Grade 8 Social Studies
Short Constructed Response
Scoring Guide
Spring 2023
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all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written permission from
Texas Education Agency.
s
State
of
Texas Assessments
of
Academic Readiness
Grade 8 Social Studies
Short Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2023
2
General Information
Beginning with the 2022–2023 school year, social studies assessments include short
constructed-response questions at every assessed grade level. Students are asked to
provide a short response to a question. Responses are scored using a prompt-specific,
two-point rubric.
This State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR
®
) constructed-response
scoring guide provides student exemplars at all score points for constructed-response
questions from the STAAR grade 8 social studies operational test. The questions are presented
as they appeared on the test, and responses were scored based on the two-point rubrics
that were developed with the input of Texas educators. A response earns a specific score
point based on the completeness of the response provided as measured against the rubric.
The responses in this guide are actual student responses submitted online during the testing
window. To protect the privacy of individual students, all names and other references of a
personal nature have been altered or removed. Otherwise, the responses appear as the
students wrote them and have not been modified.
Grade 8 Social Studies
Short Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2023
3
Grade 8 Short Constructed Response
Prompt
Select TWO of the following issues. How was each issue a cause of the
American Revolution?
• Proclamation of 1763
• The Stamp Act
• Lack of representation in Parliament
• British economic policies following the French and Indian War
Think about the question carefully. Then enter your answer in the box provided.
Item-Specific Rubric
Score: 2
Score two points for correct answers that include references to any two:
Proclamation of 1763:
• The British restricted/prevented westward expansion and settlement.
Stamp Act:
• All colonists had to pay taxes on documents and paper.
• Taxes had to be paid in silver, which was difficult to acquire.
Unfair taxation/lack of representation in Parliament:
• Colonists had to pay taxes that were created by a government in which they did not
have representation.
British economic policies following the French and Indian War:
• The British used taxes from the colonies to pay off debt from the war.
Score: 1
The response provides only half of the correct details.
Score: 0
The response is incorrect or irrelevant.
Grade 8 Social Studies
Short Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2023
4
Sample Student Responses
Score Point 0
Response 1
The response attempts to address the prompt but is not specific enough to earn credit.
An issue from the prompt is not named or explained.
Response 2
The response does not address how the issues caused the Revolutionary War.
Response 3
The response attempts to address the prompt, but the reasoning provided is too vague
and undeveloped (“many the people did not like the Stamp Acts and what it was
doing. . . . British was just using the people and wasn’t being fair to them”). A more
specific explanation is required to earn a score point.
Response 4
The response attempts to address the prompt but provides an incorrect explanation of the
first issue (“britian and America stop trading”). The explanation provided for the Stamp Act
is too vague to receive credit.
All
of
these lead to the anger and unsatisfaction
of
the american citizens so they decided to
fight back.
Proclamation
of
1763- It caused wars/fights with ative Americans.
British economic policies- Caused
war
with Britian
The Stamp Act was an issue to cause the American Revolution because many the people did
not like the Stamp Acts and what
it
was doing. The British econimic policies following the
French and Indian War were an issue to cause the American Revolution because British was
just using the people and wasn't being fair
to
them.
British economic policies following the french an indian war and the stamp act lead to the
American revolution because britian and America stop trading and the stamp act gave more
money to the govennent so America started the America revolution to produce there own
resorces.
Grade 8 Social Studies
Short Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2023
5
Score Point 1
Response 1
The response addresses only one of the issues from the prompt (“stamp act put texes on
paper and other stuff”).
Response 2
The response earns credit for the explanation of lack of representation in Parliament
(“Americans wanted to be able to have a say in what laws and acts were passed in
parliment”). No explanation of the Stamp Act is provided.
Response 3
The response earns credit for adequately explaining unfair taxation/lack of representation in
Parliament (“people were paying taxes in order to live in a place where they had no say”).
The explanation provided for the Stamp Act is incorrect.
Response 4
The issue of lack of representation in Parliament is sufficient for credit (“because the
colonists did not want to be taxed without representation”). The explanation provided for
the Proclamation of 1763 is lacking in detail and does not receive credit (“it was one of the
first times that the colonists didn’t get want they wanted”).
stamp act put texes on paper and other stuff which made the poeple mad
Americans wanted to be able to have a say in what laws and acts were passed in parliment,
such as the Stamp Act, but the British did not allow it leading to Americans to protest.
Lack
of
representation in Parliament - Let's start with the saying the "No taxation without
representation" on how people were paying taxes in order to live in a place where they had
no say they basically a riot or sorta protest.
