Built for the redesigned 2027 tests: generate the new 5-point extended-response items for grades 3 to 8, the 8-point essay for grades 6 to 8, and the unchanged grade 10 essay, each with the official DESE rubric word for word and directions in DESE’s released format. When students finish, EnlightenAI grades every response against the same official rubric in minutes.
0 ptsdoes not address the question or incorrectly responds to the question
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Redesigned for 2027official DESE rubrics
Grades in EnlightenAIper-criterion feedback
01 Build a task
Build an MCAS writing task.
Pick a grade and writing task, choose a topic, and generate the full package: a passage, the prompt in DESE’s format with the stated length expectation, the official rubric, and an exemplar. Grades 3 to 5 build the new extended-response items; grades 6 to 8 build essays or extended responses; grade 10 keeps its paired-passage essay.
Pick a curated topic or write your own. The extended response is the new short writing item for 2027: one to two paragraphs, worth 5 points.
2027 design: directions follow DESE's released extended-response format; the rubric is the official 5-point DESE rubric.
02 Why generated
Why use generated MCAS practice tests?
Released questions are the official gold standard, and every task here is anchored to them. But states release only a handful, and students eventually know them. Generated practice tests keep the exact format and scoring while giving students fresh practice questions all year.
Released MCAS items
Official items, the anchor for everything on this page
Same task structure, directions, and official rubric
Built for ongoing exam prep, not one mock test
03 Scoring
Scored with the official MCAS writing rubrics from DESE.
Four rubrics for 2027, published by DESE in August 2026: extended response (Written Expression 0–3 plus Conventions 0–2) for grades 3–5 and 6–8, and the essay rubric (Idea Development 0–5 plus Conventions 0–3) for grades 6–8 and grade 10. Every descriptor in this generator is DESE’s wording.
DESE is redesigning the grades 3 to 8 ELA tests for spring 2027: shorter reading passages, a new 5-point extended-response writing item, stand-alone language questions, and 50 points per test. Grades 3 to 5 no longer write essays and instead answer two extended-response questions. Grades 6 to 8 write one essay (down from two) plus one extended response. Grade 10 is unchanged.
What is the new MCAS extended-response (ER) question?
A passage-based writing question worth 5 points: up to 3 for written expression and 2 for conventions. Responses are expected to be about one paragraph at grade 3 and one to two paragraphs at grades 4 to 8, with a word cap of 450 (grades 3 to 5) or 600 (grades 6 to 8) built into the response box. The directions state the expected length.
How are the 2027 MCAS essays scored?
Grades 6 to 8 essays stay worth 8 points on the DESE essay rubric: Idea Development (0 to 5) and Standard English Conventions (0 to 3). The rubric considers the quality and development of the central idea, selection and explanation of evidence, organization, expression of ideas, and awareness of task and mode. Essays are expected to run four to five paragraphs, capped at 1200 words.
Is narrative writing still on MCAS?
No. Per DESE, narrative writing is no longer assessed on MCAS at any grade and should continue to be assessed locally. MCAS writing now assesses explanatory or opinion writing at grades 3 to 5 and explanatory or argument writing at grades 6 to 8.
Is the grade 10 MCAS ELA test changing?
No. DESE states the grade 10 test design is not changing at this time. Grade 10 keeps its 8-point essay with paired passages, scored on Idea Development (0 to 5) and Conventions (0 to 3).
When do the new MCAS practice tests come out?
DESE posts new practice tests with student samples at each score point in fall 2026, along with additional webinars in winter 2027. The extended-response and essay rubrics are already published (updated August 2026), and this generator uses them word for word.
How does this generator stay faithful to the redesigned test?
The extended-response directions follow DESE’s released Grade 5 ER example word for word ("Write a response that is about one to two paragraphs in length. Be sure to: Include an opinion based on the passage..."), the rubrics are the official August 2026 DESE documents verbatim, essay exemplars stay calibrated to officially scored MCAS essays (the essay rubric carries over), and response lengths follow the published word caps.
Can AI grade MCAS writing?
Yes. EnlightenAI trains on the official DESE rubric and scores each response with per-criterion feedback. In accuracy studies, EnlightenAI plus a teacher agreed with expert scores more closely than two teachers agreed with each other. See the AI essay grader and the accuracy research.
Is this MCAS practice test generator free?
Yes. Generating practice tasks is free and requires no sign-in. Grading responses against the rubric in EnlightenAI takes a free account.
05 After the practice
Why teachers use AI grading after MCAS practice tests.
Generating the practice is the easy half. Grading thirty essays against the official rubric is where the weekend goes. EnlightenAI scores responses against the same rubric with per-criterion feedback, so practice becomes a feedback loop instead of a grading backlog.
0.77 QWK with teachers
In a study with DREAM Charter Schools, EnlightenAI plus a teacher scored 0.77 quadratic weighted kappa agreement, versus 0.52 for two teachers scoring independently.
70% exact score match
On the New York Regents dataset, EnlightenAI matched the training teacher’s exact score 70% of the time, and landed within one point the rest of the time.
From a real classroom
“Grading, once my most dreaded task, became faster and far more efficient. With EnlightenAI handling the bulk of the grading, I was free to focus on what mattered most: meaningful instruction with my students.” Melynda Brown, 6th Grade Humanities, Delta Schools
Train EnlightenAI on the official DESE rubric, then grade every practice essay with per-criterion feedback. What used to take a weekend now takes a single class period.
