Georgia Milestones Argumentative Genre Seven-Point Two-Trait Rubric for Grade 6

The student's response is a well-developed argument that effectively relates and supports claims with clear reasons and relevant text-based evidence. • Effectively introduces claim(s) • Organizes supporting reasons and evidence clearly • Supports claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence using specific, well-chosen facts, details, or other information from credible sources and/or demonstrating a good understanding of the topic or texts. • Uses words, phrases, or clauses effectively to connect ideas and clarify relationships among claim(s) and reasons • Establishes and maintains formal style that is appropriate for the task, purpose, and audience • Provides a strong concluding statement or section that logically follows from the argument presented.

The student's response is a complete argument that relates and supports claims with mostly text-based evidence. • Introduces claim(s) • Organizes supporting reasons and evidence • Supports claim(s) with reasons and evidence using some facts, details, or other information from generally credible sources • Uses some linking words/phrases or clauses to connect claims and reasons • Uses formal style fairly consistently for the task, purpose, and audience • Provides a moderate or general statement or section that mostly follows from the argument presented.

The student's response is an incomplete or somewhat underdeveloped argument that sometimes supports claims with loosely related text-based evidence. • May not clearly introduce claims • Reasons and evidence may be unclear or missing • May support claims with facts, details, or other information that are weakly related to the topic or argument; reasons; connections are not always clear • Uses formal style inconsistently or uses informal style that does not fit task, purpose, or 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 and does not support claims with adequate text-based evidence. • May not introduce claim(s) • May be too brief to demonstrate an organizational structure, or no structure is evident • May not support claim(s) • Uses minimal or no words, phrases, or clauses to connect ideas • Uses very informal style that is not appropriate for task, purpose, or audience • Provides a minimal or no 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. • Effectively varies sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style • Shows command of language and conventions • Any errors in usage and conventions do not interfere with meaning.

The student's response demonstrates partial command of language usage and conventions. • Varies some sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style • Shows some knowledge of language and conventions when writing • Has minor errors in usage and 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 • Shows little knowledge of language and conventions when writing • 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.