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New York State administered the English Language Arts Tests in

April 2021 and is now making the questions from Session 1 of these tests

available for review and use. Only Session 1 was required in 2021.

New York State Testing Program

Grade 3

English Language Arts Test

Released Questions

2021

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

New York State Testing Program
Grades 3–8 English Language Arts

Released Questions from 2021 Tests

Background

In 2013, New York State (NYS) began administering tests designed to assess student performance in
accordancewith the instructional shifts and rigor demanded by the new New York State P–12
Learning Standards in English Language Arts (ELA). To help in this transition to new assessments,
the New York State EducationDepartment (NYSED) has been releasing a number of test questions
from the tests that wereadministered to students across the State in the spring. This year, NYSED
is again releasing 2021 NYS Grades 3–8 English Language Arts and Mathematics test materials for
review, discussion, and use.

In February 2021, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic still forcing restrictions on all educational
and learning activities statewide, NYSED submitted two federal waiver requests related to state
assessment and accountability requirements. The waiver requests addressed the unique
circumstances caused by the pandemic that have resulted in many students receiving some or all
of their instruction remotely.

Later that month, the United States Department of Education (USDE) informed states that it would
not grant a blanket waiver for state assessments. However, the USDE agreed to uncouple state
assessments from the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) accountability requirements so that test
results will be used solely as a measure of student learning. Additionally, it was decided that NYSED
would administer only Session 1 of the Grades 3–8 ELA and Mathematics Tests for the Spring 2021
administration and that the tests would include previously administered questions.

The decision to use previously administered test questions in this extraordinary year was based on
guidance from nationally recognized experts in the assessment field and was recommended in a
publication from the Council of Chief State School Officers to state education departments. Reusing
test questions provided the benefit of having established scale scores and stable item parameters.
Using previously administered test questions also ensured that it will be possible to develop new
test forms for 2022 and beyond. Although it was not the driver of the decision, the reuse of
previously administered test questions provided an opportunity for cost savings during these
unique circumstances where the instructional models used by schools varied throughout the State.

For 2021, the entire Session 1 booklet is being released as this is all that students were required
to take. Additionally, NYSED is providing information about the released passages; the associated
text complexity for each passage; a map that details what learning standards each released
question measures; and thecorrect response to each question. These released materials will
help students, families, educators, and thepublic better understand the tests and NYSED’s
expectations forstudents.

Understanding ELA Questions

Multiple-Choice Questions

Multiple-choice questions are designed to assess the New York State P–12 Learning Standards in
EnglishLanguage Arts. These questions ask students to analyze different aspects of a given text,
including centralidea, style elements, character and plot development, and vocabulary. Almost
all questions, includingvocabulary questions, will be answered correctly only if the student
comprehends and makes use of thewhole passage.

For multiple-choice questions, students select the correct response from four answer choices.
Multiple-choice questions assess reading standards in a variety of ways. Some ask students to
analyze aspects of textor vocabulary. Many questions require students to combine skills. For
example, questions may ask studentsto identify a segment of text that best supports the central
idea. To answer these questions correctly, astudent must first comprehend the central idea and
then show understanding of how that idea is supported.Questions tend to require more than rote
recall or identification.

New York State P–12 Learning Standards Alignment

The alignment to the New York State P–12 Learning Standards for English Language Arts is intended
to identify the analytic skills necessary to successfully answer each question. The released
questions do not represent the full spectrum of how the standards should be taught and assessed in
the classroom.It should not be assumed that a particular standard will be measured by an
identical question in futureassessments. Specific criteria for writing test questions, as well as
additional assessment information, are available at http://www.engageny.org/common-core-
assessments.

2021 Grade 3 ELA Test Text Complexity Metrics
For Released Questions

Selecting high-quality, grade-appropriate passages requires both objective text
complexity metrics and expert judgment. For the Grades 3–8 assessments based on the
New York State P–12 Learning Standards for English Language Arts, both quantitative and
qualitative rubrics are used to determine the complexity of the texts and their appropriate
placement within a grade-level ELA exam.

