Assessment of Reading and Writing

Junior Division

Leafcutter Ants

Item-Specific Rubric and Sample

Student Responses with Annotations

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 Scoring Guide for Open Response Question
Informational Text: Leafcutter Ants

Prompt: What makes a leafcutter ant colony effective? Explain using specific examples from the
text to support your answer.

Code Descriptor

B Blank: nothing written or drawn in the space provided

The response is one of the following:

• a restatement of the question

I • illegible: cannot be read; completely crossed out or erased (paper version only); not
written in English
• irrelevant: does not attempt to answer the question or the topic of the question (e.g.,
has drawings, “I don’t know,” random characters, a comment about the task)
• off topic: unrelated to the text or question
The response attempts to explain what makes a leafcutter ant colony effective.

The response
10 • answers an aspect of the question, or
• provides inaccurate support from the text, or
• makes no reference to the text.
The response indicates a partial understanding of what makes a leafcutter ant colony effective.

The response provides

• vague support from the text and/or
20 • limited support from the text and/or
• irrelevant support from text.

The response requires the reader to connect the support to what it is intended to prove.
The response indicates an understanding by explaining what makes a leafcutter ant colony effective.

The response includes

• some accurate and relevant support and may also contain
30 • some vague or underdeveloped support.

The response requires the reader to make some connections between the support and what
it is intended to prove.

The response indicates an understanding by explaining fully what makes a leafcutter ant colony
40 effective and provides specific and relevant support.
 Scoring Guide for Open Response Question
Informational Text: Leafcutter Ants

Code 10
What makes a leafcutter ant colony effective? Explain using specific examples from
the text to support your answer.

Student Response:

The leafcutter ant colony is affective because they are well-structured

Annotation:
The response attempts to explain what makes a leafcutter ant colony effective by answering an aspect of
the question (e.g., …they are well-structured).

Code 20
What makes a leafcutter ant colony effective? Explain using specific examples from
the text to support your answer.

Student Response:

A leaf cutter ant colony is effective because “a leafcutter colony is capable of removing the
leaves of the tallest trees in a single day.”

Annotation:
The response indicates a partial understanding of what makes a leafcutter ant colony effective by
providing limited support from the text (e.g., …”a leafcutter colony is capable of removing the leaves of
the tallest trees in a single day.”). The response requires the reader to connect the support to what it is
intended to prove.
 Scoring Guide for Open Response Question
Informational Text: Leafcutter Ants

Code 30
What makes a leafcutter ant colony effective? Explain using specific examples from
the text to support your answer.

Student Response:

A leafcutter ant colony is effective by how the population is so big and the various “orders” of ants
responsible from different jobs. They work togethe to build a strong colony that protects them
from enemies and predators. They are strong enough to collect large leaves and defend their
colonies.

Annotation:
The response indicates an understanding by explaining what makes a leafcutter ant colony effective. The
response includes some accurate and relevant support (e.g., They work togethe to build a strong colony
that protects them from enemies and predators.) and some vague support (e.g., …how the population is so
big and the various “orders” of ants responsible from different jobs.). The response requires the reader to
make some connections between the support and what it is intended to prove.

Code 40
What makes a leafcutter ant colony effective? Explain using specific examples from
the text to support your answer.

Student Response:

The leafcut ant colony is effective because the are very organized with eact ant having a specail
resposiblity of job that will help the entire colony. Queen ants lay the eggs and the smaller
worker ats take care of them and grow fungus. Lager worker ants collect leaves and the soldier
ants defend the colony. Together will all of the leafcutter ants doing there job the can work fast
and efficently to have organized and good colony.

Annotation:
The response indicates an understanding by explaining fully what makes a leafcutter ant colony effective
(e.g., The leafcut ant colony is effective because the are very organized with eact ant having a specail
resposiblity or job that will help the entire colony) and provides specific and relevant support (e.g.,
…Queen ants lay the eggs and the smaller worker ats take care of them and grow fungus. Lager worker
ants collect leaves and the soldier ants defend the colony).