Pick the grade and essay type
Grade 3 to 8 RLA or English I and II. Informational, argumentative, or, from grade 6, correspondence.
Real passages, TEA prompt frame
Free, no sign-up
Real published texts
DOCX and PDF
Tip: name a specific topic. The builder searches open-licensed collections for a real published passage at this grade level.
3 free passages remaining. Download as DOCX or PDF.
100,000+ Teachers trust CoGrader
16,000+ Schools across all 50 states
2.5M+ Essays graded with AI
80% Less time grading
Used at 16,000+ schools
What is a STAAR ECR Builder?
Practice items in the shape of the real test: a published reading selection, the ECR prompt in TEA wording, and notes for the teacher.
On every STAAR Reading Language Arts test from grade 3 to English II, students read a selection and write an Extended Constructed Response essay about it. Practicing that task needs a passage at the right reading level and a prompt in the wording students will see on test day.
The STAAR ECR Builder makes both, and it does not write the passage. It searches a fixed library of public-domain and Creative Commons collections, picks the published article or story that best fits your theme and grade, and reproduces it word for word with its source credited. Around that real text it composes the prompt page in the TEA frame, plus the evidence a strong response could cite.
That split matters. Students practice on real prose, the way the test presents it, and a reading passage can never contain a fact the AI invented.
When students have written, score their essays on the official TEA rubric with the free STAAR ECR Grader.
| Essay type | Grades | What the prompt asks |
|---|---|---|
| Informational | Grades 3 to English II | "Explain how…" or "Describe the effects of…" A clear thesis developed with evidence from the selection. |
| Argumentative | Grades 3 to English II | "Argue whether…" A claim defended with facts and evidence. From grade 8, the essay must include a counterargument. |
| Correspondence | Grades 6 to English II | "Write a letter to…" A real audience and purpose, supported with evidence from the selection. |
Frames follow the released STAAR RLA scoring guides at tea.texas.gov.
What you get
A complete practice item, every time
Every build has the same three pages, ready to print or edit.
A real published passage
Not written by AI. The builder finds a published article or story and reproduces it word for word, with numbered paragraphs like the test booklet.
The prompt in TEA wording
The "Read the article… Based on the information…" frame, the "Remember to" list, and the counterargument line at grade 8 and up.
Open-licensed, and credited
Sources are limited to public-domain and Creative Commons collections: VOA Learning English, NASA, NOAA, USGS, the Park Service, Wikisource and others. Every passage names its source.
Teacher notes
Three to five pieces of text evidence a strong response could cite, so you can conference and score faster.
Print-ready DOCX and PDF
Passage page, prompt page with an answer box, and a teacher-notes page. Open it in Word or Google Docs and edit anything.
A grader for the responses
Score what students write on the official TEA ECR rubric with the free STAAR ECR Grader, or grade a whole class in CoGrader.
How it works
From theme to booklet in under a minute
Three choices, one booklet.
Name a theme
Type a topic or tap a suggestion. The builder searches open-licensed collections and picks the passage that best fits the grade.
Download and teach
Read the passage and prompt on screen, then download the booklet as DOCX or PDF for the class.
Trusted by educators and built for compliance
Trusted by 100,000+ teachers and educators
Used at 16,000+ schools
Backed by UC Berkeley
- SOC 2 Type II certified
- FERPA Compliant
- COPPA Compliant
Want to see what Education looks like in 2026?
👩🏫
Teacher?
Sign up to use CoGrader for free and check if out for yourself it helps you free up time.
🏫
Admin?
Schedule a demo to learn more how you can streamline your grading process and save time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything teachers ask about building STAAR ECR practice.
What does the STAAR ECR builder make?
One complete practice item: a reading selection at the grade level you pick, the Extended Constructed Response prompt in the wording TEA uses on released tests, and a teacher-notes page with text evidence a strong answer could cite. You can download it as a DOCX or a PDF.
Where do the passages come from?
From real published writing, reproduced word for word. The builder searches a fixed list of public-domain and Creative Commons collections, including VOA Learning English, NASA, NOAA, USGS, the National Park Service, Wikisource and Project Gutenberg. The AI chooses which source and which paragraphs to use; it does not write or rewrite the passage. Every passage names its source and links to it.
Is the passage written by AI?
No. The passage is published text, copied exactly. The AI does three other jobs: it picks the source, it selects which of that source's paragraphs form the selection, and it writes the essay prompt and the teacher notes. That split is deliberate, because students should practice on real prose and because a reading passage must not contain invented facts.
What if the passage reads above my grade level?
The builder tells you. Every result carries a reading-level judgment, and when the source sits above the grade you asked for, the result says so and suggests reading it aloud or building another passage. Sources are not rewritten to lower the level, so this is a choice you make rather than one the tool hides.
Which grades and essay types are covered?
Grades 3 to 8 RLA and English I and English II EOC. Informational and argumentative prompts at every grade, and correspondence (a letter) from grade 6, following the STAAR RLA blueprint. From grade 8, argumentative prompts ask for a counterargument, as TEA does.
Does the prompt match the real STAAR wording?
Yes. The prompt page uses the frame from released STAAR RLA scoring guides: "Read the article… Based on the information in the article, write a response to the following," the task sentence, the "Remember to" list, and the "Manage your time carefully" list. The genre-specific lines change with the essay type.
How long is the passage?
Sized to released STAAR selections: roughly 350 to 600 words at grade 3, rising to 700 to 1,100 words for English I and II. Because the text is real and not generated, length follows the source, so a passage sometimes runs shorter than the target. Paragraphs are numbered so students can cite "paragraph 7" the way they do on the test.
Do I need an account?
No. The builder is free with no login. You get three passages, then three more after a short form, then a cooldown. Sign up for CoGrader to grade the responses your students write.
How do I score the essays students write?
Use the free STAAR ECR Grader to score one response at a time on the TEA rubric (Organization and Development of Ideas 0 to 3, Conventions 0 to 2). To grade a whole class with analytics, import the assignment into CoGrader from Google Classroom, Canvas, or Schoology.
Can I edit the passage?
Yes. Download the DOCX and edit it in Word or Google Docs. The download has three pages: the selection, the prompt with an answer box, and teacher notes. Delete the notes page before handing it to students. If you shorten the passage, keep the source credit, since the licenses that make these texts free to use ask for attribution.
Is student data collected?
No. The builder takes only the grade, essay type, and theme you enter. Nothing about students is sent anywhere.
Still not sure that
CoGrader is right for you?
Let ChatGPT or Gemini do the thinking for you.
Click the button and see what your favorite AI says about CoGrader.
More STAAR tools