Quantitative measures of text complexity are used to measure aspects of text complexity
that are difficult for a human reader to evaluate when examining a text. These aspects
include word frequency, word length, sentence length, and text cohesion. These aspects
are efficiently measured by computer programs. While quantitative text complexity
metrics are a helpful start, they are not definitive.

Qualitative measures are a crucial complement to quantitative measures. Using
qualitative measures of text complexity involves making an informed decision about the
difficulty of a text in terms of one or more factors discernible to a human reader applying
trained judgment to the task. To qualitatively determine the complexity of a text,
educators use a rubric composed of five factors; four of these factors are required and
one factor is optional. The required criteria are: meaning, text structure, language
features, and knowledge demands. The optional factor, graphics, is used only if a graphic
appears in the text.

To make the final determination as to whether a text is at grade-level and thus
appropriate to be included on a Grades 3–8 assessment, New York State uses a two-step
review process, which is an industry best-practice. First, all prospective passages undergo
quantitative text complexity analysis using three text complexity measures. If at least two
of the three measures suggest that the passage is grade-appropriate, the passage then
moves to the second step, which is the qualitative review using the text-complexity
rubrics. Only passages that are determined appropriate by at least two of three
quantitative measures of complexity and are determined appropriate by the qualitative
measure of complexity are deemed appropriate for use on the exam.

For more information about text selection, complexity, and the review process please
refer to:

https://www.engageny.org/resource/new-york-state-passage-selection-resources-
for-grade-3-8-assessments

https://www.engageny.org/resource/selection-of-authentic-texts-for-common-core-
instruction-guidance-and-a-list-of-resources

https://www.engageny.org/resource/december-2014-nti-understanding-text-
complexity-grades-9-12

Text Complexity Metrics for 2021 Grade 3 Passages

Passage Title

Word
Count

Lexile

Flesch-Kincaid

Reading Maturity

Metric*

Degrees of

Reading Power*

Qualitative

Review

Flying on Ice

643

550L

2.0

46

Appropriate

Excerpt from Nature's Fireworks: A Book
About Lightning

458

590L

4.7

54

Appropriate

Excerpt from Crabbing for Supper

798

570L

2.9

48

Appropriate

Meet the Teacher

595

760L

6.5

54

Appropriate

Excerpt from Just the Right Gift

596

490L

2.7

45

Appropriate

Don't Touch Me!

314

570L

3.4

50

Appropriate

* Depending on when the passage was selected, either the Reading Maturity Metric or Degrees of Reading Power was
used as the third quantitative metric.

New York State 2021 Quantitative Text Complexity Chart for Assessment and Curriculum

To determine if a text’s quantitative complexity is at the appropriate grade level, New
York State uses the table below. In cases where a text is excerpted from a large work, only
the complexity of the excerpt that students see on the test is measured, not the large
work, so it is possible that the complexity of a book might be above or below grade level,
but the text used on the assessment is at grade level. Because the measurement of text
complexity is inexact, quantitative measures of complexity are defined by grade band
rather than by individual grade level and then paired with the qualitative review by an
educator.

Grade
Band

ATOS

Degrees of

Reading
PowerFlesch-Kincaid

The Lexile
Framework

Reading
MaturitySourceRater

2nd–3rd2.75 – 5.1442 – 541.98 – 5.34420 – 8203.53 – 6.130.05 – 2.48

4th–5th4.97 – 7.0352 – 604.51 – 7.73740 – 10105.42 – 7.920.84 – 5.75

6th–8th7.00 – 9.9857 – 676.51 – 10.34925 – 11857.04 – 9.574.11 – 10.66

9th–10th9.67 – 12.0162 – 728.32 – 12.121050 – 13358.41 – 10.819.02 – 13.93

11th–12th11.20 – 14.1067 – 7410.34 – 14.201185 – 13859.57 – 12.0012.30 – 14.50

Source: Student Achievement Partners

GRADE 3

ELA

SESSION 1

Name:

New York State
Testing Program

English Language Arts Test
Session 1

Grade

v202
r

L

Released Questions

r
7
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7
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7

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Released Questions

“Flying on Ice” by Valerie Hunter, Spider, January 2016. Used with permission of Carus Publishing Company via Copyright Clearance
Center.

