The North Carolina Writing Assessment Test for Grade 7
The state of North Carolina tests students' writing ability in grades 4, 7 and 10. 
Fourth grade is a Narrative prompt.  (Think about a time when you tried something new.  Tell about what happened.)
Seventh grade is tested with Argumentative prompts.  There are two possibilities:
Evaluative (Discuss the qualities of a good ____.  Explain the importance of these qualities and give your choice for a good _____.) and Problem-Solution (Students are excessively tardy to class in your school.  Discuss the problem and propose a solution.  Discuss how your solution is the best way to solve the problem.)
Tenth grade is tested using an Extended Informational Response. 
Students have collected a lot of information about this writing test, and we have written many samples.  Please have your student tell you about the qualities of a good introduction, a good body paragraph and a good conclusion.  We also have worked very hard to improve basic writing skills and conventions.  We even have a list of DON'Ts!
Achievement Level Information
Level I
Level II
Level III
Level IV		 4 - 7 points
8 - 11 points
12 - 16 points
17 - 20 points
Two readers score each essay.  Each reader assigns a Content Score of 0 - 4 (for the quality of the reasoning used in the response) and a Conventions Score of 0 - 2 (for the quality of the grammatical structures and spelling used in the response). 
These scores then enter into a math problem:
                          Reader 1                         Reader 2
Content                   0-4                +               0-4               x   2  =  Content Score (high of 16)
Conventions             0-2               +                0-2              x    1 =   Conventions Score (high of 4)
The total of the Content Score and the Conventions Scores is  The Total Writing Score  (high of 20)
Like the NC End-of-Grade Tests, a Level III or a Level IV is considered proficient for the grade level, therefore these levels are considered "passing."

With the assistance of their 8th grade Language Arts teachers, students who score Levels I or II will create a portfolio of writing samples during their eighth grade year to prove they have improved their writing skills.
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