how long should a tda essay be

How to Teach Text Dependent Analysis (TDA) The Easy Way

A TDA — or text-dependent analysis — is a common writing assessment administered by teachers and featured on state and national standardized tests. TDAs are administered to gauge a student’s ability to effectively complete a variety of writing tasks at a specific learning stage and within a given time period (usually around one hour).

Typically, a teacher will start by reading a question or statement that prompts the student to synthesize a response based on evidence within the text. Students use a variety of strategies to complete a TDA, including close reading , annotating, outlining, and revising based on feedback.

For many middle and high school students, the TDA is an introduction to lengthier writing assignments that require higher reading stamina, comprehension, and critical thinking skills to complete. Below, I’ve listed a few strategies for teachers to guide their students through the text-dependent analysis assignment and help them improve as writers.

It starts with a question — create specific prompts from relevant texts

From the start, instructor-designed questions should prompt students to synthesize their response based on evidence from the text. A TDA is analytical, not argumentative , and educators should emphasize the importance of interpreting the author’s intent behind a word, phrase, or writing choice, as opposed to sharing their personal opinions.

Teachers should ideally craft prompts that encourage student writers to do the following:

• Go back to the text to search for evidence
• Use appropriate evidence from the text to support their claims or ideas
• Make connections between textual evidence and the real world or other texts
• Form original or interesting insights

If a student can answer the question without engaging in any of the above bulleted thinking tasks, the TDA prompt is not an effective one.

TDA prompts are typically less than a paragraph. When crafting a prompt, aim for conciseness and specificity. Introduce the question or piece of text under consideration. Use strong action verbs — such as justify , interpret , evaluate , and compare — to communicate what it is you want a student to do in their response.

Often, a TDA may focus on a particular line or phrase. Instructors may find the backwards design process useful in creating strong TDA prompts. First, identify key points that students might glean from your selected text — many prompts focus on a particular theme , motif, or symbol that recurs throughout the passage. Then, ask what learning you want students to demonstrate — have you been working on drafting smooth transitions? Studying rhetorical choices in argumentative writing ?

Studying how a character’s point of view affects the overall meaning of a text? Your selected text should model the skill or standard that students are attempting to master. Finally, do your best to read your prompt through the lens of your students. Does the prompt make sense? Can they complete what you’re asking them to do within the given time frame? Is the prompt interesting? Students will more likely enjoy writing about what interests them versus content that they don’t connect with or understand.

Build the essay one piece at a time — model with low stakes assignments

A sufficient TDA response is usually 2+ single-spaced pages and composed of three parts:

• A brief introduction
• Well-developed body paragraphs
• A concise conclusion

Within their given time range, students naturally spend the most time composing their body paragraphs; this is also the area where they typically experience the most challenges (particularly with more difficult reading passages). Depending on the grade and skill level of the students, it may be helpful to scaffold by modeling the TDA process with shorter reading passages. To make the writing process more approachable for novice writers, I suggest using a document camera and the 3 C’s approach to model effective analytical writing.

In the 3 C’s approach, students start a paragraph with the context , transition to relevant content , and expound by making a connection.

The context is a short, 1-2 sentence introduction to orient the reader to the part of the text that the reader is about to discuss. For example, if the TDA prompt asks students to identify why John Steinbeck uses personification to characterize Lenny in Of Mice and Men , the student writer might begin with the following context: “When the reader first encounters George and Lenny in the forest, Steinbeck compares Lenny’s behavior to a horse.”

After the writer quickly ‘transports’ the reader to the context of the story, they will next write their content, which is another term for textual evidence. Students can paraphrase or add direct quotations — regardless, they should make sure the content is integrated and avoid ‘quote-bombing’ an analytical paragraph. A quote-bomb is a writing error in which a writer includes a quote without any context or transition. It feels abrupt to a reader and may cause confusion. There are a variety of sentence stems that teachers can model to help students transition from one point to another. Teachers may find it helpful to create a one-page list of sentence starters that are useful for transitions within and between paragraphs.

The final C — or connection — is the most important part of the analytical paragraph, and should therefore be the most substantial. In the connection, the writer shares their interpretation of the textual evidence. Model possible text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections and have students choose which one makes the strongest point. After integrating a quote from Of Mice and Men that compares Lenny to a horse drinking water, the student writer might make a connection to a real-world context, like historical mental institutions, in which disabled persons were treated like animals and forced to live in inhumane conditions, or another character from a different book/film who shared similar behaviors and thought patterns with Lenny.

Your time starts now — begin with a plan

After sufficient practice with shorter analytical paragraphs, students will be ready to take on the TDA. Perhaps the most important strategy for teachers to model occurs before the student even picks up the pen to write their introductory paragraph. Educators should encourage students to use the first 5-10 minutes of a timed TDA to come up with a plan, following these steps:

• Read and annotate the prompt — be clear on what it is actually asking you to do. Many students scan the prompt and receive lower grades on TDAs because their responses, while well-written, do not necessarily answer the prompt or question.
• 00-05 Planning and outlining
• 05-15 Reading and annotating
• 15-50 Drafting
• 50-60 Proofreading and revising

Students should be very familiar with annotating a text prior to commencing a TDA; they may benefit from an annotation symbol key to keep the annotation process quick and efficient during their timed assessment. Model strategies such as underlining possible pieces of textual evidence to use, or jotting out ideas in the margins for text-to-world connections. Remind students that it is okay if their planning process is messy. Writing is messy. We don’t come up with the right words in the right order the first time. Establishing an annotation system that works for them can help students synthesize information and complete their TDAs more efficiently.