Excerpt from Nature’s Fireworks: A Book About Lightning by Josepha Sherman. Copyright © 2004 by Josepha Sherman. Used with
permission via Copyright Clearance Center.

Excerpt from “Crabbing for Supper” by Laurel Sheridan, Spider, March 2016, p. 13–17. Used with permission of Carus Publishing Company
via Copyright Clearance Center.

Developed and published under contract with the New York State Education Department by Questar Assessment Inc., 5550 Upper 147th
Street West, Minneapolis, MN 55124. Copyright © 2021 by the New York State Education Department.

Session 1

TIPS FOR TAKING THE TEST

Here are some suggestions to help you do your best:
• Be sure to read all the directions carefully.

• Most questions will make sense only when you read the whole passage. You may read
the passage more than once to answer a question. When a question includes a quotation
from a passage, be sure to keep in mind what you learned from reading the whole
passage. You may need to review both the quotation and the passage in order to answer
the question correctly.

• Read each question carefully and think about the answer before making your choice.

Session 1

Page 1

Session 1

Flying on Ice

by Valerie Hunter

Craig watched his older sister, Riley, and her friend Liz race up and
down the lake on their skates, dodging the other hockey players. eir
skate blades looked like silver smoke.

1

When the game was over, the girls skated up to the bench where Craig
was sitting. Craig asked Riley what skating felt like.
2

“When I go really fast, I feel like I’m flying,” she said.

3

at’s silly, thought Craig. Flying is something birds do in the air, not
something people do on ice skates. en he watched Riley go back out on
the ice. She skated around and around the edge of the lake with her arms
pumping and her scarf trailing behind her. Soon she was going so fast that
her arms looked like wings and her scarf looked like a feathery tail. Maybe
skating really was like flying.

4

When Riley sat down to take her skates off, Craig said, “I wish I could
fly.”
5

Riley retied her skate laces and crouched next to Craig. “Get on my
back,” she said, and Craig did. Riley started skating, but Craig didn’t feel
like he was flying. It just felt like a wobbly piggy-back ride.

6

“You’re too heavy,” Riley said. “I can’t go fast when I’m carrying
you.” She skated slowly back to the bench. Craig got off her back.
7

“Even if you could go fast, I wouldn’t be flying,” he said sadly. “I need
skates to fly.”
8

Riley didn’t say anything on the walk home, but a few days later she
asked Craig if he wanted to go skating.
9

“To watch?” he asked.

10

“No, to skate,” she said cheerfully. “Mom and I found a pair of my old

skates. ey might fit you.”

11

Page 2

GO ON

Session 1

Read this story. Then answer questions 1 through 6.

skates. ey might fit you.”
e skates were a little big, but when Riley stuffed newspaper in the toes,

they fit. Craig couldn’t stop smiling. He didn’t want to take them off, but
he had to so he could walk to the lake.

12

Riley and Liz went with him. ey carried their hockey sticks, two
orange cones, and a wooden chair. When they got to the lake, Craig put his
skates back on and Riley helped him onto the ice. en she put his hands
on the back of the chair.

13

“Hang on to this and you won’t fall,” she said. “Just push it along in front
of you, OK?”
14

Craig grinned. “OK.” His feet felt wobbly, but he held on to the chair and
he didn’t fall. Riley and Liz cheered him on as he started to move forward.
en they set up the cones and practiced passing the puck to each other
and shooting goals.

