Grade 6
Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response
Scoring Guide
Spring 2024
Copyright © 2024, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of
all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written permission from
the Texas Education Agency.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
2
General Information
Beginning with the 2022–2023 school year, reading language arts assessments include an
extended constructed response, or essay, at every grade level. They also include short
constructed-response questions. Students are asked to write the essay in response to a
reading selection and write in one of two modes: informational or argumentative.
This State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR
®
) constructed-response
scoring guide provides student exemplars at all score points for extended constructed-
response and short constructed-response prompts from the STAAR reading language arts
grade 6 operational test. The prompts are presented as they appeared on the test, and
responses were scored based on the rubrics included in this guide, which were developed
with the input of Texas educators. Essays were scored using a five-point rubric. Short
constructed responses in the reading domain were scored using a two-point prompt-specific
rubric. Short constructed responses in the writing domain were scored using a one-point
rubric.
The five-point rubric for extended constructed responses includes two main components:
organization and development of ideas and conventions. A response earns a specific score
point based on the ideas and conventions of that particular response as measured against
the rubric. The annotation that accompanies each response is specific to that response and
was written to illustrate how the language of the rubric is applied to elements of the
response to determine the score the response received. Extended constructed responses
are scored by two different scorers, and the scores are summed to create a student’s final
score, so students may receive up to 10 points for their essay.
The responses in this guide are actual student responses submitted online during the testing
window. To protect the privacy of individual students, all names and other references of a
personal nature have been altered or removed. Otherwise, the responses appear as the
students wrote them and have not been modified.
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
3
Grade 6 Reading
Passage with Extended
Constructed Response and
Short Constructed Response
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
4
Read the next two selections. Then choose the best answer to each question.
Passage 1:
Best friends Chip and Luther are exploring the Old Place, an abandoned farm in their town.
from The Last Wild Place
by Rosa Jordan
1 Beyond the bramble-filled pasture was ten acres of woods. Once Chip and Luther
had tried to explore back there, but they hadn’t gone more than a dozen yards when
they hit a swampy area and sank up to their knees in mud. Then, while trying to get
their feet out of the mud without losing their sneakers, they’d seen a coral snake.
Luther had wanted to look at it up close, but Chip knew it was poison by the order of
the colored bands. He’d taught Luther this verse on the spot: “Red by black, don’t
worry, Jack. Red by yellow, kill a fellow.”
2 After that Chip and Luther referred to the woods as “the Jungle” and never went
back. Instead, they checked out other things on the Old Place, like rabbit burrows in the
thorn patch, the orange tree where a mockingbird always built her nest, and the barn
owls that nested in the barn loft.
3 There were two good ways to count rabbits. Either you could climb the rickety
ladder up into the loft and spot them from above, or you could lie in the grass in what
had been the old cow pen and wait for the rabbits to come out into the open. The
original Miz Rabbit wasn’t afraid of the boys, and maybe she told her babies that these
humans wouldn’t hurt them. The young ones were wilder than Miz Rabbit, but if Chip
and Luther put out a few handfuls of grain and waited, they would come nibble at it.
4 The only trouble with trying to count rabbits, either from the ground or the loft, was
that there were so many and they looked so much alike. All were either white like Miz
Rabbit or brown like their swamp rabbit papa. Since they hopped all over the place,
after a while you’d get mixed up, not sure which ones you had counted and which ones
you hadn’t.
5 Chip and Luther first climbed up into the loft to check out the view. This part of
South Florida was about as flat as land could get. Looking through holes where boards
had fallen off the walls, they could see the fields all around, as far as the Wilson place
in one direction and, in the other direction, as far as Chip’s house and the highway.
What they didn’t see on this particular afternoon was a lot of rabbits. A few dozen at
most. Normally they’d see way more than that on a nice day like this.
6 After about fifteen minutes in the loft, Luther started sneezing from all the dust.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said. “If we put out grain, more will come.”
7 They climbed back down the ladder and went into the old cow pen. Luther dug into
his pocket for the goat feed he’d brought along for just this purpose. After making a line
of feed on the ground, the two boys sprawled on the grass and waited. Within a few
minutes rabbits started hopping up. Soon there were about thirty-five, in all sizes,
nibbling at the grain.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
5
8 “Not as many as usual,” Luther commented.
9 “More will come,” Chip said. More always did if they waited long enough.
From THE LAST WILD PLACE by Rosa Jordan, Peachtree Publishing Company, Inc. © 2008.
Passage 2:
A Wave of a Day
I watch him like I always have,
on his surfboard along the horizon.
A wave carries him closer to shore:
His surfing skills are mesmerizing.
5 I run to meet him at the water’s edge—
my brother, Xavier, visiting from college—
thrilled for him to finally share
all of his surfing knowledge.
