Georgia Milestones American Literature and Composition Seven-Point, Two-Trait Rubric for Argumentative Genre

The student's response is a well-developed argument that develops and supports claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence based on texts as a stimulus. • Effectively introduces claim(s), acknowledges and counters opposing claim(s), and engages the audience • Uses an organizational strategy to establish clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaim(s), reasons, and relevant evidence • Uses specific and well-chosen facts, details, definitions, examples, and/or other information from sources to develop claim(s) and counterclaims fully and fairly and to point out strengths and limitations of both while anticipating the audience's knowledge and concerns • Uses words, phrases, and clauses that effectively connect the sections of the text and clarify relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaim(s) • Uses and maintains a formal style and an objective tone that is appropriate for task, purpose, and audience • Provides a strong concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented

The student's response is a complete argument that relates and supports claims with some evidence based on texts as a stimulus. • Clearly introduces claim(s) and attempts to acknowledge and counter opposing claim(s) • Organizes reasons and evidence to present logical claim(s); includes some examples of relevant information from sources; adequately uses words, phrases, and clauses to clarify relationships between claim(s), reasons, and evidence • Provides a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented

The student's response is an incomplete or oversimplified argument that partially supports claims with loosely related evidence. • Attempts to introduce claim(s), but claim(s) may be unclear; makes reference to opposing claim(s) • Attempts to use an organizational structure, which may be formulaic • Develops, sometimes unevenly, reasons and/or evidence to support claim(s) and present opposing claim(s), but shows little awareness of the audience's knowledge or concerns • Attempts to use words and/or phrases to connect claim(s), counterclaim(s), reasons, and evidence, but tone is inconsistent or weak • Attempts to use an appropriate tone and style are not consistently appropriate for task, purpose, and audience • Provides a weak concluding statement or section that may not follow the argument presented

The student's response is a weak attempt to write an argument or does not support claims with adequate evidence. • May not introduce claim(s), or the claim(s) must be inferred; does not reference or acknowledge opposing claim(s) • May be too brief to demonstrate an organizational structure, or no structure is evident • Provides little or no evidence to support the claim(s), little or none of which is from sources, and fails to attend to the audience's knowledge or concerns • Has frequent or severe errors in words, phrases, and/or clauses that obscure relationships among claim(s), reasons, evidence, and/or opposing claim(s) • May be missing a concluding statement or section

The student will receive a condition code for various reasons: - Blank - Copied - Too Limited to Score/Illegible/Incomprehensible - Non-English/Foreign Language - Off Topic/Off Task/Offensive

The student's response demonstrates full command of language usage and conventions. • Uses clear and complete sentence structure, with appropriate range and variety • Makes an attempt to attribute paraphrases and direct quotations to their sources via in-text or parenthetical citations • Has no errors in usage and/or conventions that interfere with meaning*

The student's response demonstrates partial command of language usage and conventions. • Uses complete sentences, with some variety • Attributes paraphrases and direct quotations inconsistently to their sources via in-text or parenthetical citations • Has minor errors in usage and/or conventions with no significant effect on meaning*

The student's response demonstrates weak command of language usage and conventions. • Has fragments, run-ons, and/or other sentence structure errors • Makes little, if any, attempt to attribute paraphrases and direct quotations to their sources • Has frequent errors in usage and conventions that interfere with meaning*

The student will receive a condition code for various reasons: - Blank - Copied - Too Limited to Score/Illegible/Incomprehensible - Non-English/Foreign Language - Off Topic/Off Task/Offensive