15

Craig watched them. ey made skating look easy. He tried to skate like
them, but when he let go of the chair he fell. So he grabbed on to it again
and inched along. His skate blades went scritch scritch scritch instead of
the swish swish sound that his sister’s blades made. is wasn’t like flying
at all. It was like being a snail.

16

“Ready to go home?” Riley finally asked.

17

Craig nodded, frowning. Riley had never said how hard skating was.

18

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

19

“I wanted to skate like you,” Craig said. “I wanted to fly.”

20

“Someday you will,” Riley said. “It takes practice.” She patted his
shoulder. en she whispered something to Liz, who grinned and winked
at Craig. Each girl took one of Craig’s hands.

21

“Someday you’ll fly on your own,” Riley said. “But today Liz and I will
help you.”
22

Riley and Liz started skating, pulling Craig with them. e edges of his
skate blades just touched the ice. e girls went faster and faster, and so did
he. When he looked down, his skate blades were a silver blur. His hat
nearly blew off.

23

“I’m flying!” he yelled, and the words blew away in the wind like a bird’s

happy song.

24

Page 3

Session 1

GO ON

What does the word “crouched” mean as it is used in paragraph 6?

A

spun around

B

bent down

C

stood up

D

fell over

In paragraph 9, what is the most likely reason Riley stays quiet as she and Craig walk
home?

A

She is thinking about how well she played hockey.

B

She is upset with Craig because he hurt her back.

C

She is thinking about how to get skates for Craig.

D

She is tired from skating in the hockey game.

What does paragraph 12 help the reader understand about Craig?

A

Craig is too young to learn how to skate.

B

Craig is very excited about learning to skate.

C

Craig is unable to take the skates off by himself.

D

Craig is worried that his sister will take the skates back.

1

2

3

Page 4

GO ON

Session 1

In paragraph 16, what does the phrase “like being a snail” help the reader to understand
about Craig?

A

He skates very slowly.

B

He moves in a crooked line.

C

He searches for a place to hide.

D

He looks like all the other skaters.

Which sentence best describes how paragraph 6 relates to paragraph 23?

A

Paragraph 6 provides a problem and paragraph 23 provides a
solution.

B

Paragraph 6 asks a question and paragraph 23 provides an answer.

C

Paragraph 6 provides a cause and paragraph 23 shows an effect.

D

Paragraph 6 provides similarities and paragraph 23 shows differences.

Which sentence best describes a central message of the story?

A

Change is normal and an important part of life.

B

Friendships oen become stronger over time.

C

New experiences can be exciting and wonderful.

D

Natural talent is more important than practice.

4

5

6

Page 5

Session 1

GO ON

Excerpt from Nature’s Fireworks:
A Book About Lightning

by Josepha Sherman

Flash! Lightning streaks from a dark cloud.

1

Crash! under shakes our roofs and windows. A lightning storm
dazzles the sky like flickering fireworks.
2

Lightning Begins

High above the ground, water droplets and ice crystals swirl and swarm
inside the moving clouds. e tiny particles bump into one another. When
the particles rush together, they become charged. Electricity is created.

3

Lightning is Electricity

A single stroke of lightning carries millions of volts of electricity. Each
stroke heats the air in its path to as much as 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit
(27,760 degrees Celsius). at is five times as hot as the surface of the sun.

4

Page 6

GO ON

Session 1

Read this passage. Then answer questions 7 through 12.

Lightning Around the World

Every day, lightning flashes from thousands of thunderstorms around
the world. Every second, more than 100 lightning bolts hit the ground.
Lightning can strike a tree or dry grass. When this happens, a wildfire can
start. Lightning bolts can hit tall buildings. ey also can hit electrical
towers, houses, and cars.