He jumps off his board on the shore
10 of sunny Galveston Beach.
“All right, Abby, are you ready to learn
all that I’m able to teach?”
“Yes!” I respond loudly in the wind—
so happy that he’s back home with me!
15 “Well, first,” he laughs, “there’s something to know
before venturing out to the sea.
“As you lie on the board, move your arms this way,”
—I copy his quick forward motion.
“Then you pull the water back with your hands,
20 and you’ll feel propelled through the ocean.
“I’ll be here if you need me,” he assures,
ruffling my hair with his hand.
“But I think you’re ready to catch your first wave!
I’ll watch you right here from the sand.”
25 It’s my turn, at last! I race to the deep,
with encouraging shouts from my brother.
Out in the water, I send a big smile—
it’s been a day like no other.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
6
Grade 6 Reading Extended Constructed Response
Prompt
Read the excerpt from The Last Wild Place and the poem “A Wave of a Day.” Based on the
information in both selections, write a response to the following:
Explain how Chip in the excerpt from The Last Wild Place and Xavier in the poem “A Wave of
a Day” behave SIMILARLY to each other.
Write a well-organized informational composition that uses specific evidence from the
selections to support your answer.
Remember to —
• clearly state your controlling idea
• organize your writing
• develop your ideas in detail
• use evidence from the selections in your response
• use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar
Manage your time carefully so that you can —
• review the selections
• plan your response
• write your response
• revise and edit your response
Write your response in the box provided.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
7
Grade 6 Reading Passage with Extended Constructed
Response
Informational Writing Rubric
Score Point
Organization and Development of Ideas
3
• Controlling idea/Thesis is clear and fully developed
The controlling idea/thesis is clearly identifiable. The focus is consistent
throughout, creating a response that is unified and easy to follow.
• Organization is effective
A purposeful structure that includes an effective introduction and
conclusion is evident. The organizational structure is appropriate and
effectively supports the development of the controlling idea/thesis. The
sentences, paragraphs, or ideas are logically connected in purposeful and
highly effective ways.
• Evidence is specific, well chosen, and relevant
The response includes relevant text-based evidence that is clearly
explained and consistently supports and develops the controlling
idea/thesis. For pairs in grades 6 through EII, evidence is drawn from
both texts. The response reflects a thorough understanding of the writing
purpose.
• Expression of ideas is clear and effective
The writer’s word choice is specific, purposeful, and enhances the
response. Almost all sentences and phrases are effectively crafted to
convey the writer’s ideas and contribute to the overall quality of the
response and the clarity of the message.
2
• Controlling idea/Thesis is present and partially developed
A controlling idea/thesis is presented, but it may not be clearly
identifiable because it is not fully developed. The focus may not always
be consistent and may not always be easy to follow.
• Organization is limited
A purposeful structure that includes an introduction and conclusion is
present. An organizational structure may not be consistent and may not
always support the logical development of the controlling idea/thesis.
Sentence-to-sentence connections and clarity may be lacking.
• Evidence is limited and may include some irrelevant information
The response may include text-based evidence to support the controlling
idea/thesis, but it may be insufficiently explained, and/or some evidence
may be irrelevant to the controlling idea/thesis. For pairs, evidence is
drawn from at least one of the texts. The response reflects partial
understanding of the writing purpose.
• Expression of ideas is basic
The writer’s word choice may be general and imprecise and at times
may not convey the writer’s ideas clearly. Sentences and phrases are at
times ineffective and may interfere with the writer’s intended meaning
and weaken the message.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
8
1
• Controlling idea/Thesis is evident but not developed
A controlling idea/thesis is present but not developed appropriately in
response to the writing task.
• Organization is minimal and/or weak
An introduction or conclusion may be present. An organizational
structure that supports logical development is not always evident or is
not appropriate to the task.
• Evidence is insufficient and/or mostly irrelevant
Little text-based evidence is presented to support the controlling
idea/thesis, or the evidence presented is mostly extraneous and/or
repetitious. Explanation of any evidence presented is insufficient and
may be only vaguely related to the writing task. For pairs in grades 6
through EII, evidence is drawn from only one text. The response reflects
a limited understanding of the writing purpose.
• Expression of ideas is ineffective
The writer’s word choice is vague or limited and may impede the quality
and clarity of the essay. Sentences and phrases are often ineffective,
interfere with the writer’s intended meaning, and impact the strength
and clarity of the message.
0
• A controlling idea/thesis may be evident.
• The response lacks an introduction and conclusion. An organizational
structure is not evident.
• Evidence is not provided or is irrelevant.
The response reflects a lack of understanding of the writing purpose.
