Az Merit Ela8th Grade Ela Page



AzMERIT measures students’ knowledge in the content areas of English language arts (ELA) and math in Grades 3–8 and High School. Each AzMERIT test is aligned to Arizona’s academic standards. AzMERIT was first administered in spring 2015.

Standards in this strand:

  • FREE 2020-2021 AzMERIT standardized sample test - Arizona Assessments practice tests and sample questions for grades 2 to 11. Available for Math and English Language Arts. Start your AzMERIT student assessment practice to brush up on your skills with standards aligned Online questions and practice tests.
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Text Types and Purposes:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1.a
Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1.b
Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1.c
Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1.d
Establish and maintain a formal style.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1.e
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.a
Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.b
Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.c
Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.d
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.e
Establish and maintain a formal style.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.f
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3.a
Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3.b
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3.c
Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and events.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3.d
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3.e
Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

Production and Distribution of Writing:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 8 here.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge:

Az merit ela 8th grade ela page 18
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.7
Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

Ela 8th Grade Test

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.8
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Az Merit Ela8th Grade Ela Page

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9.a
Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g., 'Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new').
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9.b
Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., 'Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced').

Range of Writing:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Az Merit Ela 8th Grade Ela Page For Canvas

What is the Arizona Merit (AzM2)?

The Arizona AzM2 (Arizona's Measurement of Educational Readiness to Inform Teaching) is designed to provide information about what students know in core academic areas. This test replaces the old AIMS testing and is administered online to most students in Arizona.

Practice Tests for the Arizona Merit (AzM2)


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State Testing Information for Arizona

Portions of the following material were taken from the Department of Education website. Please consult your state's education website for further information on the actual tests administered for your school.

What is AzMERIT?
AzMERIT (Arizona’s Measurement of Educational
Readiness to Inform Teaching) is Arizona’s new
statewide achievement test. Arizona is partnering
with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to
develop tests which are unique to Arizona.
Why does Arizona need this new test?
In 2010, the Arizona State Board of Education
adopted new standards in English language arts
and mathematics for all students in Arizona.
These academic standards outline what students
should know and be able to do at each grade
level. With the adoption and implementation of
new standards, a new test was necessary.
How is AzMERIT different from the AIMS test?
Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards
(AIMS) tested the old standards. Spring 2014 was
the last time AIMS was administered for reading,
writing, and mathematics.
AzMERIT, based on the new standards, will tell
teachers, students, and parents if students are on
track to be college and career ready upon
graduation from high school.
The Arizona Science Standards did not change, so
students in Grades 4, 8, and high school will still
take the AIMS Science test.
High school students graduating after December
31, 2016 will no longer be required to pass the
AIMS test to graduate high school.
Who will take AzMERIT?
Arizona public school students in Grades 3
through high school will take AzMERIT.
Students in Grades 3 through 8 will take an
assessment in English language arts and
mathematics at their grade level.
Students taking high school level English and
mathematics will take End-of-Course assessments
that will test their proficiency in these subjects.
Only eligible students with significant cognitive
disabilities will participate in other alternate
achievement tests.
When will the test be given?
Students will take AzMERIT in the spring. Schools will inform students
and parents of specific testing dates within these
windows.
How will AzMERIT be administered?
AzMERIT will be computer-based. For schools
that are not yet ready to administer a computerbased
assessment, a paper-based version will be
available.
Schools will have the ability to opt-in to the
computer-based test if they feel they have the
resources to successfully administer the test in
this manner.


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