8

Flash! Lightning is streaking through the clouds. Every flash is another
display of nature’s fireworks.
9

Fast Facts

It does not have to be raining outside for lightning to strike. Lightning
can strike both before and aer the rain falls, or even when there is no rain
at all. Lightning helps nature by putting nitrogen into the ground and air.
Nitrogen is a nutrient. at means it feeds plants and helps them grow.

10

Safety Tips

Windows, water faucets, pipes, telephones, and electrical outlets can be
dangerous when there is lightning in the sky. You should not run water or
talk on the phone if you see lightning. You could get an electrical shock.

11

Benjamin Franklin once flew a kite in a lightning storm. at is how he
learned about electricity. But today, we know lightning is very dangerous. If
you see lightning, you should go indoors right away.

12

Page 8

GO ON

Session 1

According to paragraph 5, what happens right before thunder can be heard?

A

Little drops of water move around in the sky.

B

Dark clouds appear in the sky.

C

Rain droplets start to fall from the clouds.

D

e air spreads because of heat from lightning.

What is the main idea of paragraph 6?

A

Lightning can reach from the sky to the ground.

B

A bolt of lightning can travel up to nine miles.

C

Flashes of lightning can jump from one cloud to another.

D

Lightning can move over large distances very quickly.

Which idea from the passage does the second illustration best support?

A

Lightning can be helpful for nature.

B

Lightning moves very quickly.

C

Lightning appears in different ways in the sky.

D

Lightning may strike before or aer it rains.

7

8

9

Page 9

Session 1

GO ON

What does the word “nutrient” mean as it is used in paragraph 10?

A

a type of lightning

B

a supply of heat

C

a kind of plant

D

a form of food

Which question does the section “Fast Facts” help to answer?

A

How does lightning help the earth?

B

How is lightning different in the summer?

C

How is electricity created in clouds?

D

How can someone avoid an electrical shock?

Which sentence shows a cause and effect relationship that is stated in the passage?

A

People see lightning before they hear thunder.

B

Wildfires can start when lightning touches the ground.

C

Heat from electricity is hotter than the surface of the sun.

D

Lightning bolts can hit tall trees and buildings.

10

11

12

Page 10

GO ON

Session 1

“Here.” Paulie handed me the baited string. “Dangle this down in the

water to call the crabs.”
3

Crabs love stinky old fish, so our first crab didn’t take long to come. Its
big claw clamped the bait, and I raised the string real slow so Paulie could
net it. But my legs swishing in the water startled that crab, and it let go and
floated back to the bottom like a leaf off a tree. Paulie brought up the net
and stood there with the handle on the dock. . . .

4

I went back to dangling the fish.

5

“Well, get ready,” he urged. “Here comes another one.”

6

e sun was hot on our backs. My clothes were already sticking to me,
and sweat trickled down our faces. A fly buzzed around my head. I
remembered what Paulie had said and sat perfectly still as the new crab
clamped onto the fish. But as Paulie scootched forward on his belly to
lower the net, he knocked a pebble off the dock and scared that crab away,
too. . . .

7

“Crabs are scaredy-cats,” I said, pulling up the line to check the bait.
“is smells disgusting. How can they eat this?”
8

“I don’t know. How can Mom and Dad eat broccoli casserole? I really
hate that stuff,” Paulie moaned.
9

“Me, too,” I said. “Blech!”

10

We thought about the big pot waiting and Dad dropping the crabs into
the spicy, boiling water. ey would turn a beautiful bright red aer a few
moments, and we’d have a crab feast, cracking the shells and pulling out
the sweet white meat. We had to keep trying. I smacked a mosquito off
Paulie’s arm and dangled the bait some more. We squinted past the sun’s
reflection on the water.

11

“Sit still now. Here comes another one,” said Paulie.

12

He inched the net into the water.

13

“Got him!”

14

Paulie hauled up the net with the crab inside, but that crab was all claws
and those mad pincers were waving all over the place!
15

“Look out!” I screamed, but the crab’s big claw already had hold of

Page 12

GO ON

Session 1

“Look out!” I screamed, but the crab’s big claw already had hold of

Paulie’s finger.
16

“Ow! OW! Get him off! Get him off!”

