I created the following sample FSA Argumentative prompt for the ELA based on five New York Times articles written especially for students. It has not been approved by the DOE. See the following link for access to the articles for the prompt below:
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/09/24/protecting-student-privacy-in-online-learning
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With the rapid pace of new technologies, especially the Internet, personal data is being shared with companies and other agencies. Even in our school systems, more often than not, personal data on students is being shared for "educational purposes." Read the accompanying texts and decide for yourself whether you think the sharing of data on students is an invasion of privacy, or do you think that it will help teachers and parents better educate students?
After you read the passages, write an essay in which you take a position on whether or not student data should be shared. Use the information presented in the texts to support your points. Make sure to include information from all the passages in your essay.
Manage your time carefully so that you can
- read the passages;
- plan your essay;
- write your essay; and
- revise and edit your essay.
Be sure to
- include a claim;
- address counterclaims;
- use evidence from multiple sources; and
- avoid overly relying on one source.
Your written response should be in the form of a multi-paragraph essay. Remember to spend time reading, planning, writing, revising, and editing.
Type your answer in the space provided.
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See the sample prompts on the DOE website (Training Tests) for ideas about length and formatting: http://www.fsassessments.org/training-tests