End with the beginning — draft an effective introduction and conclusion

While students should spend the least amount of time drafting the beginning and end of their TDA, these sections can sometimes be the most tricky to write. Writers often struggle with what to say and how to say it.

The introduction houses the thesis statement, or central point that they will make in the analytical body paragraphs that follow. Many teachers find that students are redundant or overly wordy in these sections. For the introduction, model the three essential parts: hook, background, thesis. The hook should entice a reader to keep reading your piece. The thesis is the most important sentence in a TDA — it should be clear regarding the writer’s point and serve as a roadmap for where the remainder of the essay will take the reader. The background merely ties the hook to the thesis in an insightful, logical, or illuminating way.

Conclusions should avoid repeating what has already been said verbatim; however, writers should also avoid raising new considerations in the conclusion. So how to end on a good note? Consider nudging the writer to synthesize or focus on one of the text-based connections they made in their body paragraphs, and return to comment on that insight.

Make a nod to something that the author implied or stated in the text. Perhaps there is a lesson to be found for future readers that the student feels is valuable or significant. The teacher can model these different strategies for the same paragraph and show students how writing is so much more than pen to paper, but a series of big and small organizational and linguistic decisions that hopefully, when combined, will not only make sense to a reader, but compel them to think more deeply about an issue or problem in society.

Some teachers might find it useful to encourage students to tackle the introduction and conclusion after drafting their body paragraphs, since the body is where they will demonstrate most of their writing skills. It depends on the reader — encourage them to allot a short amount of time to the introduction and conclusion where it makes sense to do so in their writing process.

Delay the grade — encourage students to read and apply feedback

Time’s up! After a timed TDA, the teacher is likely to collect essays demonstrating a range of efforts and abilities. Some students may have resonated with the prompt and written several pages of content. Others may not have completed the assessment in full. Regardless of completion, educators should focus their feedback on what was provided (and not what wasn’t).

Students are motivated by grades for many reasons. Many educators also find that students do not take the time to read and apply feedback after they have already received a grade. For this reason, we encourage ‘delaying the grade’; meaning, provide detailed feedback for the student to digest and apply before you input a final grade. This practice conveys to students that (1) you, as a teacher, genuinely care about their improvement, and (2) you will base their next TDA grade partly on how well they applied their feedback from the previous one. By delaying the grade, you may find that students are more incentivized to correct their mistakes and invest in improving as writers.

The TDA can be used as a powerful instructional tool for just about any content area. By devising interesting and relevant prompts, teachers can prompt students to think deeply about a range of important issues. Brainstorming and creating an outline is applicable to so many content areas and real-world contexts. Modeling how to break down a task can reduce the anxiety that often accompanies more intimidating writing forms like the TDA and help a student make decisions that improve their efficiency. Using low stakes assignments to practice integrating context, content, and connection can build a student’s confidence up before they take on the lengthier TDA. The key to student improvement is receiving and applying constructive feedback.

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Many states have adopted a TDA (Text Dependent Analysis) style assessment for the writing component of their state test.  This type of writing style requires students to read a text or passage and use actual text to support their answers, citing specific evidence directly from the text.  Text-dependent analysis writing instructs students to provide specific evidence from the passages they read, while demonstrating the ability to interpret the meaning behind the evidence they provide.  How do you teach this kind of complex process to students?

TDA Questions List:

It’s important for you, as the teacher, to first generate a personal list of text-dependent questions/prompts prior to taking this process into the classroom.  You know your class and your standards.  What types of questions are most effective for your expectations and outcomes?  Write down as many text-dependent analysis, or TDA question/prompts as you can think of on a scratch piece of paper.  Then compare and/or combine your list of questions/prompts to this comprehensive list available for FREE in my VIP FREEBIE ALBUM . 

Begin by working as a whole group to come up with an acronym that encompasses the classroom TDA writing process.  Developing an acronym together will not only help students take ownership, but also give them a guide to remember HOW TO answer the questions.  Would you rather have an acronym prepared for your class?  No problem.  Work with ACE-  This is an acronym I use in my Text Evidence resource.  A-Answer the Question  C-Cite the Evidence  E-Explain your answer.  If time is a factor, you not have to reinvent the wheel!  You can find other examples of acronyms from teachers like RACE, WHIP, and QUAN on Pinterest.  These examples can be used with your class to use for HOW TO answer the questions or for brainstorming key ideas needed in your own acronym.  Here are some ideas to guide your students.:

• Read the questions thoroughly to understand the important words.  Underline the keywords.
• Answer the questions using prior knowledge and inferences/predictions.  Show understanding of the question by restating it in your answer.
• Find evidence in the text to support your thoughts and opinions.  Note evidence to show proof of your answer.  Find facts, quotes, and data.
• Explain in great detail by paraphrasing and directly quoting areas of the text. Extend your question.  How does your evidence support your answer?  What is your connection between your answer and the evidence? Be simple and to the point.  You don’t want to create an acronym with more than 4 letters, especially with elementary level students, but you want to have a comprehensive classroom guide for the process.