17

Paulie hopped around, shaking his hand up and down, swinging that
crab all over the place.
18

I yelled, “Let go!” but the crab didn’t seem to understand English.
Finally, Paulie swung his arm in a giant arc, and the crab landed back in
the water. Paulie’s finger was all red and puffy. I could tell he was trying
not to cry.

19

“What should we do now?” I asked.

20

We both thought about broccoli casserole.

21

“Keep trying,” said Paulie, dunking his sore finger into the cold water.

22

But the harder we tried, the darker it got. When the sun began to set, we
couldn’t see into the water anymore. We heard Mom yell from the house,
“Bring all you’ve got and come on in now.”

23

Paulie let go of the string and wiped his hands clean on his shorts as the
stinky bait sank to the bottom.
24

“Guess what’s for supper,” I sighed.

25

“Broccoli, here we come,” Paulie groaned.

26

“Remember to get the bucket with the spare bait,” I reminded him,
slumping along with the net dragging behind me.
27

Suddenly, Paulie grabbed my arm. “Listen,” he whispered.

28

Noises came from the bucket Paulie was carrying. We leaned in close,
but it was too dark to see.
29

“What’s all that scratching?” I asked. We ran through the sand to the
light of the screened-in porch.
30

“Well, would you look at that?” exclaimed Paulie with a high-five. ere,
in the bucket, was a mountain of beautiful blue crabs fighting over our
extra fish.

31

“Let’s go!” I yelled.

32

We raced to give Dad the crabs.

33

“Whoa!” he said. “You caught a lot!”

Page 13

Session 1

GO ON

“Whoa!” he said. “You caught a lot!”

34

“Great!” Mom said. “Well, I don’t think that the leover casserole will
keep for another day . . .” She started scraping the broccoli into the garbage
disposal.

35

I looked at Paulie. “Yes!” we mouthed silently to each other with huge
grins.
36

Page 14

GO ON

Session 1

What does the word “clamped” mean as it is used in paragraph 4?

A

smelled

B

lowered

C

moved

D

grabbed

Which detail from the story best shows the narrator’s point of view about catching
crabs for supper?

A

“My clothes were already sticking to me, and sweat trickled down our
faces.” (paragraph 7)

B

“is smells disgusting. How can they eat this?” (paragraph 8)

C

“. . . cracking the shells and pulling out the sweet white meat. We had
to keep trying.” (paragraph 11)

D

“. . . but that crab was all claws and those mad pincers were waving all
over the place!” (paragraph 15)

Which detail from the story best shows why Paulie and the narrator keep trying to catch
a crab?

A

“Crabs love stinky old fish, so our first crab didn’t take long to come.”
(paragraph 4)

B

“ ‘Crabs are scaredy-cats,’ I said, pulling up the line to check the bait.”
(paragraph 8)

C

“I could tell he was trying not to cry.” (paragraph 19)

D

“We both thought about broccoli casserole.” (paragraph 21)

13

14

15

Page 15

Session 1

GO ON

What happens right before Paulie and the narrator reach the porch in paragraph 30?

A

ey learn that they will have broccoli casserole for dinner.

B

ey hand a bucket of crabs to their father.

C

ey find out that something is moving in the bucket.

D

ey hear their mother calling them to come home.

How does paragraph 31 connect to the problem in paragraph 26?

A

It shows the solution to the problem.

B

It gives an effect of the problem.

C

It explains the cause of the problem.

D

It gives an example of the problem.

What best states the lesson of paragraphs 27 through 31?

A

Hard work and a strong will can solve almost any problem.

B

Good things can happen even when all hope seems lost.

C

Staying calm is important when faced with a problem.

D

Working with and trusting others can help to finish any job.

16

17

18

Page 16

Session 1

STOP