The following 14 Sample Student Responses represent a range of score points.

Score for Sample Student Response #1: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response demonstrates an incomplete application of a reasonable strategy. The student has calculated the amount of grass seed needed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation to support the solution is incomplete. No explanation is provided for the incorrect area (803.84) of the flowerbeds. The incorrect area for the flowerbeds caused the student to then calculate the incorrect answer of 1 pound of grass seed. The response demonstrates a conceptual understanding and analysis of the problem. Compare to Anchor Paper #3.

Score for Sample Student Response #2: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response indicates application of a reasonable strategy that leads to the correct solution in the context of the problem. The student has calculated the amount of grass seed needed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation shows all work supporting the solution, and it is clearly presented and fully developed. The student provides the correct answer of 2 pounds of grass seed. The response demonstrates a complete understanding and analysis of the problem. Compare to Anchor Paper #8.

Score for Sample Student Response #3: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response demonstrates application of a reasonable strategy. The student has calculated the amount of grass seed needed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation to support the solution is not well developed. The correct area to be planted is present, but the explanation is unsupported by calculations ("…if you find the area of the lawn and subtract the area of the sidewalk and flowers, you find that 2 lbs. would meet her needs"). The student provides the correct answer of 2 pounds of grass seed with the appropriate understanding that "the area she needs to cover is 383 ft² so 2 pounds would be more than enough because that covers 500 ft²." Lack of a well-developed explanation in this response demonstrates a clear, rather than complete, understanding and analysis of the problem.

Score for Sample Student Response #4: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response indicates application of a reasonable strategy that leads to the correct solution in the context of the problem. The student has calculated the amount of grass seed needed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation, showing all work supporting the solution, is clearly presented and fully developed. The student provides the correct answer of 2 pounds of grass seed. The response demonstrates a complete understanding and analysis of the problem. Compare to Anchor Paper #8.

Score for Sample Student Response #5: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response indicates application of a reasonable strategy. The student has calculated the amount of grass seed needed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation to support the solution reveals an error in the calculation of the area of the flowerbeds, with the student neglecting to square the radius in his/her formula. The error is carried through in an otherwise fully explained, reasonable strategy. The response demonstrates a clear understanding and analysis of the problem. Compare to Anchor Paper #5.

Score for Sample Student Response #6: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response indicates application of a reasonable strategy. The student has calculated the amount of grass seed needed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation supports the solution and is generally well developed, but lacks detail. Correct values are present, including the correct answer and the broad strategy outlined, but the operations performed for calculating the areas are not demonstrated. The response demonstrates a clear understanding and analysis of the problem.

Score for Sample Student Response #7: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response demonstrates an incomplete application of a reasonable strategy. The strategy the student has employed estimates grass seed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The student calculates the area of the garden and subtracts the sidewalk. The explanation for this portion is complete. The student's correct value of 1044 square feet for the area calculated thus far is correct. 1044 square feet is close to the 1000 square feet 4 pounds of grass seed will cover, so the student apparently stops working. "If you take out the area of the flowers it will be less than 1,000 sq. feet which gives her enough seed." The student possibly assumes that grass seed comes only in 4 lb. bags, and based on that assumption, he/she is correct. The student has not completed all the work that was required since the area of the flowerbeds was not calculated, but all elements were considered in a reasonable strategy of estimation. The response demonstrates a conceptual understanding and analysis of the problem. Compare to Anchor Paper #3.

Score for Sample Student Response #8: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response demonstrates application of a reasonable strategy. The student has calculated the amount of grass seed needed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation to support the solution reveals an error in the final determination of the amount of grass seed, with the student neglecting to multiply his/her value for pounds of grass seed needed by 4, resulting in the incorrect answer of 1 pound of grass seed. Only a final step is absent from an otherwise fully explained, reasonable strategy; but the student does not have the correct response of 2 pounds that is required for the score of 4. The response demonstrates a clear understanding and analysis of the problem.

Score for Sample Student Response #9: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response demonstrates an incomplete application of a reasonable strategy. The student has calculated the amount of grass seed needed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation supporting the solution reveals a computation error in the final calculation for the grass area (192x2=394, instead of the correct answer of 384.) Explanation for the calculation of grass seed reveals an error in analysis, with the student dividing 1000 by 394, resulting in the incorrect answer of 3 pounds of grass seed. (The student should have divided 384 by 250 to arrive at the correct amount of grass seed.) The response demonstrates a conceptual understanding and analysis of the problem. Compare to Anchor Paper #4.

Score for Sample Student Response #10: Rubric Score 1

Annotation: This response indicates little attempt to apply a reasonable strategy. The student has correctly calculated the area of the garden minus the area of the sidewalk and has provided explanation for that value. However, there is no demonstration of any strategy that considers the area of the flowers. The response then demonstrates a strategy for calculating the amount of grass seed needed for his/her calculated area and arrives at the incorrect answer of 4 pounds of seed. Without consideration of all the areas, the response does not demonstrate a reasonable strategy for the entire problem. The response demonstrates a minimal understanding and analysis of the problem. Compare to Anchor Paper #2.

Score for Sample Student Response #11: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response indicates application of a reasonable strategy that leads to the correct solution in the context of the problem. The student has calculated the amount of grass seed needed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation showing all work supporting the solution is clearly presented and fully developed. The student provides the correct answer of 2 pounds of grass seed. The response demonstrates a complete understanding and analysis of the problem Compare to Anchor Paper #8.

Score for Sample Student Response #12: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response indicates application of a reasonable strategy. The student has calculated the amount of grass seed needed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation supports the solution and is well developed except for the final calculation of grass seed. The response has only the correct answer of grass seed, which supports a reasonable strategy, but there is no explanation of that strategy or calculation. Without a fully developed explanation, the response demonstrates a clear understanding and analysis of the problem, rather than a complete one. Compare to Anchor Paper #6.

Score for Sample Student Response #13: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response demonstrates an incomplete application of a reasonable strategy. The student has attempted to calculate the amount of grass seed needed after considering the area of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation to support the solution is not well developed. The correct area of the garden is present, as well as the correct area to be planted, but the explanation is unsupported by calculations ("I took out the area of the sidewalk and flowerbed"). Explanation for the calculation of grass seed reveals an error in analysis, with the student dividing 1000 by 383.6, resulting in the incorrect answer of 3 pounds of grass seed. The student does not have the correct response of 2 pounds that is required for the score of 4. The response demonstrates a conceptual understanding and analysis of the problem.

Score for Sample Student Response #14: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response indicates application of a reasonable strategy that leads to the correct solution in the context of the problem. The student has calculated the amount of grass seed needed after considering the areas of the garden, sidewalk, and flowerbeds. The explanation showing all work supporting the solution is clearly presented and fully developed. The student provides the correct answer of 2 lbs. of grass seed. The response demonstrates a complete understanding and analysis of the problem. Compare to Anchor Paper #8.

Anchor Papers used in scoring