Student TDA Questions List:

Do the same activity from above with your students.  Ask them to write down as many TDA questions/prompts as they can think of in 5-10 minutes.  Allow them to work in pairs or groups, then work as a class to create a student-generated class list of questions/prompts.  Combine their list with your list.  Try to break the questions into sections (fictions, non-fiction, author’s purpose, etc) to make it easier in the future to find the appropriate questions/prompts based on the type of reading.  This activity will help students remember the questions they can ask themselves while reading a passage, which in turn will provide them with a deeper meaning of the text.

Brainstorm Sentence Starters:

Braintorm together sentence starters for providing text evidence in their writing.  For example:_____ quoted, “…”On page ____, it states…In paragraph ____, the text says…

The author wrote, “…”

The graphic/illustrations/map/chart indicate…

According to the text…

_____provides proof that…

From what I read in the text, I understand…

Based on _____ in the text, I think…

I think the author mean _____ because he/she says _____.

_____is an example of _____.

Post Acronym:

Be sure to post the class-generated acronym, prompts/questions, and useful resources in a plae where each student can see them clearly.  Create simple lists of questions/prompts and post them on your classroom walls.  Review them daily and before a TDA essay.  Repetition is an effective method for long-term memory!

Take notes:

Depending on what is best for your class, either have your students take notes on the resources or provide them with a small acronym anchor chart, a list of questions, and sentence starters for their reading notebook.  This TDA resource will be valuable for independent work and homework.

The first TDA should be done together as a class.  Read a text and write the essay together a whole group.  Students will be able to see a strong example of building an effective TDA essay writing piece.

Give students a text and allow them to use the TDA wall or student resources to guide them through the process.  You may want to begin with partner work and ease into independent work.

Fairy tales are quick reads, but they have  tons of elements  that make them  great for TDAs . Student experience with the structure and topics included in fairy tales will  give them  the  confidence  they need to  branch out  and  take risks  in their responses. Some ideas for daily TDAs with popular fairy tales might include the following:

One theme of “Cinderella” is to hold onto your dreams. Write an essay explaining how key details in the story support this theme. Use evidence from the story to support your answer.

How does the original wish of the King and Queen in “Sleeping Beauty” drive the plot of the story? Use specific evidence from the text to support your answer.

Try this TDA question stem for any fairy tale or multicultural version of a fairy tale students have not previously read: Can you tell if __________ describes a particular culture? How do you know? Would the story be different if set in a different culture/setting? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Assessment:

Provide students with a TDA assessment.  Have them work independently without guidance.

Track your students’ progress.  This will be helpful when forming small groups and reteaching. I hope you learned some strategies to bring into your classroom!

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Education Standards

Pennsylvania core standards for english language arts.

Learning Domain: Writing

Standard: Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

Standard: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade-level reading standards for literature and literary nonfiction.

Rubric breakdown TDA breakdown Example

Tda example essay, tda graphic organizer paper for first tda, tda rubric breakdown blank, the body's clock, tda - text dependent analysis.

This presentation is used to introduce students to how to quote text when completing the text-dependent analysis response on a standardized test. 

TDA - Text Dependent Analysis Writing Unit

Materials:  copies of TDA rubric, TDA example essay, TDA graphic organizer, and  The Body's Clock

Objectives: Students will be able to cite multiple examples of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. 

Procedures: These resources are meant to assist you while teaching students how to write a TDA. The procedures below do NOT have to be completed in this order. You can pick and choose based on your students needs. 

1. Discuss what a TDA is and what it looks like. Use the example TDA essay to help guide you. 

2. Go over the state writing rubric with students. Have students break the rubric down into words they understand (there is an example of that attached). 

3. Use the presentation to help your students understand how to correctly quote text within their writing. 

4. Using "The Body's Clock" model to students how to highlight, annotate, and find words that relate directly to the prompt.

5. Using the TDA graphic organizer, model to your students how to clearly define paragraphs, restate the prompt in the introduction and conclusion, and gather ideas.

6. Choose a writing piece of choice and have your students go through the same steps that were modeled.   

Students should be evaluated using the state writing rubric, or you can grade them using the rubric they created, (this would be more helpful when you give them feedback because you will use the rubrics they created using their own words. 

*Note: There are more details on the documents that I have included. Instead of listing these in the procedures, I felt it would allow teachers more flexibility in making plans that best meet the need of their students. I like to start fresh with my students, even though they have been writing TDA responses for many years.

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:7d94d36b-0146-45a6-9608-02e6aa376102

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Phone: 412-325-8000

Text Dependent Analysis

What is text dependent analysis.

Text Dependent Analysis  and  Text Dependent Questions  ask questions that force students to synthesize answers based on specific evidence within a reading passage and demonstrate their ability to interpret the meaning behind that evidence.

Answers are based on evidence from within the passage, but often ask students to interpret that evidence and justify it as an answer.

Why the Emphasis on Text Dependent Analysis

With the advent of national Core Standards in Reading/ELA and Mathematics came an increased demand for rigor in the teaching and learning process. The new assessments have raised the bar for students and teachers.

There has been much discussion about why the need exists for a new demand in rigor, including TDA. Amidst the active dialogue, some realities have caught the attention of educators and raised concerns.

Test Dependent Questions, What They Are Not

Scavenger hunts.

