1. PSSA Writing Test

2. What will the test be like?
In grade 8 there are:
20 Multiple Choice questions for editing and revision
3 writing prompts

3. Multiple Choice Section
5 Short passages with errors
Each passage is followed by 4 multiple choice questions (20 MC questions).
Questions will focus on revising and editing the passages.
Answers are a part of your
conventions score.

4. Prompts 8th graders will respond in writing to 2 prompts.
These are “on demand” writing tasks; that means you do not read a passage before you write.
The only thing you have to rely on for your answer is the knowledge you already have – prior knowledge.

5. What will I be asked to do?
Write in 2 different modes
Show that you are proficient in all 5 domains of writing

6. What is a mode of writing?
Mode means type, style, or genre.
There are many modes of writing such as narrative, poetic, informational, and persuasive.
Only persuasive and informational modes will be tested in grades 8 and 11. No narrative.

7. What types of writing assignments are in the persuasive mode?
Position Paper
Evaluation
Opinion Essay
Editorial
Problem-Solution
Persuasive Essay

8. What types of writing assignments are in the informational mode?
Compare/Contrast Essay
Descriptive Essay
Narrative Procedure (Instructions or “How To”)
Expository Essays
Report of Information
Research Paper
News story
Facts
Info.
Man

9. Let’s Play Guess the Mode…
Hints:
An informational prompt will ask for an explanation, clarification, evaluation, comparison, instructions, description, or definition.
A persuasive prompt will ask you to take a side, convince, persuade, support an opinion, defend, argue, or refute.

10. Informational or Persuasive?
A new principal is contacting all students about changing or adding to the school rules. Think of a rule you would like to change or add. Write to convince your principal to use your suggestion.
PERSUASIVE
KEY WORD=CONVINCE

11. Informational or Persuasive?
You are the class president and have been asked to write an introduction for a person you admire greatly. Write an essay describing the most admirable qualities of the person.
INFORMATIONAL - DESCRIPTIVE
KEY WORD= DESCRIBE

12. Informational or Persuasive?
Many areas have laws that require motorcycle and bicycle riders to wear helmets. Do these laws conflict with your right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?” Take a position for or against these laws and write an essay supporting your view.
PERSUASIVE- POSITION PAPER
KEY WORD=POSITION

13. Informational or Persuasive?
“Great thoughts speak only to a thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all humankind.”
—Emily P. Bissell
How do “great actions speak to all humankind”? Write an essay that explains your understanding of this quotation.
INFORMATIONAL- EXPOSITORY
KEY WORD=EXPLAIN

14. Informational or Persuasive?
A teacher needs directions from the school to your home. Write a set of instructions that describes the route you take.
INFORMATIONAL-NARR. PROCEDURE
KEY WORDS=DIRECTIONS, INSTRUCTIONS

15. Informational or Persuasive?
Think about discoveries or inventions that have affected our lives. Select one. Write to inform someone about this discovery or invention. Tell whether it has been good or bad for society.
INFORMATIONAL
KEY WORD=INFORM
Note: The bulk of what you are being asked
to do is to inform someone. You are asked to include
your opinion, but you are NOT asked to persuade the
reader.

16. Helpful Hints
When taking the test, first decide what mode is being asked for.
Do they want me to inform?
Do they want me to persuade?

17. Informational
If they want you to inform, figure out what type of information they want.
Narrative Procedure/Instructive/“How to”
Descriptive
Compare/Contrast
Expository

18. If It’s “How to” Think: Tell what you’re teaching and why.
Materials needed (if any)
Steps with good transitions
Anticipate problems a reader may have.

19. If It’s Descriptive Think: Imagery or Word Picture
Characteristics/Qualities
Adjectives
Sensory details

20. If It’s Expository Think: Make a point /Answer the question
Back it up with
Details
Examples
Explanation
Anecdote – a short, real life example
Facts – if you’ve got them

21. If It’s Compare/Contrast
Think:
Venn Diagram
Organization
Point by point,
Topic by topic,
OR like then different

22. If It’s Persuasive Think:
Take a strong position -one position even if you see both sides! No wishy-washies.
Back it up with logical reasons and any facts that you may have.
Use persuasive techniques like rhetorical questions, repetition, and ideas that will appeal to your audience.
Recognize and refute (reasonably) one counter argument that your opposition might have.

23. You focus your writing when you:
answer the prompt and make your point.
stick to your point from start to finish.
write to your audience in a style and tone that match the mode (persuasive, informational).

24. How Will My Test Be Scored?
The PSSA uses a different rubric for each mode of writing.
The rubrics identify the most important qualities of the mode.
These qualities are broken down into 4 areas or domains: focus, content, organization, and style.
The 5th domain, conventions, is scored with a separate rubric.
These are similar to the FCA’s only each domain is reviewed, not just a few.

25. Your content is strong when you include:
examples
explanations
elaboration
evidence
details
reasons
facts
anecdotes
connections
to support your point and help your reader understand what you’re saying.

26. Use of paragraphing, with topic sentences
You show strong organization when you arrange your ideas in a helpful way, such as:
most to least important reasons
least to most important reasons
similarities then differences
topic by topic
chronological order (first to last)
Use of paragraphing, with topic sentences
and transitional words, is KEY!

27. You get style points for:
using high level, appropriate vocabulary.
using a variety of sentence styles (simple, compound, complex).
creating a strong tone that suits the mode (persuasive, expert/informational).
writing in a way that would reach your target audience.

28. For a high conventions score you must have:
correct spelling.
complete sentences.
correct end punctuation.
correct internal punctuation (commas, semicolons).
correct capitalization.
logical paragraphing with topic sentences.

29. Your test will receive 2 scores:
Your Score
Your test will receive 2 scores:
1 for conventions
grammar, etc.
1 for composition
how well you write in the modes

30. Scoring Your Test Conventions
The multiple choice section is worth 12 points.
Also, each of your compositions will get a conventions score of 1-4 for a possible 8 points total.
The multiple choice score and 2 writing conventions scores are added together.
12+8= 20 possible

31. Scoring Your Test Composition
Each of the 2 writing tasks is worth a possible 4 points. Your 2 scores are totaled and multiplied by 10. (One prompt isn’t counted, but you won’t know which one that is, so try your best on all three.)
That’s 80 points possible for “composition” – the focus, content, organization and
style domains.

32. Total Score Conventions = possible 20 points
Composition = possible 80 points
Total possible 100 points