reinforce close reading and use of evidence.
How are CCR-aligned assessments different from previous assessments?
Previous CCR-Aligned Little emphasis on text complexity Strong emphasis on text complexity Vocabulary questions often focused on prior knowledge rather than context; little emphasis on tier 2 words Vocabulary questions focused on meaning of words in context; strong emphasis on tier 2 words and words important to central ideas Figurative language questions focused on literary terms Figurative language questions focused on meaning, not terms How are CCR-aligned assessments different from previous assessments?
Previous CCR-Aligned Focus on simple recall or superficial analysis Focus on careful reading and analysis of texts Little or no emphasis on using textual evidence Strong emphasis on using textual evidence Decontextualized writing prompts Writing to sources How are CCR-aligned assessments different from previous assessments?
Previous CCR-Aligned Equal representation of informational and literary texts; limited focus on the quality of informational texts More informational texts as students move through the grades; greater focus on content-rich informational texts at all grades Teachers share stories of how their students are responding to shifts in assessment. New college- and career-ready standards are asking more of our students; here, teachers reflect on how aligned assessments support the hard work happening in classrooms and how students are rising to meet these higher expectations.
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Educator Perspectives: Common Core Aligned Assessment Video
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Understand how college- and career-ready assessment is different
All of the mini-assessments presented are designed to highlight one or more aspects of the ELA/literacy Shifts. Although aligned to the CCSS, these items also represent the demands of all college- and career- readiness standards in their call for close reading, appropriately complex texts, and use of evidence. The resources below explain what each of the Shifts look like in CCR-aligned assessment. Learn more about the ELA/literacy Shifts.