Middle Grades English 5–9

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Written Performance Section

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General Information

The written performance assignment is an authentic task that reflects student-centered teaching practices and requires you to provide a written response demonstrating both subject-matter knowledge and pedagogical expertise. The focus of the assignment is on the candidate's ability to evaluate a student's argumentative essay and provide meaningful feedback.

For this assignment, you will provide a written response to evaluate student work based on review and analysis of multiple components, including the following:

Directions for the Written Performance Assignment

A sample topic is presented below. Your response will be judged "off topic" if it does not fully address the topic presented. You will have one hour to complete your response.

You must write an original response that specifically and directly responds to the assignment. Pre-prepared responses that are discovered to contain memorized sentences or pre-prepared passages will be invalidated. For example, if the raters discover passages that appear in two or more responses, the responses and the violation will be brought to the attention of the Florida Department of Education and may result in the invalidation of your scores.

Be sure to monitor your time effectively and allow time for editing and revising. Take a few minutes to organize your thoughts and plan your response. Leave time for editing and revising after you have completed your response. You may outline or plan your response on the erasable notebooklet provided. Your informal outline or plan will not be scored.

Your response should demonstrate your ability to write, with proficiency, at a postsecondary level appropriate to a teacher of English language arts.

Your essay will be holistically evaluated according to the following criteria:

Completion: The degree to which the candidate completes the assignment by responding to each specific task in the assignment.

Application of Content: The degree to which the candidate applies the relevant knowledge and skills to the response accurately and effectively.

Support: The degree to which the candidate supports the response with appropriate evidence, examples, and explanations based on the relevant content knowledge and skills.

Sample Written Performance Assignment

Use your knowledge of instructional practices and standards-based content in English language arts and evidence from the exhibits provided to write an evaluative response of approximately 300 to 500 words in which you:

Be sure to use evidence from Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2 in your response.

Exhibit 1: Standard, Learning Objective, and Informational Text

A teacher of 8th-grade English language arts wants to help students achieve the following standard:

ELA.8.C.1.3: Write to argue a position, supporting at least one claim and rebutting at least one counterclaim with logical reasoning, credible evidence from multiple sources, elaboration, and using a logical organizational structure.

The teacher sets the following learning objective based on the standard:

Students will compose an argument in which they take a position on whether public libraries should eliminate fines for overdue materials. Students will support at least one claim and rebut at least one counterclaim using logical reasoning, credible evidence from the source provided, elaboration, and a logical organizational structure.

Students read the following information from the Sarasota County Library System's website.

Why is Sarasota County eliminating fines for overdue materials?

The library system mission statement emphasizes access to resources for all members of the community.

The Sarasota County Library System offers equal access to information, fosters lifelong learning, and inspires community engagement.

Library experts have found that charging overdue fines inhibits access to library materials and services. Studies indicate that even modest penalties deter people from registering for a library card or using the library because of the risk of incurring fines. Rather than motivating borrowers to return items on time, fines act as an inequitable barrier to service, disproportionately impacting minors, students, and community members with limited financial resources.

In Sarasota County, there were numerous cardholders who were unable to borrow materials from the collection. They will now be able to return to use library resources.

Won't eliminating fines reduce library revenue?

Although revenue will no longer be received from payment of overdue fines, it is far more valuable to the community to increase access to library collections.

Revenues from fines have decreased consistently over recent years due to the growing demand for digital resources, which do not incur fines. Since 2008, fines revenue dropped 50%. Additionally, the value of staff time devoted to collecting fines is over seven times the revenue received.

