NJ Spotlight - NJ ASK Puts Pupils’ Skills in Language Arts to the Test….Students in grades 6-8 tackle two writing tasks, reading comprehension in 4-hour exam

By John Mooney, May 9, 2013 in Education |Post a Comment

The NJ ASK test for language arts in grades 6-8 is the longest one that students take before high school, lasting four hours over the course of two days.

Administered in most schools last week, the test includes two writing tasks that students are asked to complete in a variety of forms: argument, persuasive, narrative and explanatory.

For their test of reading skills, students need to show both understanding of the text and some analysis that may bring in their own background knowledge.

So, if that sounds easy enough, here’s your chance to see if you make the grade, as NJ Spotlight provides some sample questions from the NJ ASK language arts exam.

We’ve also provided a couple of questions from the NJ ASK science exam given only to eighth-graders. (Earlier this week, we posted some sample questions from the NJ ASK exams for grades 3-5.)

These are the last state tests that students are required to pass, but many districts also use them to set schedules and place students in classes in their first year of high school.

The stakes aren’t as high for our readers, but we appreciate you giving them a read and a try – and ask you to then share your thoughts about the questions and how New Jersey tests its students.

To see the test questions, go to:

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/13/05/08/nj-ask-puts-pupils-skills-in-language-arts-to-the-test/