Tips for Writing on State Exams

Next week is a big week on my campus. Several of our students will retake various sections of The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) , hoping to get the burdensome examination behind them.

For some students, next week will include retaking both the English I exam and the English II exam, as well as retaking the Algebra exam and the U.S. History exam.

Just the thought is exhausting, right?

While I can only pray for your children where math is concerned, as an English teacher - I do have some advice when it comes to the essay component of most exams. 

1). Encourage your child to ANSWER THE QUESTION.

Whether writing an expository essay or a persuasive essay, students are given a task. They are either sharing an experience or stating their opinion. When writing an expository essay, the goal is to share a personal narrative. Writing in first person is perfectly acceptable here. As I like to tell my students – this is the only type of essay where I’ll allow the insertion of I, me or my.

Persuasive writing on the other hand should be more sophisticated. Students should immediately pick a stance and defend that stance until the very end of the essay. If the prompt states: Write an essay that states your position on whether or not cell phones should be allowed on campus – students need to pick a side.

2). Books ARE Judged by Their Covers, and SO ARE INTRODUCTIONS

Sure, many students don’t enjoy writing. We get it, however, since 26 lines are not considered enough to be coined an “essay” – we don’t have time to indulge in whining and complaining. It’s only 26 lines. Essays need an introduction that includes both a hook and a thesis statement.

Engage your reader, that individual who doesn’t know you and doesn’t have to give you the benefit of the doubt. Start off with a generic one liner that hooks the reader in. (Example: Cell phones are not going to disappear anytime soon, so perhaps it’s time for schools to consider ways to implement them in the school day.) The thesis statement that follows could be: cell phones should definitely be allowed on campuses. Remember, the thesis statement acknowledges what the writer will prove throughout the essay.

*Do the aforementioned in your introduction and you’ve automatically increased your chances of earning a passing score.

3). Structure and Flow

After a stellar introduction, students need two body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should focus on one idea respectively that supports the thesis statement. Familiarize yourselves with transitions for body paragraphs. Also, in addition, furthermore, next, similarly and lastly are all effective transitions to shift from paragraph to paragraph.

The conclusion is not the time for new information, but a perfect opportunity to acknowledge any potential rebuttals. (Ex: Of course many will say that cell phones will just be more of a distraction during school, but making students responsible for their phone usage will prove far more beneficial).  

Of course there are also reading passages and multiple-choice questions on the state exams, but in my experience it is typically the essay that will make or break many of our students.

Encourage your students to not consider the tests to be unconquerable. They get more than enough time to read, reread, revise and edit.

 Dear Students: 

Follow the above points and the essay will soon be “just another

thing” you have to do to advance to the next level.

-Ms. Talton

© 2018 Ariawna Talton