The following information is presented in a line graph titled Library System 10 Year History of Fines and Fees. In 2009, 32,506 dollars in fees and 305,012 dollars in fines were collected. In 2010, 25,388 dollars in fees and 265,509 dollars in fines were collected. In 2011, 23,877 dollars in fees and 250,422 dollars in fines were collected. In 2012, 26,487 dollars in fees and 189,048 dollars in fines were collected. In 2013, 25,952 dollars in fees and 174,542 dollars in fines were collected. In 2014, 28,994 in fees and 184,736 dollars in fines were collected. In 2015, 33,751 dollars in fees and 170,148 dollars in fines were collected. In 2016, 33,233 dollars in fees and 164,649 dollars in fines were collected. In 2017, 31,405 dollars in fees and 154,178 dollars in fines were collected. In 2018, 35,153 dollars in fees and 152,870 dollars in fines were collected.

Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources Department.

Exhibit 2: Writing Prompt, Expectations, and Student Written Response

After reading the information, students respond to the following writing prompt.

Write an essay in which you take a position on whether public libraries should eliminate fines for overdue materials. Support at least one claim and rebut at least one counterclaim with logical reasoning, credible evidence from the source provided, elaboration, and a logical organizational structure.

The teacher provides the following set of expectations.

In my essay, I will:

One student's written response follows.

Public libraries should stop charging fines for overdue library materials. According to the Sarasota County website, "22% of total Sarasota County cardholders were blocked from borrowing because of fines" and "24% of those cardholders were between the ages of 5 and 18." Young people use the library to do research and read for fun. It is easy to forget books on the bus or lose them under the sofa. Everybody makes mistakes. Young people should not be singled out.

People who work at the library spend too much time collecting fines. If they do not have to collect fines, they can plan more special events, like authors reading their books. Last year I saw my favorite author at my neighborhood public library. It was exciting!

The graph shows that libraries make less money from fines than they used to because people use more digital resources now. Libraries do not charge fines for digital resources because they can limit access to those. But not everyone likes reading on a screen.

Some people think no one will return anything to the library on time if there are no fines. That is not true. The library can stop people from checking out more books until they return overdue books.

In conclusion, "it is far more valuable to the community to increase access to library collections."

In the box provided, please write your  start uppercase ORIGINAL end uppercase  essay based on the topic presented. Note that you are limited to 1,500 words. As you type your response, a character count will appear at the bottom of the response box.


Word Count: 0

Written Response Scoring Criteria

Your written response will be scored holistically by two raters. The raters will use the criteria listed below when evaluating your written response. The score you receive for your written response will be the combined total of the two raters' scores.

Scoring criteria
SCORE of 4 The "4" response reflects a thorough understanding of the relevant content knowledge and skills.
  • The response fully addresses all parts of the assignment.
  • The response demonstrates an accurate, highly effective application of the relevant content knowledge and skills.
  • The response provides strong, relevant evidence, specific examples, and well-reasoned explanations.
SCORE of 3 The "3" response reflects a general understanding of the relevant content knowledge and skills.
  • The response addresses most or all parts of the assignment.
  • The response demonstrates a generally accurate, effective application of the relevant content knowledge and skills.
  • The response provides sufficient evidence, some examples, and generally sound explanations.
SCORE of 2 The "2" response reflects a limited understanding of the relevant content knowledge and skills.
  • The response addresses at least some of the parts of the assignment.
  • The response demonstrates a partially accurate, partially effective application of the relevant content knowledge and skills.
  • The response provides limited evidence and examples or explanations, when provided, may be only partially appropriate.
SCORE of 1 The "1" response reflects little or no understanding of the relevant content knowledge and skills.
  • The response addresses, few, if any, parts of the assignment.
  • The response demonstrates a largely inaccurate, ineffective application of the relevant content knowledge and skills.
  • The response provides little to no evidence, and if provided, examples or explanations are weak or inappropriate.

Sample Written Responses with Annotations

The sample responses are to the assignment provided in this guide and include an example that meets the general level of knowledge necessary to receive a passing score as well as an example that does not meet the required standard. All responses are scored holistically, meaning that both strengths and weaknesses are weighed when assigning an overall score. While rationales are provided, it is important to keep in mind that not all strengths and weaknesses are identified.

