School Improvement in Maryland

Using the State Curriculum: Reading/ELA, Grade 5

Reading/ELA | Informational | Literary | Writing | Language | Listening | Speaking

Sample Assessments: Each sample assessment item gives an idea of how an assessment item on the MSA might be presented. The items appropriately measure the content of the State Curriculum and may be formatted similarly to those appearing on the MSA; however, these are sample items only and have not appeared on any MSA form.

Standard 2.0 Comprehension of Informational Text

Indicator 4. Determine and analyze important ideas and messages in informational texts

Objective g. Draw conclusions and inferences and make generalizations and predictions from text

Assessment limit: From one text or a portion of the text or across multiple texts

Brief Constructed Response (BCR) Item
Read the article 'Fly High, Bessie Coleman' and answer the following question.

Explain what the information in the article shows about the job of performing in air shows. In your response, use information from the article to support your explanation.

/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_ela_5_014.xml

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Selected Response Item
Read the article titled 'A Brick to Cuddle Up To' and answer the following questions. Circle the letter of the correct answer.

After reading this article, a reader can conclude that

  1. entire colonial families helped with cooking meals
  2. warming bed linen in a colonial house was a dangerous task
  3. colonial meeting houses were located far from family homes
  4. the construction of colonial houses made them difficult to heat
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_ela_5_072.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Assessment limit:
From one text or a portion of the text or across multiple texts

Selected Response Item
After reading the article, Fly High, Bessie Coleman, answer the following question.

After reading the section titled “Learning to Fly,” a reader can conclude that—

  1. flying requires a steady stomach
  2. learning another language is a lengthy process
  3. soldiers who fought in World War I were glad to be home
  4. the French were open minded about differences among people
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_ela_5_064.xml

Correct Answer:
D
Resources for Objective 2.A.4.g:
Lesson Seeds | SAMPLE ASSESSMENTS | Public Release Items |