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Short Constructed Response Rubric
Short Constructed Response Rubric
Starting in the 2022–2023 school year, science tests include short written-response questions at every tested grade level. For these questions, students write a brief answer to explain their thinking.
Each response is scored using a simple two-point rubric that looks at how complete and accurate the answer is
This STAAR guide shows real examples of student answers from the Grade 5 science test at each score level. The questions and scoring were created with input from Texas educators.
All student responses shown are real, but names and personal details have been removed to protect privacy. The answers are shown exactly as students wrote them.
Item-Specific Rubric
Item-Specific Rubric
Score: 2
The response provides complete and correct understanding.
The student response includes BOTH:
• Starlings lay more eggs AND produce more eggs per year/produce eggs more
frequently.
OR
• Puffins lay fewer eggs AND produce fewer eggs per year/produce eggs less
frequently.
OR
• The starling lays 4-6 eggs twice per year AND the puffin lays 1 egg per year.
Score: 1
The student answers half of the question correctly. The response provides partial
understanding.
• Starlings lay more eggs OR produce more eggs per year/produce eggs more
frequently.
OR
• Puffins lay fewer eggs OR produce fewer eggs per year/produce eggs less frequently.
OR
• The starling lays 4-6 eggs twice per year.
Score: 0 The response is incorrect or irrelevant. The response provides little to no understanding.
Sample Student Responses
Sample Student Responses
Score Point 0
Score Point 0
Response 1
The European starling has a better population size because they lay four to six eggs of year which means they reproduce alot a year which increases their population plus they live in a more better enviorment where there is more population of their prey and food also another reason is cause their food is easy to find and track down.
The response does not correctly answer the question and shows very little understanding of the topic.
The student attempts to talk about how many eggs the European starling lays, but the information is incomplete and not accurate. While the student mentions that starlings lay “a lot” of eggs, they do not clearly compare this to the puffin or explain that starlings lay more eggs per year.
The egg-laying information is also stated incorrectly, which makes it unclear how often starlings reproduce. Because of this, the response does not clearly explain why starlings have a larger population.
The student also gives reasons such as starlings having a better environment or easier access to food. However, these ideas are assumptions and are not supported by the data provided in the question.
Response 2
beacause the puffin only lays 1 egg per year
The response does not fully answer the question and shows limited understanding.
The student correctly states how many eggs a puffin lays, but does not compare this information to the European starling. Only giving facts about the puffin does not explain why the starling has a much larger population.
To improve the response, the student needs to clearly compare the two birds by explaining that puffins lay fewer eggs or reproduce less often than starlings. Making this comparison would help explain the difference in their population sizes.
Response 3
The European Starling has a greater populatin size than then the Atlantic Puffis because, the European Starling has a much more stronger body than the Atlantic Puffins. Annother reason the European Starling has a greater population size is mainly because, It gets more food Just by using Its pointed beak, and strong legs and toes It has to catch Its prey
The response does not answer the question correctly and shows little understanding of the topic.
The student does not explain or compare how often either bird lays eggs. Instead, the response focuses on body features and adaptations. While these traits may help birds survive, they do not explain why starlings have a much larger population.
To improve the answer, the student needs to focus on egg-laying quantity or frequency and compare the starling and the puffin to explain the difference in population size.
Score Point 1
Score Point 1
Response 1
The Eurpean starling has a population of 150 million individuals, while the Atlantic puffin as a population size between 12 million and 14 million because acording to the table above it says that the European starling lays about 4 to six eggs twice a year but the Atlantic puffin lays 1 egg per year and after 2 years the Atlantic puffin will only lay 2 eggs while the European starling will lay about 4 to 6 eggs in 2 years so that is why the European starling has more population because they lay more eggs.
The student answers part of the question correctly and shows some understanding.
They correctly compare how many eggs each bird lays: the European starling lays 4–6 eggs, while the Atlantic puffin lays 1 egg. This comparison helps explain why starlings can have a larger population.
However, the student makes a mistake when talking about how often the starling lays eggs. The starling does not lay only 4–6 eggs in two years. It lays 4–6 eggs multiple times, so over two years it would be much more (about 16–24 eggs in two years).
Response 2
there are more starlings than puffins because starlings lay ten times more eggs than puffins
The response answers part of the question correctly and shows some understanding.
The student correctly explains that European starlings lay many more eggs than Atlantic puffins, which helps explain why starlings have a larger population. Saying that starlings lay “ten times more eggs” is reasonable when talking about how many eggs they lay.
However, the student does not explain how often each bird lays eggs. To fully answer the question, the response also needs to compare the egg-laying frequency of starlings and puffins.
Response 3
The European starling has a bigger population due to the amount of eggs laid, and the amount of times the birds layed them.
The response shows partial understanding and answers part of the question correctly.
The student correctly recognizes that how many eggs starlings lay and how often they lay eggs are important reasons why starlings have a larger population.
However, the response does not include specific numbers or compare the starling to the puffin. To fully answer the question, the student needs to explain how many eggs each bird lays and how often, and clearly compare the two to show why the starling’s population is larger.
Score Point 2
Score Point 2
Response 1
Many of the food sources that the European starling depends on are fruits, seeds, and berries, which all cannot move by themselves, making them all easier to get, while the Atlantic puffin eats things such as small fish, which swim away from the Atlantic puffins, making it harder to catch. Another reason why the puffins could have a smaller population than the European starling is that they give birth to less offspring every year, the table showing that they lay one egg per year, while starlings lay four to six eggs twice a year, allowing them to reproduce more often.
The response shows a full and correct understanding of the question.
The student clearly explains two correct reasons why the European starling has a larger population than the Atlantic puffin. In fact, the student gives more than two comparisons and explains them well.
The student correctly compares how many eggs each bird lays and how often they lay eggs. They explain that puffins lay one egg per year, while starlings lay four to six eggs twice a year, which clearly helps explain the difference in population size.
The student also mentions food sources, but this idea is not needed to explain population size, since both birds face challenges when finding food. Even so, the response still correctly answers the question because the required comparisons about egg-laying are accurate and complete.
Response 2
it produce more babys per year then the puffin the puffin only lays one egg and starling makes 4 to 6
The response shows full and correct understanding of the question.
The student clearly explains two correct reasons why the European starling has a larger population than the Atlantic puffin. They correctly compare how many eggs each bird lays and how often the birds reproduce.
The student explains that puffins lay one egg, while starlings lay four to six eggs, and also explains that starlings reproduce more times per year than puffins. Using the word “babies” instead of “eggs” is acceptable because the meaning is clear.
The student does not need to calculate the exact total number of eggs in a year. Instead, they correctly use comparison words to show that starlings lay more eggs per year than puffins, which meets the expectations of the rubric.
Response 3
One reason is that the European starling lays 4-6 eggs twice a year and the atlantic puffin only lays 1 egg a year.
The response shows full and correct understanding of the question.
The student correctly explains two reasons why the European starling has a larger population than the Atlantic puffin. They accurately compare how many eggs each bird lays and how often they lay eggs.
The student explains that starlings lay 4–6 eggs twice a year, while puffins lay only 1 egg per year, which clearly explains the difference in population size.
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