Annotation Key

Annotated text using these styles are related to the associated scoring criteria as follows:

Sample Passing Response

Please note: The sample response provided below is for review purposes only and should not be used in a response on an operational exam. Use of the exact words and phrases presented in this sample response will result in a Not Passing score due to lack of original work.

The student's essay begins with the claim, "Public libraries should stop charging fines for overdue materials." This is a strong claim because it takes a clear position on the assignment topic ("whether public libraries should eliminate fines for overdue materials").

The student then cites statistics from Sarasota County Libraries showing that overdue fines have blocked 22% of cardholders from borrowing, 24% of whom are children. However, the student then reasons that "Young people should not be singled out" by fines, "which does not align with cited evidence that only 1/4 of blocked cardholders are children. Stronger reasoning might elaborate on how children use the library and explain why increasing their access benefits the community.

The response also states that library staff can plan more events with time once used to collect fees. This reason is relevant but could use more elaboration and text evidence. For instance, the student hasn't considered that "the value of staff time devoted to collecting fines is over seven times the revenue received." Citing this quantitative data would strengthen the student's qualitative example of an exciting event. The student's reference to declining fine revenues due to increasing use of digital resources is also potentially relevant, but the point that "not everyone likes reading on a screen" needs more elaboration to effectively address why declining fine revenues support the argument for eliminating fines altogether.

A counterclaim appears in paragraph four: "Some people think no one will return anything to the library on time if there are no fines." The student's rebuttal, "The library can stop people from checking out more books until they return overdue books," contradicts earlier points that suggest one reason to eliminate fees is to stop blocking borrowers. If the student believes blocking borrowers without charging fines would impact them differently than doing so with fines, more elaboration is needed to clarify.

The response is organized relatively well, as each paragraph focuses on a specific reason or counterclaim. However, it lacks transitions between paragraphs. The central claim also appears at the beginning of a body paragraph rather than in an introduction, and since the conclusion only contains a quote, it does not effectively wrap up the student's argument.

Although the student constructs varied sentences in both structure and length, sometimes there are too many short sentences in a row (e.g., paragraph 1), resulting in less effective writing. The student includes some domain-specific vocabulary (e.g., "overdue," "fines") but could be more precise (e.g., "librarians" rather than "people who work at the library"). The tone is mostly formal but lapses in the personal anecdote with "It was exciting!"

The student takes a position, organizes paragraphs topically, and includes a relevant counterclaim—all strengths. For improvement, all paragraphs need further development, including clearer reasoning about statistics in paragraph 1, more relevant reasoning about fine revenues in paragraph 3, and a stronger, more detailed rebuttal to the counterclaim in paragraph 4. The student should also compose introduction and conclusion paragraphs and use transitions to demonstrate how each paragraph relates to the previous one or to the overall claim.

This response is Passing based on the following performance characteristics:

Completion: The response fully addresses all parts of the assignment. The examinee identifies and evaluates the student's claim in the first paragraph; use of text evidence, reasoning, and elaboration in the second and third paragraphs; counterclaim and rebuttal in the fourth paragraph; and organization in the fifth paragraph. The examinee then evaluates the student's sentence structure, vocabulary, and tone before providing summative feedback both on the student's strengths and on specific areas for improvement. This improvement plan is further supported with recommendations for stronger reasoning and text evidence provided throughout the response ("Stronger reasoning might…" and "The student hasn't considered…")

Application of Content: The response demonstrates a highly effective application of the relevant content knowledge and skills. For example, the examinee accurately identifies the student's claim, reasons, and counterclaim. Evaluations of these elements show understanding of the essay's flaws—noting, for example, that cited text evidence contradicts one of the student's reasons. The examinee also recognizes parts of the essay that do not yet align with the student's claim, such as the student's comment about reading on screens. Recommended revisions would readily assist the student in meeting the assignment criteria as outlined in Exhibit 1, particularly where the examinee offers specific suggestions for adding text evidence from Exhibit 1 and improving the counterclaim rebuttal.