• The expression of ideas is unclear and/or incoherent.
Please note that if a response receives a score point 0 in the
Development and Organization of Ideas trait, the response will also
earn 0 points in the Conventions trait.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
9
Score Point
Conventions
2
Student writing demonstrates consistent command of grade-level-
appropriate conventions, including correct:
• sentence construction
• punctuation
• capitalization
• grammar
• spelling
The response has few errors, but those errors do not impact the clarity of
the writing.
1
Student writing demonstrates inconsistent command of grade-level-
appropriate conventions, including limited use of correct:
• sentence construction
• punctuation
• capitalization
• grammar
• spelling
The response has several errors, but the reader can understand the writer’s
thoughts.
0
Student writing demonstrates little to no command of grade-level-
appropriate conventions, including infrequent use of or no evidence of
correct:
• sentence construction
• punctuation
• capitalization
• grammar
• spelling
The response has many errors, and these errors impact the clarity of the
writing and the reader’s understanding of the writing.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
10
Sample Student Responses
Score Point 0
Response 1
Organization and Development of Ideas: 0
The writer of this response presents a controlling idea, but it is not developed (“They both
know stuff and they both teached a person about what they know”). The response lacks an
introduction and a conclusion. In addition, organization, development, and evidence are not
evident. Overall, the response reflects a lack of understanding of the writing purpose.
Conventions: 0
Please note that if a response receives a score point 0 in the Organization and Development
of Ideas trait, the response will also earn 0 points in the Conventions trait.
Response 2
Organization and Development of Ideas: 0
The writer of this response attempts to present a controlling idea (“The story The Last Wild
Place and the story A Wave of a Day are similar because both stories have a setting where
makes the characters excited and also have the characters have skills like in the story The
Last Wild Place”), but this idea does not respond to the prompt. The introduction consists of
only the controlling idea, and no conclusion is present. The writer compares the settings
from each text but not the characters. Organization and relevant evidence are lacking. The
expression of ideas is unclear because the writer does not connect or clarify why the
settings make the characters excited and how that would make Xavier and Chip similar to
one another. The response displays an overall lack of understanding of the writing purpose.
Conventions: 0
Please note that if a response receives a score point 0 in the Organization and Development
of Ideas trait, the response will also earn 0 points in the Conventions trait.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
11
Score Point 1
Response 1
Organization and Development of Ideas: 1
The writer of this response presents the controlling idea that “they both teach their siblings
something.” The introduction is limited to only the controlling idea, and a conclusion is not
present. An organizational structure is not evident, and little text-based evidence is
presented to support the controlling idea (“xhavier knows is teaching abby to surf and chip
taught luther about the coral snake tto know if its venoumous or not”). The writer’s word
choice is limited, resulting in an expression of ideas that is ineffective. Overall, this response
reflects a limited understanding of the writing purpose.
Conventions: 0
The writer demonstrates little to no command of grade-level-appropriate conventions.
Errors include a lack of capitalization of proper nouns (“xhavier knows is teaching abby to
surf and chip taught luther about the coral snake”), a missing apostrophe (“its”), a
misplaced comma, and lack of punctuation. There are many errors in proportion to the
length of the response, and these errors impact the clarity of the writing and the reader’s
understanding of the writing.
Response 2
Organization and Development of Ideas: 1
The writer presents a controlling idea (“They are simler cause they both are knolugbol and
they teach poeple”), but it is not developed in response to the writing task. Organization is
minimal as no introduction or conclusion is present, and the paraphrased evidence is
insufficiently explained. In addition, the expression of ideas is ineffective because the
writer’s word choice is limited (“how to get more rabbit”), which impacts the strength and
clarity of the message. Overall, the response reflects a limited understanding of the writing
purpose.
Conventions: 0
The writer demonstrates little to no command of grade-level-appropriate conventions.
Errors include missing capitalization (“chip”), incorrect grammar (“teached” instead of
“taught” and a missing comma in a compound sentence), and misspellings (“simler,”
“knolugbol,” “poeple,” “sursbord”). The response is brief and has many errors, and these
errors impact the clarity of the writing and the reader’s understanding of the writing.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
12
Score Point 2
Response 1
Organization and Development of Ideas: 1
In this response, the writer presents the controlling idea that “They take care of the ones
the around them and tell them what to do,” but this idea is not developed in response to the
writing task. The organizational structure is weak, as the writer simply provides a small
amount of evidence from each selection without any explanation. This response lacks an
introduction and conclusion. The only text-based evidence provided is a quotation from “A
Wave of a Day” (“I’ll be here if you need me”) and very brief paraphrased information from
“The Last Wild Place” (“Chip taught Luther on what to spot if is poison”). Additionally, the
writer’s word choice is limited, resulting in an expression of ideas that is ineffective. The
response reflects a limited understanding of the writing purpose.
