Free printable
STAAR ECR Student Checklist
A one-page student checklist for the STAAR RLA extended constructed response, built from TEA's two-trait rubric: what earns each point, the grade-level extras, and the zero rule.
For students · Grades 3–8 · English I and II · 1 page · PDF
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How to use it: The STAAR Writing Test Explained: A Guide for Texas Teachers
What's on the sheet
How your essay is scored
| Trait | Points |
|---|---|
| Development and Organization of Ideas | 0–3 |
| Conventions | 0–2 |
| Each scorer’s total | 5 |
Two scorers read your essay. Their scores are added, so you can earn up to 10 points.
The zero rule
If your essay earns 0 in Development and Organization of Ideas, it also earns 0 in Conventions.
Perfect spelling can’t rescue an essay that doesn’t answer the prompt.
Before you write
Underline the prompt’s task. Is it informational, argumentative, or (grades 3–5) opinion? Then write your claim or main idea in one sentence.
Development and Organization of Ideas (0–3)
- My claim or controlling idea is clear and answers the exact prompt.
- My essay has an introduction, body paragraphs that each have a job, and a conclusion.
- I used specific, well-chosen, relevant evidence from the text.
- After each piece of evidence, I explained how it supports my claim.
- My words are clear and precise.
- Grade 6 and up, paired passages: I used evidence from both texts.
- Grade 8 and up, argument: I named a counterargument and showed why it doesn’t hold up.
Conventions (0–2)
- My sentences are complete and correctly built.
- I checked punctuation, capitalization, grammar and spelling.
- I reread the whole essay once, start to finish.
What a 3 sounds like on the argument rubric: the argument is “clear and fully developed” and the evidence is “specific, well chosen, and relevant.” A 2 is there but thin. A 1 is there but not developed.
Student summary based on TEA's 2026 Grade 8 RLA Constructed-Response Scoring Guide. Rubric wording varies by grade and mode; this is not an official TEA document.