The following 16 Sample Student Responses represent a range of score points.

Score for Sample Student Response #1: Rubric Score 1

Annotation: This response contains evidence of some understanding of the question. The student names and briefly describes one way to determine evolutionary relationships (DNA, see if there are any matches in the sequence). No explanations are given as to why the cloudrunner's DNA is being compared with similar animals or what any matches in the DNA sequence would mean. The supporting details are minimally effective.

Score for Sample Student Response #2: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a basic understanding of the question. The student suggests looking for animals with phenotypes similar to the cloudrunner and trying to determine evolutionary relationships by looking for matches in the DNA. The supporting details are adequate, and the use of accurate scientific terminology (phenotypes) is present. Compare to Anchor Paper #3.

Score for Sample Student Response #3: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a full and complete understanding of the question. The use of pertinent and complete supporting details demonstrates an integration of ideas. Several types of evidence that are used to determine evolutionary relationships are listed and described (compare the number of amino acid differences; look at…the banding on the chromosomes; look at embryological development; look at homologous structures, look at vestigial features). An extensive amount of elaboration, particularly about amino acids, is given. Accurate scientific terminology (macromolecules; amino acids; hemoglobin differences; karyotypes; embryological development; natural selection; homologous features; and vestigial features) enhances this response. Explanations provided by the student exhibit a complete synthesis of information Compare to Anchor Paper #8.

Score for Sample Student Response #4: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a good understanding of the question. The student uses generally complete supporting details to discuss comparative anatomy (externally a biologist could look for vestigial structures; internally, a biologist could examine the animals bone structure and compare it to another species; take the eggs or embryos of two species and monitor them as they grow). The first two types of evidence, vestigial structures and bone structure, clearly explained how they can be used to establish an evolutionary relationship, while the discussion for embryology is not as developed (vestigial structures…would indicate that both species descended from an ancestor with that trait; If the bone structure is similar that could mean that both species descended from an ancestor with the same bone structure as them). The use of accurate scientific terminology (vestigial structures and embryology) strengthens the response. Compare to Anchor Paper #8.

Score for Sample Student Response #5: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a basic understanding of the question. The student identifies two techniques that can be used to determine evolutionary relationships (by comparing DNA; compare the way there bodies are made up to the way other animals bodies are made up; its body would probably be built the same). The supporting details are adequate. Compare to Anchor Paper #4.

Score for Sample Student Response #6: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a good understanding of the question. The supporting details are generally complete. Several ways to determine the cloudrunner's evolutionary relationship to other animals are given (habitat, food source interaction with one another; phenotype, such as homologous/analogous features, vestigial organs, embryonic development; test for the number of amino acids in sequence it shares with other animals). The student discusses how the comparison of amino acid sequences can be used to demonstrate relatedness (the closer related they are, the more amino acids will be the same). The use of accurate scientific terminology (phenotype; homologous/analogous features, vestigial organs, and embryonic development) strengthens the response. To earn a higher score, the student must expand this list of ideas with more elaboration and some integration of ideas. Compare to Anchor Paper #6.

Score for Sample Student Response #7: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a full and complete understanding of the question. Through the use of pertinent and complete supporting details, the student discusses the types of evidence (DNA samples; skeletal structure) that could be used to determine the evolutionary relationship. In the complete elaboration of each, the student provides an integration of ideas (similarities in nucleotides bases will help determine if it is related to other animals…more nucleotide bases in common it will help conclude the relationship; skeletal structure…can be compared to that of other animals…similarities in the structure and its use, it might prove to be related.) The use of accurate scientific terminology enhances the response. (nucleotide bases; x-ray; skeletal structure; DNA). Compare to Anchor Paper #7.

Score for Sample Student Response #8: Rubric Score 1

Annotation: This response contains evidence of some understanding of the question. The student refers to "genetics and traits" as a means to determine an evolutionary relationship (see what a cloudrunner has in common with other species). The brief explanation of how this demonstrates evolutionary relationship needs more elaboration for a higher score. The supporting details are minimally effective.

Score for Sample Student Response #9: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a basic understanding of the question. The student identifies and briefly describes one technique for determining evolutionary relationships (take a DNA sample of the animal and try to compare it with similar animals). Supporting details are adequate. To earn a higher score, the student must expand the list of techniques and provide a more detailed explanation of each technique. Compare to Anchor Paper #3.

Score for Sample Student Response #10: Rubric Score 1

Annotation: This response contains evidence of some understanding of the question. The student superficially addresses the question by suggesting that "They could study the cloudrunners characteristics and compare them to other animals." This suggestion fails to clarify the "characteristics" or to specify how this evidence would demonstrate an evolutionary relationship. The supporting details in this response are minimally effective. Compare to Anchor Paper #1.

Score for Sample Student Response #11: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a good understanding of the question. By providing several types of evidence (electrophoresis, bone structure, and mitochondrial DNA) and relating how they can show evolutionary relationships, the response reflects some elaboration of information. The accurate use of scientific terminology (electrophoresis; mitochondrial DNA) strengthens the response. More elaboration about how these techniques demonstrate evolutionary relationships is needed for a higher score. Compare to Anchor Paper #6.

Score for Sample Student Response #12: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a full and complete understanding of the question. The supporting details are pertinent and complete and provide an integration of ideas. The student identifies and explains several ways to determine evolutionary relationships (look for similar structures of the organism in the fossil record; compare the amino acid sequence of the cloudrunner to other similar species; by looking at vestigal structures). These explanations demonstrate a synthesis of information. (If the sequence is similar to another species, the biologists could use the information to link them back to a similar ancestor; they can do this by looking at vestigal structures, which were of use to an animal's ancestors, but of no use in present time. This could link the cloudrunner to an ancestor from which it evolved.) The use of accurate scientific terminology (amino acid sequence, vestigial structures) enhances the response. Compare to Anchor Paper #7.

Score for Sample Student Response #13: Rubric Score 1

Annotation: This response contains evidence of some understanding of the question. The supporting details are minimally effective. The student briefly mentions one way to determine an evolutionary relationship (the resemblance it has to other animals). Compare to Anchor Paper #1.

Score for Sample Student Response #14: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a basic understanding of the question. The student compares the cloudrunner's bone structure, DNA sequences, and general physiology to other animals and then looks for similarities. The supporting details are adequate. Compare to Anchor Paper #1.

Score for Sample Student Response #15: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a good understanding of the question. Types of evidence (bone structure and DNA) are listed and how they demonstrate an evolutionary relationship are explained (skeletal structure…may be similar to that of a squirrel or a cat. If so then scientist may hypothesize that a coldrunner has descended from a cat or squirrel; take some of the coldrunners DNA and compare it to the DNA of a squirrel and then to that of a cat…Whichever set of DNA…is more similar could be what a coldrunner descended from.) Supporting details are generally complete. More elaboration and/or scientific terminology are needed for a higher score.

Score for Sample Student Response #16: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response contains evidence of a full and complete understanding of the question. The supporting details are pertinent and complete and provide an integration of ideas. The student describes three techniques (comparative anatomy, amino acids, and fossil records) and explains how each would demonstrate evolutionary relationships (this technique compares the shapes and functions of structures in different animals to see how similar they are; when two animals have more similar genes, it shows that they are somehow related; fossil records…show how and from what animals have evolved over time). The use of accurate scientific terminology enhances the response (amino acids; genes; evolved; species). Compare to Anchor Paper #7.

Anchor Papers used in scoring