Information about the New York State English Language Arts Exam
When will the exam be given?
April 17th and 18th
What does the exam consist of?
The exam is made up of three separate parts given over a total of two days. Day 1 will include a Reading Comprehension section, as well as a Listening section. On Day 2, students will complete the Reading/Writing section.
What are the differences between the sections?
Reading Comprehension- Students will read five or six short passages and answer up to 30 total multiple choice questions.
Listening/Writing- Students will listen to a passage twice, take notes, answer three short-answer questions, and complete one essay based on the passage that was read to them.
Reading/Writing- Students will read two passages, complete three short answer questions, and answer one essay question based on what they read.
What skills are necessary for my child to be successful on the Exam?
Basic Comprehension Skills- understanding the main idea and theme of a piece of writing; recognizing details and sequencing events; understanding vocabulary in context; and using visual information sources (pictures).
Critical Skills- using inference and conclusions; understanding logical relationships; and understanding the author's purpose and viewpoint
Literary Skills- understanding the elements of a story; and understanding poetic elements
Written Response Skills- planning and composing; writing effective sentences; writing effective paragraphs; using proper capitalization, commas, end punctuation; using proper verb tenses; and using the right word choice
What can I do to help my child prepare for this test?
READ! The best way to help your child be prepared for this test is to have them read. Newspapers, magazines, books, online articles, and even recipes all help prepare your children for this test!