Text Dependent Analysis digs deeper than questions that only point to an answer in the text. Scavenger hunt type questions fail to pull in the analysis portion of TDAs. Avoid questions that can be answered by simply restating a snippet of the passage.

Opinion-based and personal experience questions may be part of a Text Dependent Analysis question, but should not be considered a Text Dependent Question on its own. Text Dependent Analysis depends on students using information provided in the passage. If a student can answer the question without reading and relying on the passage, the question fails to live up to the TDA standard.

Why Text Dependent Analysis is Important

Making sure that students understand the meaning behind content is at the root of Text Dependent Analysis. College bound students need to have mastered the ability to synthesize content. One of the biggest reasons students leave college is that text is too complex. Students who have experience with text complexity and text dependent analysis are more apt to continue with their education.

Preparing Your Students for Text Dependent Analysis

Many students do not have experience with Text Dependent Analysis. Developing the metacognitive skills that allow students to answer Text Dependent Questions has become essential. Teachers can use the follow 6 step process in teaching students how to approach a TDA question.

6 Steps to TDA Success

Step 1 – read for gist.

Have students skim read or fast read the passage. Students are reading for main ideas not details.

Step 2 – Read the Prompt to Learn the Question

Students often fail to answer the question asked in a prompt. Have students read the prompt to really understand the question. Have students underline or highlight the main question(s). Their goal is to determine what is being asked.

Step 3 – Close Read the Passage

Now that students are aware of the question(s) being asked, have the students read the passage again. This time the students are Close Reading or reading for understanding. Based on the questions asked, students read the story to find evidence to respond to the prompt.

Step 4 – Re-read the Questions

Have students re-read the questions. By re-reading the questions students can focus their answers on the actual question asked. Again, sometimes students just reiterate what was read as opposed to answering the questions based on evidence. Emphasize that they want to respond to what is being asked.

Step 5 – Organize Thoughts

Prior to writing their response, students should organize their evidence and analysis. Using a two column graphic organizer, have students create one column titled ‘Evidence from the Text’ and a second column titled ‘Meaning or Reason for Choosing This Evidence’. In the first column, students can pull information directly from the text. In the Meaning or Reason column, students provide analysis on why they found this evidence important.

Step 6 – Compose Response

Students can now write their response to the question. An excellent first step is for students to turn the question into a statement using the word BECAUSE. This will focus students on the analysis portion of the question. To perform Text Dependent Analysis it is important that students make a statement then use evidence from the passage to explain their statement.

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Tda toolkit.

Text Dependent Analysis prompts expect students to read complex text(s), either narrative or informational, and provide a critical response by drawing evidence from text(s) to “support analysis, reflection, and research” using effective communication skills to write an essay in response to a prompt. In their response, a student needs to make inferences about the author’s meaning, using both explicit and implicit evidence to support an overall analysis of the reading elements (literary and literary nonfiction) found within the text. This toolkit is designed to provide guidance and direction to teachers pertaining to the teaching, learning, and assessing of text dependent analysis.

• Introduction
• Learning Progressions
• Instructional Prompt Guides with Annotated Student Responses, Close Reading Lessons, and Replacement Units

The Text Dependent Analysis (TDA) grade-span Learning Progressions (LPs) are designed to be used as an instructional tool. The TDA LPs are structured in grade spans (3-5 and 6-8) with four levels, Beginning, Emerging, Developing, and Meeting. The levels describe the typical path seen in student responses as the student moves toward demonstrating more sophisticated understanding of analysis. The LPs include descriptions of student work which characterize each level from the beginning TDA writer to one who is meeting the expectations of text dependent analysis essay writing. The TDA LPs can be used by teachers to identify student strengths and needs based on what a student can do at a specific point in time. This informs the teacher's instructional decision-making about moving student comprehension, analysis, and writing to the next level.

• Analyzing Science Exploratory Study 2022 Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Text Dependent Analysis: Creating Systemic Change 2022 Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Text-Dependent Analysis K-3 Exploratory Study Report 2022 Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• TDA - The Need for a Shift in Instruction and Curriculum 2018 Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Text Dependent Analysis Report 2017 Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Text Dependent Analysis Report 2015 Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Understanding TDA Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Anatomy of a TDA Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Selecting Complex Texts for Text Dependent Analysis Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Recognizing the Difference between Inference and Analysis Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Purposeful Annotations for Text Dependent Analysis (TDA) Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Close Reading Questions Leading to Text Dependent Analysis Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Text Dependent Analysis: Reading Elements and Structures Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• TDA Collaborative Discussions Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Modeling a Text Dependent Analysis Response Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• TDA Student Work Analysis Opens up a PDF file in a new tab

The Text Dependent Analysis (TDA) grade-span Learning Progressions (LPs) are designed to be used as an instructional tool. The TDA LPs are structured in grade spans (K-2, 3-5 and 6-8) with four levels, Beginning, Emerging, Developing, and Meeting. The levels describe the typical path seen in student responses as the student moves toward demonstrating more sophisticated understanding of analysis. The LPs include descriptions of student work which characterize each level from the beginning TDA writer to one who is meeting the expectations of text dependent analysis essay writing. The TDA LPs can be used by teachers to identify student strengths and needs based on what a student can do at a specific point in time. This informs the teacher's instructional decision-making about moving student comprehension, analysis, and writing to the next level.

• 2022 TDA Learning Progressions Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Understanding TDA Learning Progressions Opens up a PDF file in a new tab

The Text Dependent Analysis Instructional Prompt Guides contain the following sections: text complexity, instructional text-dependent analysis prompt, example proficient student response as written by the teacher, grade-level text, annotated student work, and possible instructional next steps. The guides should be used in conjunction with the Learning Progressions. The Text Dependent Analysis (TDA) Close Reading Lessons are designed to be an example pathway for teaching comprehension and analysis of the reading elements. The Close Reading instructional plan guides teachers through the planning and teaching of each lesson, as well as modeling the response to a TDA prompt. The close reading lessons focus on the text excerpt and corresponding prompt in each grade-level Instructional Prompt Guide with Annotated Student Responses. The Text Dependent Analysis (TDA) Replacement Units are intended to supplant units that do not move beyond superficial understandings, knowledge, and skills of English language arts. This is not to suggest that the selected texts in current units of instruction are not complex or appropriate. In fact, there are many high-quality texts in anthologies and other resources that are currently used in classes, schools, and districts. Replacement units provide teachers with a way to reshuffle the texts in order for students to dive deeply into comprehension and analysis of a small set of reading elements using a variety of texts, and to demonstrate the ability to respond to a TDA prompt.

• Grades K-2 Annotated Student Work Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Grade 3 Annotated Student Responses Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Grade 3 Close Reading Lessons Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Grade 3 Replacement Unit Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Grade 4 Annotated Student Responses Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Grade 4 Close Reading Lessons Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Grade 4 Replacement Unit Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Grade 5 Annotated Student Responses Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Grade 5 Close Reading Lessons Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
• Grade 5 Replacement Unit Opens up a PDF file in a new tab
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Text Dependent Analysis for 21st Century Education

An Item Type to Drive Deeper Instruction and Improve Curriculum Decisions

The world of work in the 21 st  Century requires that people are able to critically read and analyze a variety of texts and other literacy materials. Text dependent analysis (TDA) is a curriculum and assessment tool to help prepare students for these literacy demands. 

Text dependent analysis requires students to read complex text(s), either narrative or informational, and provide a critical response by drawing evidence from text(s) to “support analysis, reflection, and research” using effective communication skills to write an essay in response to a prompt. Students are expected to make inferences about the author’s meaning, using both explicit and implicit evidence in order to support an overall analysis of the reading elements (literary and literary nonfiction) found within the text. 

The Challenge of Text Dependent Analysis and its Use in the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)

Many school and district personnel view text dependent analysis as a stand-alone item on a test. Consequently, reading and writing instruction has not changed; instructional strategies and resources remain the same, and the scheduling of classes is status quo. Surface-level practices such as “TDA Fridays” have been implemented, in which a text dependent analysis prompt is administered each week to allow students to practice writing in response to a prompt in preparation for the state test. 

Expecting students to deeply understand the underlying components and expectations of analysis by taking an assessment is futile and will not produce the anticipated results of better scores on the PSSA. Teaching students to analyze text requires direct instruction, modeling, scaffolding, and practice throughout the course of the year, requiring a shift in instruction and curriculum.

Many teachers lack clarity as to what is expected from an analysis prompt, how to determine what should be analyzed in a given text, how to teach students to analyze (including the difference between making an inference and analyzing), and how to recognize analysis in student writing. To further complicate this lack of understanding, many district curriculum leaders and teachers rely on commercial reading programs to guide their curriculum and instruction, which typically focus on straightforward comprehension and not analysis. 

Making Necessary Shifts in Instruction and Curriculum

Adopted reading series and programs should be carefully reviewed to identify where and how often students are provided the opportunity to analyze text and to write in response to an analysis prompt. Curriculum directors and teachers must ensure that there is a systematic plan for purposefully embedding the components of a text dependent analysis prompt throughout the reading units. 

The shift from  scoring student work  to  diagnosing   student performance  is critical for improving student performance. Text dependent analysis learning progressions (Thompson & Lyons, 2018) were developed as an instructional tool for teachers to illustrate the pathways in which students demonstrate their ability to integrate reading comprehension and analysis through a written essay. 

The TDA Learning Progressions are structured in grade spans (3-5 and 6-8) with 4 levels,  Beginning, Emerging, Developing , and  Meeting . The levels describe the typical path we see in student responses as they move toward demonstrating more sophisticated analyses. Although there are differences in student sophistication within grade spans, the paths toward success are similar enough to negate the need for grade-specific TDA Learning Progressions. 

The TDA Learning Progressions are not rubrics. Rather, the scoring rules for specific TDA prompts provide a holistic view of students’ ability to demonstrate the criteria on the TDA Scoring Guidelines. The underlying components of a TDA (reading comprehension, analysis, and essay writing )  were used to establish the TDA Learning Progressions and are further delineated into more specific criteria.

Analytic Writing in Content Areas

Analytic writing in response to text can and should extend beyond English language arts classes, but also be purposefully included in other content courses such as science and social studies. 

Graham and Hebert (2010) identified that writing instruction was “increasingly infrequent in social students and science classes” and that “many teachers (60% of science teachers, for example) reported that they felt unprepared to teach writing” in their courses. Yet, there are multiple opportunities for analysis to occur in these content areas, such as analyzing the results of science investigations or experiments, or analyzing trends in current events. A prompt should be developed to allow students to analyze the specific content they’re reading about and being taught in these classes. High-quality professional development and coaching will be needed and should be provided within the different content areas to support the required instructional shifts.