Conventions: 1
The writer demonstrates inconsistent command of grade-level-appropriate conventions with
several errors, including missing capitalization (“the las wild place”), sentence construction
errors with awkward syntax (“the Chip taught”), and misspelled or missing words (“las,” “if
is poison”). Despite these errors, the reader can understand the writer’s thoughts.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
13
Response 2
Organization and Development of Ideas: 2
The writer presents the controlling idea that “i think chip and xavir are similar to ech other
beacus they both do things that other people wouldnt do.” An organizational structure with
a limited introduction and conclusion is evident but does not consistently support logical
development of the controlling idea. The evidence provided is insufficiently explained (“like,
how xavir knows alot of skills on surf boarding ‘All right, Abby, are you ready to learn all
that i’m able to teach?’ ”; “and how chip explores the wild ‘ while trying to get their feet out
of the mud without losing their sneakers, they’d seeen a coral snake’ ”) although this
evidence does offer limited support for the controlling idea. Before the conclusion the writer
provides a small amount of additional development of the controlling idea (“and soem
poeple would be scared of coming to as top and seeing a snake or surfing in the ocean”).
The expression of ideas in this response is basic, since word choice is imprecise at times
(“both do things that other people wouldnt do”; “xavir knows alot of skills”; “chip explores
the wild”) and does not convey the writer’s ideas as clearly as intended. This response
reflects a partial understanding of the writing purpose.
Conventions: 0
The writer demonstrates little to no command of grade-level-appropriate conventions.
Errors include missing punctuation due to the absence of a period at the end of most
sentences, a lack of capitalization at the beginning of each sentence and for proper nouns
(“i,” “xavir,” “chip”), missing apostrophes (“wouldnt,” “thats”), and spelling errors (“xavir,”
“beacus,” “alot,” “seeen,” “soem,” “poeple”). These many errors impact the clarity of the
writing and the reader’s understanding of the writing.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
14
Score Point 3
Response 1
Organization and Development of Ideas: 1
The writer presents a controlling idea in the opening sentence (“Both of the storys have
siblings who love each other, and will help them learn somthing new”). The introduction is
limited to only the controlling idea, and the writer does not include a conclusion. A minimal
organizational structure is evident (“In the first story,” “In the second story”), and while a
small amount of evidence is included, the explanation of this evidence is insufficient (“In the
first story the older brother [Chip] saved his younger brother [Luther] by telling him
something about the coral snake they saw”; “In the second story the older borther [Xavier]
teaches his younger sister [Abby] how to surf”) and not developed. The expression of ideas
is ineffective due to the writer’s limited word choice (“help them learn somthing new,”
“telling him something about”). Overall, the response reflects a limited understanding of the
writing purpose.
Conventions: 2
The writer displays a consistent command of grade-level-appropriate conventions
throughout the response. Although there are a few minor spelling errors, these errors do
not impact the clarity of the writing.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
15
Response 2
Organization and Development of Ideas: 2
The writer presents the controlling idea that “Chip and Xavier are simular because they both
like advenchers.” The organizational structure is purposeful and also includes a conclusion
(“Chip and Xavier may be from different stories, but they both have the same intenchens
with belife”) but does not always have strong sentence-to-sentence connections and clarity
(“Surffing is like an advencher because you go out into the ocean not know what awaits and
you just go with the waves, in Chips case he goes to a barn [The Old Place] and looks for all
the rabbits with Luther and has been to the forest where the got stuck in mud”). Evidence is
drawn from both texts, but some of this evidence is unclear in its relevance to the stated
controlling idea (“in The Last Wind Place Chip belives that more rabbits will come with
time”). The expression of ideas is somewhat basic since sentences and phrases at times
interfere with the writer’s intended meaning. Overall, this response reflects a partial
understanding of the writing purpose.
