This working paper presents a twelve-part paridigm for testing the level of concept attainment in language arts. Items were selected for three topics: words, words in sentences, and connected discourse. Within each topic concepts presented in the middle elementary grades were identified, and ten concepts were randomly selected for each topic. Each concept was analyzed to determine its intrinsic attributes, definition, examples, supraordinate and subordinate concepts, and its relationship to another selected concept. Twelve items, one matching each task in the schema, were developed for each concept. The items were presented in the form resulting from item-tryouts and revision. An appendix provides a key to the correct answers for these items. (Author/DI)