Although a text dependent analysis prompt appears to be one “item” on the state test, this item has direct implications for student success, as well as instructional programs, scheduling of reading and writing teachers, teaching, and assessments. Some school and district leaders have begun to make changes in these areas, but to ensure the changes are systematic and are producing the expected results, they must evaluate their understanding of the expectations of analysis and a text dependent analysis prompt, their plan of action, and their progress in these changes. 

School and district leaders should use TDA to help create a culture of analysis embedded in day-to-day instructional and assessment practices.

Graham, S. and Hebert, M. (2010). Writing to read: Evidence for how writing can improve reading. A Carnegie Corporation Time to Act Report. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.

Thompson, J. & Lyons, S. (2018). Text Dependent Analysis (TDA) Learning Progressions. Dover, NH: Center for Assessment.

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College Essays

Figuring out your college essay can be one of the most difficult parts of applying to college. Even once you've read the prompt and picked a topic, you might wonder: if you write too much or too little, will you blow your chance of admission? How long should a college essay be?

Whether you're a terse writer or a loquacious one, we can advise you on college essay length. In this guide, we'll cover what the standard college essay length is, how much word limits matter, and what to do if you aren't sure how long a specific essay should be.

How Long Is a College Essay? First, Check the Word Limit

You might be used to turning in your writing assignments on a page-limit basis (for example, a 10-page paper). While some colleges provide page limits for their college essays, most use a word limit instead. This makes sure there's a standard length for all the essays that a college receives, regardless of formatting or font.

In the simplest terms, your college essay should be pretty close to, but not exceeding, the word limit in length. Think within 50 words as the lower bound, with the word limit as the upper bound. So for a 500-word limit essay, try to get somewhere between 450-500 words. If they give you a range, stay within that range.

College essay prompts usually provide the word limit right in the prompt or in the instructions.

For example, the University of Illinois says :

"You'll answer two to three prompts as part of your application. The questions you'll answer will depend on whether you're applying to a major or to our undeclared program , and if you've selected a second choice . Each response should be approximately 150 words."

As exemplified by the University of Illinois, the shortest word limits for college essays are usually around 150 words (less than half a single-spaced page). Rarely will you see a word limit higher than around 650 words (over one single-spaced page). College essays are usually pretty short: between 150 and 650 words. Admissions officers have to read a lot of them, after all!

Weigh your words carefully, because they are limited!

How Flexible Is the Word Limit?

But how flexible is the word limit? What if your poignant anecdote is just 10 words too long—or 100 too short?

Can I Go Over the Word Limit?

If you are attaching a document and you need one or two extra words, you can probably get away with exceeding the word limit by such a small amount. Some colleges will actually tell you that exceeding the word limit by 1-2 words is fine. However, I advise against exceeding the word limit unless it's explicitly allowed for a few reasons:

First, you might not be able to. If you have to copy-paste it into a text box, your essay might get cut off and you'll have to trim it down anyway.

If you exceed the word limit in a noticeable way, the admissions counselor may just stop reading your essay past that point. This is not good for you.

Following directions is actually a very important part of the college application process. You need to follow directions to get your letters of recommendation, upload your essays, send supplemental materials, get your test scores sent, and so on and so forth. So it's just a good general rule to follow whatever instructions you've been given by the institution. Better safe than sorry!

Can I Go Under the Word Limit?

If you can truly get your point across well beneath the word limit, it's probably fine. Brevity is not necessarily a bad thing in writing just so long as you are clear, cogent, and communicate what you want to.

However, most college essays have pretty tight word limits anyways. So if you're writing 300 words for an essay with a 500-word limit, ask yourself: is there anything more you could say to elaborate on or support your points? Consult with a parent, friend, or teacher on where you could elaborate with more detail or expand your points.

Also, if the college gives you a word range, you absolutely need to at least hit the bottom end of the range. So if you get a range from the institution, like 400-500 words, you need to write at least 400 words. If you write less, it will come across like you have nothing to say, which is not an impression you want to give.

What If There Is No Word Limit?

Some colleges don't give you a word limit for one or more of your essay prompts. This can be a little stressful, but the prompts generally fall into a few categories:

Writing Sample

Some colleges don't provide a hard-and-fast word limit because they want a writing sample from one of your classes. In this case, a word limit would be very limiting to you in terms of which assignments you could select from.

For an example of this kind of prompt, check out essay Option B at Amherst :

"Submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence. You should NOT submit a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay."

While there is usually no word limit per se, colleges sometimes provide a general page guideline for writing samples. In the FAQ for Option B , Amherst clarifies, "There is no hard-and-fast rule for official page limit. Typically, we anticipate a paper of 4-5 pages will provide adequate length to demonstrate your analytical abilities. Somewhat longer papers can also be submitted, but in most cases should not exceed 8-10 pages."

So even though there's no word limit, they'd like somewhere in the 4-10 pages range. High school students are not usually writing papers that are longer than 10 pages anyways, so that isn't very limiting.

Implicit Length Guideline

Sometimes, while there's no word (or even page) limit, there's still an implicit length guideline. What do I mean by this?