Conventions: 1
The writer demonstrates an inconsistent command of conventions, including a comma splice
and a missing apostrophe in a possessive (“you just go with the waves, in Chips case he
goes to a barn”), a grammatical error (“go out into the ocean not know what awaits and
you”), and spelling errors (“simular,” “advenchers,” “Surffing,” “belives,” “belife”). Although
there are several errors, the reader can understand the writer’s thoughts.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
16
Response 3
Organization and Development of Ideas: 3
The writer presents the controlling idea that “Chip and xavier I would say like helping people
and both like to do activities.” The writer includes an introduction as well as a conclusion
(“This tells me that chip likes to hang out with luther and do activities like counting bunnies
and that xavier likes to be around his sister abby and like to help her learn how to surf or
teach or some more thing it also tells me he is a surfer and loves it”). The organizational
structure supports the development of the controlling idea as sentences and ideas are
logically connected. The relevant, paraphrased, and quoted evidence that the writer
includes, along with sufficient explanation, consistently supports the development of the
controlling idea (“chip likes going outdoors and seeing or counting rabbits and xavier likes
going outdoors on the beach to surf because he has some cool tricks and he is a really good
surfer he could even teach someone to surf and he is teaching his sister”; “chip was
teaching luther in the first paragraph about the poison and said something to help luther
remember, ‘Red by black, don’t worry, Jack. Red by yellow, kill a fellow’ ”). The expression
of ideas is mostly clear based on sentences and phrases that sufficiently convey the writer’s
ideas, and as a result, this response reflects a thorough understanding of the writing
purpose.
Conventions: 0
The writer demonstrates little to no command of grade-level-appropriate conventions.
Errors include multiple instances of incorrect sentence construction, missing or misplaced
periods and commas throughout the response, multiple instances of missing capitalization of
proper nouns (“xavier was teaching his sister, abby how to surf and chip was teaching
luther . . . and said something to help luther remember”), and grammatical errors (“likes to
be around his sister abby and like to help her”; “or teach or some more thing”). There are
many errors, and these errors impact the clarity of the writing.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
17
Score Point 4
Response 1
Organization and Development of Ideas: 2
The writer presents a controlling idea in the introduction (“they both provide some sort of
knowledge to the other character”) and further clarifies and reinforces this idea in the
conclusion (“In conclusion, Chip and Xavier both teach the other character[s] in the passage
something new”). An organizational structure is evident but limited. Sentence-to-sentence
connections are included by the writer (“First of all,” “In comparison of similarity,” “In
conclusion”), but the introduction and conclusion are minimal. The response is only partially
developed and contains text-based evidence from each selection that is not sufficiently
explained (“He’d taught luther this verse on the spot: ‘Red by black, don’t worry, Jack. Red
by yellow, kill a fellow.’ ”; “ ‘There’s something you should know about venturing the sea.’
Is what xavier says before teaching his younger sister how to surf”). Additionally, the
expression of ideas is basic, with word choice that is mostly general (“I realized how
similarly they behave”). This response reflects a partial understanding of the writing
purpose.
Conventions: 2
The writer demonstrates consistent command of grade-level-appropriate conventions. The
response has a few errors with capitalization of proper nouns (“luther” and “xavier”), but
the errors do not impact the overall clarity of the writing.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
18
Response 2
Organization and Development of Ideas: 3
The writer presents a clear controlling idea (“Chip and Xavier behave similary because they
are both mature and smart/wise”). The introduction is limited to only the controlling idea. A
conclusion is provided, and an organizational structure is evident as the writer devotes a
paragraph to each of the ideas in the controlling idea. Relevant text-based evidence from
each of the selections is included to support the idea of maturity (“I think this of Chip
bacuse he taught Luther that ‘red by black, don’t worry, Jack. Red by yellow, Kill a fellow’
beause they saw a sake and Chip knew it was posionous. I think this of Xavier because he is
an older brother so he has to set a good example for his sibiling and he also teaches Abby
how to surf in the ocean”) as well as intelligence and wisdom (“They are both smart/wise
because Chip said to put more grain out so more bunnies will come out and later a few
more bunnies came out but not all and Chip said to Luther to wait becuse more bunnies will
come out. I think that Xavier was smart/wise is becuse he came back from college, knows
how to surf and gave some advice to abby to learn how to surf and comferted her since she
was the slitest scared”). This evidence is clearly explained and consistently supports and
develops the controlling idea. Additionally, the writer’s word choice is purposeful and almost
all sentences and phrases are effectively crafted to convey the writer’s ideas. The response
reflects a thorough understanding of the writing purpose.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
19
Conventions: 1
The writer demonstrates an inconsistent command of grade-level-appropriate conventions.
