ELA Practice Questions

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - March 29th, 2015

Parents looking for ELA practice questions are often frustrated with what they find. ELA, of course, stands for English Language Arts and is part of the Common Core State Standards that rolled out across the nation this year. As with many other things related to the Common Core, the phrase “ELA” can seem foreign to parents since it wasn’t in common use before the Common Core was implemented. Before the Common Core, most parents looking for ELA practice questions would instead have looked for Language Arts practice questions, or English practice questions.

And the truth of the matter is that while ELA practice questions have a lot in common with practice materials for the state tests that preceded the Common Core, there are some important things to keep in mind when looking for these questions. One is that many ELA tests incorporate science, social studies, and technical subjects into what they test, so reading fiction with your child won’t be great preparation for these exams. Another important caveat is that there are several different “flavors” of the Common Core, such as the PARCC consortium and the Smarter Balanced (or SBAC) consortium. It’s important to find out which of these consortia your state falls into before endeavoring to find and work with ELA practice questions. Equally important is that some states have their own state test not aligned with the Common Core; Texas and Virginia, for example, give their own, state-specific tests. There is also a third consortium – the AIR – emerging, so be sure that you know which category your state falls into.

As for where to find ELA practice questions, the good news is that they are all over. Despite the fact that the Common Core is relatively new, there is already a plethora of practice workbooks and online materials to help children prepare for this crucially important test. And if your state is using the Common Core, chances are that your child’s schoolwork is aligned with the standards so that will also provide good practice for the test.

You can access some ELA practice questions here.

ELA practice questions are in high demand these days. As parents get ready for the newly-implemented Common Core state standards that are rolling out across the country, the reality is that the test is much harder than the state-specific tests that they’re replacing, so the stakes are higher than ever.

ELA practice questions are distinct from math questions for the Common Core. ELA stands for English and Language Arts, so the practice questions for this area of the Common Core test will be focused more on reading and language-related abilities. Many ELA tests include open-ended questions, where children will write out their answers, as well as multiple-choice questions where they are given an opportunity to choose from a set of possible answers.

There are a number of different places to get ELA practice questions. There are already plenty of workbooks catering to the ELA test, with questions that will get your child ready for the challenging questions on the test. There are also online programs, including TestingMom.com which has thousands upon thousands of ELA practice questions, along with interactive programs that help your child prepare in a fun way. You can always hire a private tutor if you want your child to have more customized, one-on-one help. And, of course, your child’s own ELA homework, given that it’s aligned to be compatible with your state tests, is good material for them to work with.

If your child struggles with English and Language Arts in general, it’s important to get them up to speed with ELA practice questions. Especially if your child has been getting subpar grades in these subjects in school, it’s imperative to get them acclimated to the types of questions they’ll see on the test. The stakes for the ELA test are high, so you don’t have a moment to waste in preparing your child.

For more information on ELA practice questions, visit http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy.