What this rubric measures
The STAAR Argumentative/Opinion Writing Rubric, Grades 6 to English II is the official scoring guide used to evaluate student writing on Texas STAAR assessments. It is an Analytic rubric that scores responses across 2 distinct criteria, allowing teachers to give precise, targeted feedback on each area of writing.
All 2 scoring criteria
Click any criterion to expand its score level descriptors. The language below is taken verbatim from the official Texas Education Agency STAAR scoring guide.
1 Development and Organization of Ideas
The response demonstrates the following:
- Argument/opinion is clear and fully developed. The argument/opinion is clearly identifiable. The focus is consistent throughout, creating a response that is unified and easy to follow. For grades 8 through EII, counterarguments are identified and refuted.
- Organization is effective. A purposeful structure that includes an effective introduction and conclusion is evident. The organizational structure is appropriate and effectively supports the development of the argument/opinion. The sentences, paragraphs, or ideas are logically connected in purposeful and highly effective ways.
- Evidence is specific, well chosen, and relevant. The response includes relevant text-based evidence that is clearly explained and consistently supports and develops the argument/opinion. For pairs in grades 6 through EII, evidence is drawn from both texts. The response reflects a thorough understanding of the writing purpose.
- Expression of ideas is clear and effective. 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 response demonstrates the following:
- Argument/opinion is present and partially developed. An argument/opinion 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. For grades 8 through EII, counterarguments may be identified but are not refuted.
- Organization is limited. A purposeful structure that includes an introduction and conclusion is present. An organizational structure may be apparent, but it may not be consistent and may not always support the logical development of the argument/opinion. Sentence-to-sentence connections and clarity may be lacking.
- Evidence is limited and may include some irrelevant information. The response may include some text-based evidence to support the argument/opinion, but it may be insufficiently explained, and/or some evidence may be irrelevant to the argument/opinion. For pairs, evidence is drawn from at least one of the texts. The response reflects partial understanding of the writing purpose.
- Expression of ideas is basic. 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 response demonstrates the following:
- Argument/opinion is evident but not developed. An argument/opinion is present but not developed appropriately in response to the writing task. For grades 8 through EII, counterarguments are not identified.
- Organization is minimal and/or weak. 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.
- Evidence is insufficient and/or mostly irrelevant. Little text-based evidence is presented, 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.
- Expression of ideas is ineffective. 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 demonstrates the following:
- An argument/opinion may be evident.
- The response lacks an introduction and conclusion. An organizational structure is not evident.
- Evidence is not provided or is irrelevant. The response reflects a lack of understanding of the writing purpose.
- The expression of ideas is unclear and/or incoherent.
Four sub-criteria are embedded in each score point, clarity of the argument/opinion, effectiveness of organization, specificity of text-based evidence, and effectiveness of expression. For Grades 8 through English II, counterargument expectations are added to the argument/opinion sub-criterion.
2 Conventions
Student writing demonstrates consistent command of grade-level-appropriate conventions, including correct sentence construction, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and 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, and 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, and spelling. The response has many errors, and these errors impact the clarity of the writing and the reader's understanding of the writing.
Important STAAR scoring rule, if a response receives a score point 0 in the Development and Organization of Ideas trait, the response will also earn 0 points in the Conventions trait.
How to score with the STAAR Argumentative/Opinion Writing Rubric, Grades 6 to English II.
A practical guide for teachers and norming teams. How to apply each descriptor consistently, the pitfalls that hurt inter-rater reliability, and a workflow for calibrating with colleagues.
Two-trait analytic, scored independently
- Score Development and Organization (0 to 3) first, then Conventions (0 to 2). Sum for the rubric total out of 5.
- Conventions has only 3 score points (0, 1, 2) on a tighter scale than Development.
- Critical TEA rule: a response that earns 0 on Development AUTOMATICALLY earns 0 on Conventions. There is no way to earn Conventions points on a response that fails Development.
Counterargument expectations at Grades 8 through EII
- At Grades 8, English I, and English II, the rubric explicitly expects counterarguments to be identified AND refuted to earn a 3 on Development.
- A 2 acknowledges counterarguments but does not refute them. A 1 has no counterargument at all.
- Grades 6 and 7 do not require counterarguments. Apply the bullet exactly as written for the student's grade band.
Both texts in paired-source prompts
- Grades 6 through EII prompts often pair two source texts. To earn a 3 on Development, evidence must be drawn from BOTH texts.
- A response using only one text in a paired-source prompt typically caps at 2 (or 1 if the evidence is also weak).
- Always check the prompt for how many sources are provided before scoring evidence.
Tips for norming with your team
- Anchor with 3 to 5 sample responses scored by your most experienced grader before the session.
- Score the first 5 silently, then compare. Discuss any trait where graders are more than one point apart.
- Re-norm halfway through a long batch. Drift is real, especially across genres.
Notes for the STAAR Argumentative/Opinion Rubric, Grades 6 through English II
The Grades 6 through English II Argumentative/Opinion rubric introduces two expectations that do not appear at Grades 3-5. First, paired-text prompts require evidence drawn from BOTH source texts to earn a 3 on Development. Second, Grades 8 through EII responses are expected to identify AND refute counterarguments to earn a 3.
Students at this grade band may also receive an ECR prompt asking them to respond by writing a letter (correspondence) to a specific audience. The rubric is applied the same way regardless of the response form.
Conventions on STAAR are scored on a 3-point scale (0, 1, 2). Even strong mechanics cannot recover an overall score: a response with severe Development weakness will earn 0 on both traits per the TEA rule.
Universal STAAR scoring rule: a response that earns 0 on Development and Organization of Ideas earns 0 on Conventions regardless of mechanical quality.
See this rubric in action.
EnlightenAI scores student writing on this exact rubric, with per-criterion feedback that mirrors how you grade by hand. The sample response below shows how the rubric applies to a real piece of student writing, scored against every criterion.
Why our high school should start later
Most high schools in Texas start before 8:00 a.m., yet research keeps showing that teenagers need more sleep than they are getting. Our high school should move its start time to 8:30 a.m. because the science supports it, students perform better academically, and the most common objections can be addressed.
The science supports a later start
Article 1, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, explains that teenage sleep cycles shift later during adolescence, which means most of us cannot fall asleep before 11:00 p.m. even when we try. The article states that students need 8 to 10 hours of sleep but average less than 7 on school nights. Starting school at 7:30 means students are awake during the worst part of their sleep cycle.
Academic performance improves
Article 2 follows a district in Minnesota that pushed its start time to 8:30 a.m. and tracked outcomes for two years. Attendance went up, tardies dropped by almost 30 percent, and GPA improved by 0.2 points on average. If a Minnesota district saw real academic gains, our school could see similar improvements.
Addressing the counterargument
Some people argue that a later start would push back after-school activities and create transportation problems. Article 2 acknowledges this concern but shows that the Minnesota district solved it by adjusting bus routes and shifting practice times by 30 minutes. The trade-offs are real but they are manageable, and they are worth it for healthier, more focused students.
Conclusion
The research is clear, the data from other districts is encouraging, and the logistical concerns are solvable. Our high school should move its start time to 8:30 a.m. so students can show up rested and ready to learn.
Argument fully developed with counterargument refuted
Thesis is clear and maintained. Evidence is drawn from both Article 1 (AAP sleep research) and Article 2 (Minnesota district data), satisfying the paired-source rule. Counterargument on activities and transportation is identified AND refuted, meeting the Grade 8+ bar.
Consistent command of grade-level conventions
Sentence construction, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and spelling are accurate throughout. Errors are minor and do not impact clarity. Earns full credit on the STAAR 0-2 Conventions sub-scale.
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About the STAAR Argumentative/Opinion Writing Rubric, Grades 6 to English II
What is the STAAR Argumentative/Opinion Writing Rubric for Grades 6 through English II?
At what grade does STAAR start expecting counterarguments?
How is paired-source evidence handled at Grades 6 through EII?
Can students respond to STAAR with a letter at Grades 6 through EII?
What is the "0 on Development equals 0 on Conventions" rule?
Is this rubric the official version from TEA?
Where can I find the source document?
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