The response includes sentence construction errors (“I think that Xavier was smart/wise is
becuse he came back”), punctuation errors due to missing commas (“First they teach
something to some one,” “he is an older brother so he has to set a good example”), a
missing apostrophe in a contraction (“so thats why I think they are similer”) and several
spelling errors (“some one,” “beause,” “sake” instead of “snake,” “becuse,” “comferted,”
“slitest” instead of “slightest,” “similer”). Although there are several errors, the reader can
understand the writer’s thoughts.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
20
Score Point 5
Response 1
Organization and Development of Ideas: 3
The writer presents an implied controlling idea by suggesting that both Chip and Xavier are
teaching something to someone else (“Xavier . . . is going to teach Abby . . . just like how
Chip taught Luther”). The response contains both an introduction and a conclusion (“Those
are a few reasons why I think Xavier and Chip behave similar”). The organizational structure
is appropriate to the task, as the writer provides relevant paraphrased evidence from both
selections that supports the implied controlling idea (“One of which is in the beginning when
Chip knew how to tell if a snake was dangerous by their color. Then Chip teaches Luther
how to tell if it is dangerous so that means Chip is like teaching and helping Luther. This is
similar to how Xavier is a pro in surfing and is going to teach Abby how to surf”; “Chip is
confident that more rabbits will come, and Xavier is confident that abby can catch her first
wave”). Finally, the concluding statement refers back to the writer’s idea that Chip and
Xavier are similar. Word choice is purposeful and enhances the quality of the response
(“evidence,” “dangerous,” “confident”). Overall, the response reflects a thorough
understanding of the writing purpose.
Conventions: 2
The writer demonstrates consistent command of grade-level-appropriate conventions.
Although some awkward sentence construction (“so that means Chip is like teaching and
helping Luther”) and grammatical errors (“thats shows,” “Those are a few reasons why I
think Xavier and Chip behave similar”) are present, overall the response has few errors, and
these errors do not impact the overall clarity of the writing.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
21
Response 2
Organization and Development of Ideas: 3
The writer’s controlling idea is clearly stated in the conclusion (“Chip and Xavier are both
very smart and patient, and love sharing it with their friends”). The organization is effective,
as the writer’s focus is consistent throughout, and the evidence used from both texts to
support the controlling idea is specific, well-chosen, and clearly explained (“Chip knew not
to touch the coral snake and knew it was poison by remembering, ‘Red by black, don’t
worry Jack. Red by yellow, kill a fellow.’ Which could have saved his and Luther’s life”;
“Xavier acts similarly to Chip because instead of having knowledge about snakes, he has
knowledge about the ocean and surfing. He teaches Abby where exactly to put your arms
when surfing and teaches her how to surf”; “They are also both very patient. Chip knew . . .
he would have to be calm and composed. He knew it would take a while for them to trust
him”; “Xavier acts similarly because Abby knew close to nothing about surfing and he
required lots of patience to teach her how to surf”). The expression of ideas is clear and
effective. The writer’s word choice is specific and purposeful and enhances the response
(“could have saved his and Luther’s life”; “where exactly to put your arms when surfing”;
“calm and composed”; “knew close to nothing”; “required lots of patience to teach her”).
Overall, the response reflects a thorough understanding of the writing purpose.
Conventions: 2
The writer demonstrates a consistent command of grade-level-appropriate conventions. The
response has a few errors, but those errors do not impact the clarity of the writing.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
22
Condition Code: Off Topic
During the scoring process, the Automatic Scoring Engine (ASE) assigns a “condition code”
to student responses that are determined to be non-scorable by the ASE. The following
student responses included language patterns that reflected an off-topic response and
received the associated condition code. Responses that do not address the prompt receive a
score of zero.
Response 1
Response 2
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
23
Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.
The Age of Language
1 In a tiny Chinese restaurant, the menu on the wall includes some Chinese
characters. At one table, a family speaks Spanish. At another table, the waiter taps his
foot along to an internationally popular French song. This kind of scene is common in
some parts of America. After all, the United States has been called “a nation of
immigrants.” While English may be the language used most commonly in school, the
truth is that many Americans are bilingual. This means they can communicate in two
languages!
2 Even for those who did not grow up speaking multiple languages, learning a second
language is powerful. It helps people communicate with others from different countries.
It also helps people improve their memory and problem-solving skills, according to
several research studies. Since scientists suggest that language learning is easiest for
young children, learning a second language at a younger age seems like a great place
to start.
Younger Is Better
3 The brain of a baby is built to learn languages. As toddlers, humans take in words
and remember the way they are accented even before they speak. Accents are different
pronunciations of the same word, such as saying “heah” instead of “here.” People who
learn words in a second language often carry over accents from the original language
they grew up hearing. This can dramatically change the sound of words, potentially
creating challenges between speaker and listener.
4 The ability to form accents is easiest for young kids. In a 1975 study, children
ages 6–15 learning English as a second language were given a speaking test. The
younger children scored highest in the ability to correctly form a particular accent.
Learning a new language at a young age may help adults avoid the confusion that can
arise from different accents.
But Can Young Kids Understand?
5 There are some experts, however, that argue maturity is more important to the
learning process than age. Professor Sorace of the Bilingualism Matters Centre claims
young children are not as prepared as older learners for studying in a classroom. Still, a
sense of teamwork and excitement can drive kids at any age to success.
