The following 8 Anchor Papers represent a range of score points and are used in conjunction with the rubrics to assess student responses.

Score for Anchor Paper #1: Rubric Score 1

Annotation: This response is related to the question and shows only minimal knowledge. Fragments of a basic idea are presented (children under the age of 4 or 5 pull paint from off apartment buildings' walls; it isn't safe), but the idea is skeletal and incomplete.

Score for Anchor Paper #2: Rubric Score 1

Annotation: This response is related to the question and shows only minimal knowledge. Although fragments of basic ideas are provided (the government has bigger things to deal with; they can provide money), these ideas are general and incomplete.

Score for Anchor Paper #3: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response shows knowledge of the state government's role in lead paint removal. Basic ideas are presented (trying to protect public safety and public health of its citizens; owners did not know that the paint they were using would soon be made illegal; the government should have to pay for it).

Score for Anchor Paper #4: Rubric Score 2

Annotation: This response shows knowledge of the state government's role in lead paint removal. Basic ideas (lead can be very poisonous and can be fatal if your level is too high; could become a big health issue) are provided with a little support (especially to children; for the safety of its citizens).

Score for Anchor Paper #5: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response shows some understanding of the state government's role in lead paint removal. Accurate concepts are supported (funds could be misused, not used at all, or bad work could be done; if the state brought in its own workers, the work, as well as the funds, could be regulated). Some evidence of higher order thinking skills is provided through appropriate application of comparison and contrast (the National {Federal} government is too large to devote time to such a small matter, and a local government is too small because the problem is not localized but is, in fact, throughout the state) and cause-and-effect reasoning (if the state hires people to do the work, the unemployment rate would go down).

Score for Anchor Paper #6: Rubric Score 3

Annotation: This response shows some understanding of the state government's role in lead paint removal. Accurate concepts are supported (it is the job of the government, whether federal or state, to protect its people; lead paint is dangerous and causes problems for people; apartment owners can't be expected to take on the burden). Appropriate application of cause-and-effect reasoning and the weighing of competing interests (if the government doesn't provide funds they will be paying for the brain-damaged child for the rest of his life; it would be cheaper to provide funds to the apartment owners than to pay increased Medicaid; spend money now to save money in the future) show some evidence of higher order thinking skills.

Score for Anchor Paper #7: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response shows understanding of the state government's role in lead paint removal. Concepts are accurate and well supported (promoting the general welfare of the people; putting the health of other citizens at risk; too many apartment buildings in the whole nation for the federal government to enforce removal laws; lead paint removal is a law). Powerful evidence of higher order thinking skills is demonstrated by extended application of analysis and evaluation (owners should not have to be bribed into following the law; although the U.S. has a mixed economy, it is mostly market; in a market economy, business owners use profits to pay for business expenses; paint removal is a business expense and should be paid for out of rents) and cause-and-effect reasoning (if the apartment owners want people to rent their apartments and be safe in them, then they should remove the paint on their own).

Score for Anchor Paper #8: Rubric Score 4

Annotation: This response shows understanding of the state government's role in lead paint removal. Accurate concepts are well supported (lead paint poisoning is very dangerous to people; the government should be doing all it can; the government should send out crews to inspect each building). Application of extensive analysis and evaluation (much easier than giving the apartment owners money; because it cuts out the middleman; state workers would know what to do and do it faster and cheaper), integrated with cause-and-effect reasoning (would save the state government and the taxpayers money that could be used for other things, like education and fighting crime), demonstrates powerful evidence of higher order thinking skills.

Additional Scored Student Responses