Support: The response contains strong, relevant support. For example, the examinee provides text evidence from Exhibit 2 to identify the student's claim and then explains how it meets the requirements as outlined in Exhibit 1. When evaluating the student's use of text evidence, the examinee includes a specific example from the essay (the use of statistics in the first paragraph) and clearly explains flaws in the student's reasoning. Subsequent evaluations quote both the student essay and information from Exhibit 1 to suggest improvements ("Citing this quantitative data…"). In addition, the examinee points to specific paragraphs and words to evaluate features such as sentence structure and vocabulary.

Sample Not Passing Response

Please note: The sample response provided below is for review purposes only and should not be used in a response on an operational exam. Use of the exact words and phrases presented in this sample response will result in a Not Passing score due to lack of original work.

The student makes a claim at the beginning of the first paragraph: "Public libraries should stop charging fines for overdue materials." I have no doubts or confusion about which side of the debate the student is on.

The student then gives us a few reasons for why libraries need to stop charging money for books that are turned in late. The first paragraph uses statistics to show that young people are "singled out" by library fines, which makes sense for their argument. Children don't usually have their own money and should be able to read books when they want to. Another reason is that librarians can plan events instead of collecting fines, and the student uses a personal example to elaborate. The last reason mentions that libraries make less money from fines these days, which also supports the argument. Why should libraries go to all that trouble if they don't get much out of it? Overall, the student has good reasons, but other than the statistics, it doesn't seem like the essay has many quotes from the article.

The essay has a counterclaim in the fourth paragraph, where the student writes that "Some people think no one will return anything to the library on time if there are no fines." Luckily, the student has an answer to this problem and explains that libraries can just stop people from taking out more books if they still have the old ones checked out. This is a good alternative that will ensure libraries get their books back without actually charging anyone for being late.

The organization is good because we get the claim first and then a reason in every paragraph. I like that each paragraph has a topic sentence, but maybe a few more transitions would help. The conclusion is also way too short. There are both long and short sentences, but the vocabulary is not very exciting. The tone is formal enough. Maybe the student could use more academic words to make it sound better.

The student already has a great claim and enough reasons for it, so I would give feedback about how those things work well. But for improvement, I would tell the student to use more text evidence. They only used one quote in the body, which isn't enough. Plus the conclusion is too short, so the student needs to add more there.

This response is Not Passing based on the following performance characteristics:

Completion: The response attempts to address all parts of the assignment but does not do so fully or accurately. The examinee accurately identifies parts of the student essay, including the claim, counterclaim, and reasons. However, the examinee often describes these aspects of the essay rather than evaluating them ("Another reason is…" and "The last reason mentions…"). Since the examinee fails to evaluate weaknesses in the content of the student essay, recommended revisions are vague and fail to present an actionable plan for improvement.

Application of Content: The response demonstrates a partially accurate, partially effective application of the relevant content knowledge and skills. The examinee accurately identifies the student's claim but offers minimal evaluation of it. Similarly, the examinee identifies some of the student's reasons for the claim, but attempted evaluations are superficial and fail to identify flaws in the student's reasoning. For example, the examinee notes that "The first paragraph uses statistics to show that young people are 'singled out' by library fines" but fails to recognize that the cited statistics do not show that children are singled out. Other attempted evaluations share the examinee's own opinion on the text evidence rather than assessing the student's use of that evidence ("Why should libraries go to all that trouble…"). Recommended revisions are merely additive and would do little to help the student fulfill the assignment criteria.

Support: The response contains limited support. The examinee provides some quotes from the student essay in Exhibit 2—for example, when identifying the claim and counterclaim—but does not engage with specifics from the passage in Exhibit 1. In addition, the response prioritizes vague, unclear evaluations ("good," "great," "makes sense," "not very exciting") and fails to provide specific, reasoned explanations of why these features are strengths or weaknesses for the student. The examinee's feedback is similarly vague, suggesting the student "use more text evidence" and "add more" to the conclusion; these comments lack specific explanation of what such additions might include or what additional text evidence might be necessary.

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