Continuing to Learn
6 Children can use different methods to learn. Younger kids may not understand
relationships between countries, but their desire to communicate can be increased by a
single person instead. For example, they can build a friendship through exchanging
letters with a real person from a different country in a pen pal project.
7 Another method is called “immersion.” Immersion imitates the experience of a
person moving to a new country. Studies show that foreign students who were put in an
all-English-speaking environment learned English as a second language quickly.
Students in an immersion program find themselves surrounded by a different language,
and they often are unable to fall back on the comfort of the language they normally
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
24
use. They must use problem-solving skills to communicate even when they do not have
the words. Once they have learned many new words, children in an immersion program
can absorb grammar rules by hearing those words used a certain way over and over
again.
8 In the classroom version of immersion learning, everything is spoken in the new
language. This includes asking to use the bathroom or talking with friends during
breaks. Immersion makes the new language useful. It also gives more opportunities for
children to practice their skills.
A Future of Possibility
9 Strategies and abilities aside, learning a new language changes people. In today’s
world, many Americans no longer have to travel internationally to be exposed to
different cultures. By learning languages at a young age, kids can acquire a new way to
communicate. They may also increase their interest in people from different countries
and cultures around the world. Finally, language learners even develop their memory
and thinking skills as they learn a new language.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
25
Grade 6 Reading Short Constructed Response
Prompt
Read the question carefully. Then enter your answer in the box provided.
What is the most likely reason the author wrote the selection? Support your answer with
evidence from the selection.
Item-Specific Rubric
Score: 2
Exemplar:
A complete response will provide one of the following explanations about the author’s
purpose for writing the selection.
• The author wants to inform about the importance and benefits of language learning
at a young age.
• The author wants to describe the many ways young people can learn new languages.
A complete response will include at least one piece of supporting evidence from the text.
A complete response may include, but is not limited to, the following evidence cited or
paraphrased from the text:
• “Since scientists suggest that language learning is easiest for young children,
learning a second language at a younger age seems like a great place to start.”
(paragraph 2)
• “Learning a new language at a young age may help adults avoid the confusion that
can arise from different accents.” (paragraph 4)
• “Strategies and abilities aside, learning a new language changes people.”
(paragraph 9)
• “By learning languages at a young age, kids can acquire a new way to
communicate.” (paragraph 9)
• “They may also increase their interest in people from different countries and cultures
around the world.” (paragraph 9)
• “Finally, language learners even develop their memory and thinking skills as they
learn a new language.” (paragraph 9)
Evidence is accurately used to support the response.
The response and the evidence to support it are based on the text.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
26
Score: 1
Partial Credit
A partial response may include one of the answers expected in the complete response.
However, the evidence included does not support the answer stated, or no evidence is
provided.
A partial response may cite or paraphrase relevant text evidence, but the student does not
include an accurate answer about the author’s purpose for writing the selection.
Score: 0
No Credit
• The response is incorrect.
• The response is not based on the text.
• No response is provided.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
27
Sample Student Responses
Score Point 0
Response 1
In this incomplete response, the writer provides a single phrase. The response is not valid,
because the answer is vague and does not clearly express the most likely reason the author
wrote the selection. In addition, the writer does not provide supporting evidence from the
selection to support the answer.
Response 2
This response is incorrect, as it refers to the title of the passage but does not clearly answer
the question. In addition, the writer does not provide supporting evidence from the
selection.
Response 3
This response is too vague and too broad. Additionally, there is no supporting evidence
provided from the selection.
Response 4
The writer does not accurately describe the most likely reason the author wrote the
selection. In addition, the writer does not provide supporting evidence from the selection to
support the answer.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
28
Score Point 1
Response 1
In this partial response, the writer states that the author’s purpose for writing the selection
is to explain information about learning languages at a young age and the different ways of
learning a new language. However, the writer does not provide supporting evidence from
the selection to support the answer.
Response 2
This response clearly and effectively answers the question by addressing learning a new
language at a young age. However, the writer does not provide supporting evidence from
the selection to support the answer.
Response 3
In this partial response, the writer provides relevant text-based evidence (“Even fo those
who did not grow up speaking multiple languages, learning a second language is powerful”),
which clearly and effectively supports a response to the question. However, the writer
states the most likely reason the author wrote the selection is “to inform the reader of
learning a new language.” This explanation does not provide a complete and acceptable
answer to the question. Overall, the writer provides supporting evidence from the selection,
but the answer to the question is incomplete.
Response 4
The writer provides an explanation about the author’s purpose for writing the selection.
However, citing paragraph numbers is not a sufficient substitute for paraphrased or quoted
text-based supporting evidence from the selection.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
29
Score Point 2
Response 1
In this complete response, the writer states the most likely reason the author wrote the
selection (“I think the author wrote the selection to persuade a kid or teacher to learn or
teach a second language because in the text, it says, ‘...learning a second language at a
younger age seems like a great place to start’ ”). Relevant evidence is also included to
support the answer (“kids can acquire a new way to communicate”).