See, for example, this Western Washington University prompt :

“Describe one or more activities you have been involved in that have been particularly meaningful. What does your involvement say about the communities, identities or causes that are important to you?”

While there’s no page or word limit listed here, further down on page the ‘essay tips’ section explains that “ most essay responses are about 500 words, ” though “this is only a recommendation, not a firm limit.” This gives you an idea of what’s reasonable. A little longer or shorter than 500 words would be appropriate here. That’s what I mean by an “implicit” word limit—there is a reasonable length you could go to within the boundaries of the prompt.

But what's the proper coffee-to-paragraph ratio?

Treasure Hunt

There is also the classic "treasure hunt" prompt. No, it's not a prompt about a treasure hunt. It's a prompt where there are no length guidelines given, but if you hunt around on the rest of the website you can find length guidelines.

For example, the University of Chicago provides seven "Extended Essay" prompts . You must write an essay in response to one prompt of your choosing, but nowhere on the page is there any guidance about word count or page limit.

However, many colleges provide additional details about their expectations for application materials, including essays, on FAQ pages, which is true of the University of Chicago. On the school’s admissions Frequently Asked Questions page , they provide the following length guidelines for the supplemental essays: 

“We suggest that you note any word limits for Coalition or Common Application essays; however, there are no strict word limits on the UChicago Supplement essays. For the extended essay (where you choose one of several prompts), we suggest that you aim for around 650 words. While we won't, as a rule, stop reading after 650 words, we're only human and cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention indefinitely. For the “Why UChicago?” essay, we suggest about 250-500 words. The ideas in your writing matter more than the exact number of words you use!”

So there you go! You want to be (loosely) in the realm of 650 for the extended essay, and 250-500 words for the “Why UChicago?” essay.

Help! There Really Is No Guidance on Length

If you really can't find any length guidelines anywhere on the admissions website and you're at a loss, I advise calling the admissions office. They may not be able to give you an exact number (in fact, they probably won't), but they will probably at least be able to tell you how long most of the essays they see are. (And keep you from writing a panicked, 20-page dissertation about your relationship with your dog).

In general, 500 words or so is pretty safe for a college essay. It's a fairly standard word limit length, in fact. (And if you're wondering, that's about a page and a half double-spaced.) 500 words is long enough to develop a basic idea while still getting a point across quickly—important when admissions counselors have thousands of essays to read!

"See? It says 500 words right there in tiny font!"

The Final Word: How Long Should a College Essay Be?

The best college essay length is usually pretty straightforward: you want to be right under or at the provided word limit. If you go substantially past the word limit, you risk having your essay cut off by an online application form or having the admissions officer just not finish it. And if you're too far under the word limit, you may not be elaborating enough.

What if there is no word limit? Then how long should a college essay be? In general, around 500 words is a pretty safe approximate word amount for a college essay—it's one of the most common word limits, after all!

Here's guidance for special cases and hunting down word limits:

If it's a writing sample of your graded academic work, the length either doesn't matter or there should be some loose page guidelines.

There also may be implicit length guidelines. For example, if a prompt says to write three paragraphs, you'll know that writing six sentences is definitely too short, and two single-spaced pages is definitely too long.

You might not be able to find length guidelines in the prompt, but you could still hunt them up elsewhere on the website. Try checking FAQs or googling your chosen school name with "admissions essay word limit."

If there really is no word limit, you can call the school to try to get some guidance.

With this advice, you can be sure you've got the right college essay length on lockdown!

Hey, writing about yourself can even be fun!

What's Next?

Need to ask a teacher or friend for help with your essay? See our do's and dont's to getting college essay advice .

If you're lacking in essay inspiration, see our guide to brainstorming college essay ideas . And here's our guide to starting out your essay perfectly!

Looking for college essay examples? See 11 places to find college essay examples and 145 essay examples with analysis !

Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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How Long Should a College Essay Be? | Word Count Tips

Published on September 29, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on June 1, 2023.

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit. If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

You should aim to stay under the specified limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, if you write too little, it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a thoughtful and developed essay.

Table of contents

Word count guidelines for different application types, how to shorten your essay, how to expand your essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Each university has a different suggested or required word count depending on which application portal it uses.

Some application portals will allow you to exceed the word count limit, but admissions officers have limited time and energy to read longer essays. Other application portals have a strict limit and will not allow you to exceed it.

For example, in the Common App , the portal will not allow you to submit more than 650 words. Some colleges using the Common App will allow you to submit less than 250 words, but this is too short for a well-developed essay.

For scholarship essays , diversity essays , and “Why this college?” essays , word count limits vary. Make sure to verify and respect each prompt’s limit.

Don’t worry too much about word count until the revision stage ; focusing on word count while writing may hinder your creativity. Once you have finished a draft, you can start shortening or expanding your essay if necessary.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

On some application portals, you can exceed the word limit, but there are good reasons to stay within it:

• To maintain the admissions officer’s attention
• To show you can follow directions
• To demonstrate you can write concisely

Here are some strategies for shortening your essay.

Stay on the main point

It’s good to use vivid imagery, but only include relevant details. Cut any sentences with tangents or unnecessary information.

My father taught me how to strategically hold the marshmallow pierced by a twig at a safe distance from the flames to make sure it didn’t get burned, ensuring a golden brown exterior.

