What’s on the NY ELA Test?

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - February 21st, 2015

Parents across New York are frantically preparing for the NY ELA test – another name for the English Language Arts portion of the Common Core State Standards test in New York. This test is part of the Common Core State Standards that have swept across the country this year, replacing state-specific tests that were originally part of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

The Common Core initiative began back in 2009, with the goal of creating a uniform set of English and math standards that could be used across all 50 states. Many states have opted in to the Common Core, although many of them use their own state-specific name to describe the test. The tests are generally regarded as much harder than the state-specific tests they replace, especially given that some states are requiring students to pass the test in order to be able to advance to the next grade!

The test is given to students in grades 3-8 and contains a number of different kinds of questions. The NY ELA test includes open-ended questions where students write about passages they read. There are also multiple-choice questions that follow reading material. It’s important for children to be prepared for both of these types of questions, especially if they aren’t naturally gifted writers: the open-ended questions will be challenging for those kids, so it’s important to start early.

Because kids need to have strong reading and writing skills to do well on the NY ELA test, you need to work with your child on both. Even an act as simple as reading before bedtime every night can drastically increase your child’s chances of getting a good score. Since the NY ELA test covers kids in grades 3 to 8, your child should be old enough to read to themselves, so have them read you a story before bedtime! And practice having them write creatively so they’re prepared for that portion of the test as well.

For more information on the NY ELA test, visit http://schools.nyc.gov/Accountability/resources/testing/New+York+State+English+Language+Arts+%28ELA%29+Test.htm.