Response 2
The writer provides an explanation about the author’s purpose for writing the selection (“to
explain that there are many different ways that could lead a child to learning a different
language. Its also heavily emphasized that the younger it is the better”). In addition, the
writer provides multiple pieces of relevant text evidence from the selection (“ ‘The brain of a
baby is built to learn languages.’ showing that the author believes the younger a child is the
easier they will learn. The author also uses mutiple studies to prove this, as shown in
paragraph 4, ‘The younger children scored highest in ability to correctly form a particular
accent’ ”). Overall, the writer provides an acceptable answer to the question and supporting
evidence from the selection.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
30
Response 3
In this complete response, the writer states that the author “most likly wrote this selection
to tell people about teaching their kids a differant way to learn a new language.Also,when
kids are younger its easier for them to learn because of how the pronounceation of the
laguage is.” This is an acceptable answer that illustrates the importance and benefits of
learning a new language at a young age. In addition, the writer provides relevant
supporting text-based evidence (“In a study in 1975,childern 6-15 learning Eglish as a
second language were givn speaking test. The younger childern scored highest in the ability
to correctly form a particuler acent”).
Response 4
In this complete response, the writer provides an explanation about the author’s purpose for
writing the selection (“The author most likely wrote this selection to encourage people to
learn a second language at a young age”). In addition, the writer includes supporting
evidence from the selection (“By learning languages at a young age, kids can acquire a new
way to cominicate”).
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
31
Grade 6 Writing Short
Constructed Response
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
32
Grade 6 Writing Short Constructed Response
Passage: “My Treasures”
Original Paragraph:
(12) Whenever we go to a new place, I always choose a special rock to remember the
experience. (13) I catalog the rocks based on where they are from, and I’m starting to
get quite a geographical assortment. (14) In the meantime, I’ve personally collected
rocks from 10 different states. (15) Other people have collected rocks for me too. (16)
My friend Javier brought a rock back for me from his grandmother’s house in Mexico.
(17) My cousin sent me a Petoskey stone from Lake Michigan. (18) He is from Chicago.
(19) And my uncle sent me a whole pouch of polished stones from the Texas Memorial
Museum gift shop.
Prompt
Judson wants to combine the ideas in sentences 17 and 18. In the space provided, write a
new sentence that combines these ideas in a clear and effective way.
Item-Specific Rubric
Score: 1
The response is a complete sentence that combines the ideas in a clear and effective way.
Score: 0
The response is not a complete sentence, or it does not express the ideas in a clear and
effective way.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
33
Sample Student Responses
Score Point 0
Response 1
The response is not a complete sentence and does not combine ideas in a clear and
effective way. The writer simply replaces the period with a comma, which is not an effective
way to combine the sentences.
Response 2
The response does not combine ideas in a clear and effective way. While the sentence
includes the ideas from sentence 17, the writer changes the important information “He is
from Chicago” to “Lake Michigan from were he lives at” and alters the meaning of
sentence 18.
Response 3
The response does not combine ideas in a clear and effective way. The writer uses a double
prepositional phrase (“from Lake Michigan from Chicago where he lives”), resulting in an
awkward sentence.
Response 4
The response does not combine ideas in a clear and effective way, as the writer combines
sentences 16 and 17 but does not include sentence 18. The original meaning is not
conveyed, as important information is omitted.
Grade 6 Reading Language Arts
Constructed-Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2024
34
Score Point 1
Response 1
The response is a complete sentence that combines the ideas in a clear and effective way.
The new sentence contains the three necessary ideas of the original two sentences: (1) my
cousin sent me a stone, (2) the stone is from Lake Michigan, and (3) my cousin is from
Chicago.
Response 2
The response is a complete sentence that combines the ideas in a clear and effective way.
The writer includes all important ideas and maintains the original meaning by adding the
conjunction “and” along with a comma.
Response 3
The response is a complete sentence that combines the ideas in a clear and effective way.
The writer flips the sentences and uses a connecting phrase (“whom is originally from”) to
convert the second sentence (“He is from Chicago”) into a dependent (subordinate) clause.
The incorrect use of “whom” instead of “who” does not detract from the score of this
revising task as this approach is an effective way to join the two sentences.
Response 4
The response is a complete sentence that combines the ideas in a clear and effective way.
The writer includes all the important ideas, maintaining the original meaning, by adding the
dependent conjunction “because.” The misspelling of Petoskey and the inclusion of the
comma do not affect the scoring of this revising task.