Georgia Milestones Seven-Point Two-Trait Rubric Trait 1 for Informational/Explanatory Genre Grade 7

The student's response is a well-developed informative/explanatory text that examines a topic in depth and conveys ideas and information clearly based on text as a stimulus. • Effectively introduces a topic • Effectively develops the topic with multiple, relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic • Effectively organizes ideas, concepts, and information using various strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect • Effectively uses appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts • Uses precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic • Establishes and maintains a formal style • Provides a strong concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented.

The student's response is a complete informative/explanatory text that examines a topic and presents information based on text as a stimulus. • Introduces a topic • Develops the topic with a few facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples • Generally organizes ideas, concepts, and information • Uses some transitions to connect and clarify relationships among ideas, but relationships may not always be clear • Uses some precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to explain the topic • Maintains a formal style, for the most part • Provides a concluding statement or section.

The student's response is an incomplete or oversimplified informative/explanatory text that cursorily examines a topic based on text as a stimulus. • Attempts to introduce a topic • Attempts to develop a topic with too few details • Ineffectively organizes ideas, concepts, and information • Uses few transitions to connect and clarify relationships among ideas • Uses limited language and vocabulary that does not inform or explain the topic • Uses a formal style inconsistently or uses an informal style • Provides a weak concluding statement or section.

The student's response is a weak attempt to write an informative/explanatory text that examines a topic based on text as a stimulus. • May not introduce a topic, or topic is unclear • May not develop a topic • May be too brief to group any related ideas together • May not use any linking words to connect ideas • Uses vague, ambiguous, or repetitive language • Uses a very informal style • 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.