Typically, my father is glued to his computer since he’s a software engineer at Microsoft. But that night, he was the marshmallow master. We waited together as the pillowy sugary goodness caramelized into gooey delight. Good example: Sticks to the point On our camping trip to Yosemite, my family spent time together, away from technology and routine responsibility.

My favorite part was roasting s’mores around the campfire. My father taught me how to hold the marshmallow at a safe distance from the flames, ensuring a golden brown exterior.

These college essay examples also demonstrate how you can cut your essay down to size.

Eliminate wordiness

Delete unnecessary words that clutter your essay. If a word doesn’t add value, cut it.

Here are some common examples of wordiness and how to fix them.

Use a paraphrasing tool

If you want to save time, you can make use of a paraphrasing tool . Within the tool you can select the “short” mode to rewrite your essay in less words. Just copy your text in the tool and within 1 click you’ll have shortened your essay.

If you’re significantly under the word count, you’re wasting the opportunity to show depth and authenticity in your essay. Admissions officers may see your short essay as a sign that you’re unable to write a detailed, insightful narrative about yourself.

Here are some strategies for expanding your essay.

Show detailed examples, and don’t tell generic stories

You should include detailed examples that can’t be replicated by another student. Use vivid imagery, the five senses, and specific objects to transport the reader into your story.

Reveal your feelings and insight

If your essay lacks vulnerability or self-reflection, share your feelings and the lessons you’ve learned.

Be creative with how you express your feelings; rather than simply writing “I’m happy,” use memorable images to help the reader clearly visualize your happiness. Similarly, for insight, include the follow-up actions from your lessons learned; instead of claiming “I became a hard worker,” explain what difficult tasks you accomplished as a result of what you learned.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit to write a developed and thoughtful essay.

You should aim to stay under the specified word count limit to show you can follow directions and write concisely. However, don’t write too little, as it may seem like you are unwilling or unable to write a detailed and insightful narrative about yourself.

If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

If you’re struggling to reach the word count for your college essay, add vivid personal stories or share your feelings and insight to give your essay more depth and authenticity.

If your college essay goes over the word count limit , cut any sentences with tangents or irrelevant details. Delete unnecessary words that clutter your essay.

You can speed up this process by shortening and smoothing your writing with a paraphrasing tool . After that, you can use the summarizer to shorten it even more.

There is no set number of paragraphs in a college admissions essay . College admissions essays can diverge from the traditional five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in English class. Just make sure to stay under the specified word count .

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Your TDA choices after you retire

More than 120,000 in-service members and retirees participate in the UFT’s Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA) program, making it one of the most popular benefits the union has won for its members.

It’s an excellent way to save — the IRS currently allows annual contributions of up to $19,500 for members under age 50 and up to $26,000 for those who are 50 or older.

Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) members may invest TDA contributions in seven Passport Funds, while members of the Board of Education Retirement System (BERS) may choose between two funds.

Pension clinics and workshops now remote

The UFT Pension Department has transitioned pension clinics and workshops from in-person events to remote sessions.

Since late spring in 2020, thousands of members have attended the virtual sessions and, due to that success, the UFT is continuing to offer virtual sessions until further notice.

Register online . 

Because TDAs are intended for use in retirement, there are tax repercussions and penalties for withdrawals before retirement.

But when you do retire, you have several choices for handling your investment in a TDA. Here are some things you should know:

TDA deferrals

Once you retire, you may defer your TDA, which means leaving the money in your account where it will continue to grow, depending on your investment strategy. However, once you retire you may not make any more TDA contributions. You are still permitted, four times a year, to make changes to how your money is invested in the Passport Funds. If you choose to defer your TDA, you should make sure you have an up-to-date designation of beneficiary form on file with the TRS to protect your heirs and beneficiaries.

If you maintain your TDA account with TRS or BERS by selecting TDA deferral status at retirement, no distributions are required until you reach age 72.

Withdrawals from your TDA

Once you are retired and collecting a pension at any age, you may withdraw money from your TDA without penalty.

You can also take money from your TDA and reinvest it in a direct rollover to another tax-deferred vehicle such as an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

When you reach age 72, the IRS requires that you start to withdraw money from your TDA account, which is called a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).

At retirement, you may also choose to annuitize your TDA account, which means you exchange your TDA lump-sum withdrawals for a lifetime stream of payments for as long as you live. As with your defined-benefit pension, you can provide for heirs and beneficiaries when you annuitize. Your monthly annuity check will depend on the size of your Tax-Deferred Annuity account, the investment returns, your age and whether you provide for survivors.

If you are still working at age 59½ or older, you may make withdrawals from your TDA at any time without penalty.

Whenever you withdraw money from your TDA, you’ll have to pay taxes to the federal government and perhaps to your state and local government on the money you withdraw.

Whatever choices you make, we suggest you consult a tax adviser.

You can learn more about these choices by going to the TRS website or calling BERS at 929-305-3800.

You may also attend the union’s remote TDA workshop, where Pension Department representatives outline the basics of the TDA program, teach you the fundamentals of managing your account and show you where to find the right forms on the TRS website.

This column is compiled by Tom Brown, David Kazansky and Debra Penny, teacher-members of the NYC Teachers’ Retirement Board.  

See our retirement toolkit

Variable Annuity Values