Texas STAAR Informational Writing Rubric | Grades 6-English II | Reading Language Arts

8 min read September 11, 2024

✨ Summary: Comprehensive guide to the Texas STAAR Writing Rubric for Grades 6-English II Informational Writing. Detailed scoring criteria for organization and development of ideas, evidence, expression, and conventions.

Table of Contents 📒

Enhance Your Students' Informational Writing with CoGrader!

Use this Texas STAAR Informational Writing Rubric for Grades 6-English II in CoGrader to guide your students through practice tests, helping them prepare for real-world assessments with instant, quality feedback.

Get Instant Feedback Using This Rubric

Texas STAAR Writing Rubrics for Grades 6–English II: Informational Writing

Key Points

This rubric guides informational writing assessment for grades 6 through English II
It evaluates two key areas: Organization and Development of Ideas, and Conventions
It’s crucial for STAAR writing test preparation and improving secondary students’ informational writing skills

Full Rubric

Criteria	3 points (3)	2 points (2)	1 point (1)	0 points (0)
Organization and Development of Ideas	The controlling idea/thesis is clearly identifiable. The focus is consistent throughout, creating a response that is unified and easy to follow.	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.	A controlling idea/thesis is present but not developed appropriately in response to the writing task.	The response lacks an introduction and conclusion. An organizational structure is not evident.
Organization	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.	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.	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.	The response lacks an introduction and conclusion. An organizational structure is not evident.
Evidence	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.	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.	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.	The response lacks an introduction and conclusion. An organizational structure is not evident.
Expression of Ideas	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.	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.	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.	The response lacks an introduction and conclusion. An organizational structure is not evident.
Conventions	N/A	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.	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.	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.

Note: 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.

Detailed Rubric Breakdown

Organization and Development of Ideas

Score	Criteria
3	Controlling idea/thesis is clearly identifiable; Focus is consistent throughout, creating a unified and easy-to-follow response; Reflects thorough understanding of the writing purpose
2	Controlling idea/thesis is present but may not be clearly identifiable or fully developed; Focus may not always be consistent or easy to follow; Reflects partial understanding of the writing purpose
1	Controlling idea/thesis is present but not developed appropriately for the task; Reflects limited understanding of the writing purpose
0	A controlling idea/thesis may be evident; The response reflects a lack of understanding of the writing purpose

Organization

Score	Criteria
3	Purposeful structure with effective introduction and conclusion; Organizational structure appropriately supports development of the controlling idea/thesis; Sentences, paragraphs, and ideas are logically connected in purposeful and highly effective ways
2	Structure includes introduction and conclusion, but may not be consistent; Organizational structure may not always support logical development of the controlling idea/thesis; Sentence-to-sentence connections and clarity may be lacking
1	Introduction or conclusion may be present; Organizational structure supporting logical development is not always evident or appropriate
0	Lacks introduction and conclusion; No evident organizational structure

Evidence

Score	Criteria
3	Includes relevant text-based evidence that is clearly explained and consistently supports the controlling idea/thesis; For grades 6 through EII pairs, evidence is drawn from both texts
2	Includes text-based evidence, but it may be insufficiently explained or partially irrelevant; For pairs, evidence is drawn from at least one of the texts
1	Little text-based evidence is presented, or evidence is mostly extraneous/repetitious; Explanation of evidence is insufficient and may be only vaguely related to the task; For grades 6 through EII pairs, evidence is drawn from only one text
0	Evidence is not provided or is irrelevant

Expression of Ideas

Score	Criteria
3	Word choice is specific, purposeful, and enhances the response; Almost all sentences and phrases are effectively crafted to convey ideas and contribute to overall quality and clarity
2	Word choice may be general and imprecise, sometimes not conveying ideas clearly; Some sentences and phrases may be ineffective, interfering with intended meaning
1	Word choice is vague or limited, potentially impeding quality and clarity; Sentences and phrases are often ineffective, interfering with intended meaning
0	Expression of ideas is unclear and/or incoherent

Conventions

Score	Criteria
2	Student writing demonstrates consistent command of grade-level-appropriate conventions, including correct: Sentence construction, Punctuation, Capitalization, Grammar, Spelling; The response has few errors, and 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.

Note: If a response receives a score of 0 in the Organization and Development of Ideas trait, it will automatically receive a score of 0 in the Conventions trait.

How to Use This Rubric

For Teachers: Use this rubric to assess your students’ informational writing skills. It can help you identify areas where students excel and where they need improvement. Incorporate these criteria into your writing instruction to help students develop strong informational writing skills.
For Students: Familiarize yourself with this rubric to understand what’s expected in your informational writing. Use it as a checklist when revising your work to ensure you’ve covered all the important aspects of effective informational writing.
For Parents: Review this rubric to understand how your child’s informational writing is evaluated. Use it as a guide to support your child’s writing development at home.

Tips for Success in STAAR Informational Writing

Clear Controlling Idea/Thesis: Ensure your writing has a clear, well-developed controlling idea or thesis that remains consistent throughout the essay.
Effective Organization: Use a logical organizational structure with a strong introduction and conclusion. Connect your ideas smoothly.
Relevant Evidence: Include specific, well-chosen evidence from the text to support your controlling idea/thesis. Explain how this evidence relates to your main point.
Clear Expression: Use precise language and well-constructed sentences to clearly convey your ideas.
Conventions: Pay attention to sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and spelling. Proofread your work carefully.
Audience Awareness: For grades 6-English II, some prompts may ask you to write a letter to a specific audience. Adjust your tone and style accordingly.

By focusing on these areas, students can improve their informational writing skills and perform better on the STAAR Writing test. Remember, practice makes perfect! Regular writing practice using this rubric as a guide can significantly enhance your performance.

Share this post

Table of Contents 📒

Enhance Your Students' Informational Writing with CoGrader!

Get Instant Feedback Using This Rubric

Texas STAAR Informational Writing Rubric | Grades 6-English II | Reading Language Arts

Table of Contents 📒

Enhance Your Students' Informational Writing with CoGrader!

Texas STAAR Writing Rubrics for Grades 6–English II: Informational Writing

Key Points

Full Rubric

Detailed Rubric Breakdown

Organization and Development of Ideas

Organization

Evidence

Expression of Ideas

Conventions

How to Use This Rubric

Tips for Success in STAAR Informational Writing

Share this post

Table of Contents 📒

Enhance Your Students' Informational Writing with CoGrader!

The Ultimate Guide on AI Cheating and Detection | 5 Actionable Tips + Best AI Detectors Rank

How to Grade Essays Using CoGrader's AI

ChatGPT for Teachers: The Ultimate Guide (+20 Free Prompts to Use in the Classroom!)

Table of Contents 📒

Related Posts

The Ultimate Guide on AI Cheating and Detection | 5 Actionable Tips + Best AI Detectors Rank

How to Grade Essays Using CoGrader's AI

ChatGPT for Teachers: The Ultimate Guide (+20 Free Prompts to Use in the Classroom!)