The Stamp Act -
An
act which the british government I believe proclaimed as a chance to
oppress the people into doing as the British government bid.
The Proclamation
of
1863 directly correlated to the Revolution because it was one
of
the
first times that the colonists didn't get want they wanted. Lack
of
representation in
Parliament also contributed because the colonists did not want to be taxed without
representation.
Grade 8 Social Studies
Short Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2023
6
Score Point 2
Response 1
The response provides relevant explanation for two causes of the American Revolution (“the
citizens felt as if they had no say in anything tat happened within the Parliament. . . . Great
Britian was in loas of debt so they reated several taxes which angered the citizens”). There
is minimal explanation, but enough reasoning is given to achieve two points.
Response 2
The response adequately explains the Proclamation of 1763 and its contribution to the
cause of the American Revolution (“because it would not let people settle to the west of the
appilation mountains”). A second issue, the Stamp Act, is also explained (“paper, books,
and even letters were taxted on the american people”).
Response 3
The response succinctly explains two causes of the American Revolution: the Proclamation
of 1763 (“because the people were angry thet they could not settle their territories”) and
the Stamp Act (“people were angry that they had to pay to use every day objects like
paper”). Details are minimal but adequate for credit.
The lack
of
representation in the Parliament was a big factor in the American Revolution
because the citizens felt as
if
they had no say in anything tat happened within the Parliament.
After the French and Indian War Great Britian was in loas
of
debt so they reated several
taxes which angered the citizens.
The proclamation
of
1763 was a cause because it would not let people settle to the west
of
the appilation mountains even though people fought and died for that land.
The stamp act was a cause because paper, books, and even letters were taxted on the
american people.
the proclamation
of
1763 was a cause
of
the american revolution because the people were
angry thet they could not settle their territories.
the stamp act was a cause
of
the american revolution because the people were angry that
they had to
pay
to use every day objects like paper.
Grade 8 Social Studies
Short Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2023
7
Response 4
The response provides an explanation of the Stamp Act (“Taxed all printed material”) and
also provides a thorough explanation of the effects of the lack of representation in Parliament
(“The British Monarchy did not account for the general populations opionons. . . . this
frustruated the colonists . . .”).
The Stamp Act - Taxed all printed material. This angered the colonists and became on
eof
the
reasons they colonies wanted to seperate from Great Britain.
Lack
of
repersentation in Parliment- The British Monarchy did not account for the general
populations opionons. They
just
did whatever they pleased, this frustruated the colonists and
created a reason for them to break away.
Grade 8 Social Studies
Short Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2023
8
Grade 8 Short Constructed Response
Prompt
This list describes circumstances in New England in 1816.
The Year without a Summer, 1816
• Volcanic eruptions in Asia caused weather changes
around the globe.
• New England experienced a summer with very
cold
temperatures.
• Crops failed across the region.
Based on the list and your knowledge of the U.S. free-enterprise system, what happened
to the price of wheat in 1816 AND why?
Think about the questions carefully. Then enter your answer to BOTH questions in the
box provided.
Item-Specific Rubric
Score: 2
Score two points for correct answers that include a reference to both:
Price of wheat:
• The price of wheat went up.
• Wheat was more expensive.
Reason price increased:
• When there was less wheat, more people wanted to buy it, so sellers raised
their prices.
• When there was less wheat, it had to be imported from other areas, so the
price increased.
Score: 1
The response provides only half of the correct details.
Score: 0
The response is incorrect or irrelevant.
Grade 8 Social Studies
Short Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2023
9
Sample Student Responses
Score Point 0
Response 1
The student response is irrelevant to the prompt.
Response 2
The response incorrectly identifies the change in the price of wheat (“the price of wheat
went down”). The reason for the price change is also incorrect (“so people would buy it”).
Response 3
This response describes an incorrect change in the price of wheat (“the price of wheat went
down”). Two incorrect reasons for the price change are named (“you were able to send
them easier and they became a very easy thing to farm”).
Response 4
The response incorrectly identifies the change in the price of wheat (“wheat become
cheaper”). The reason provided is also incorrect (“Andrew Jackson wanted the US to be
equal so the poor can buy too”).
Score Point 1
Response 1
The student response correctly identifies what happened to the price of wheat (“the price of
weat went up”). The reason that the price increased is incorrect (“due to the war”).
new england experienced a summer with very cold temperature.
the price
of
wheat went down so people would buy it
the price
of
wheat went down because you were
ab
le to send them easier and they became a very easy thing to fann.
The price
of
wheat become cheaper because Andrew Jackson wanted the US to be equal so the poor can buy too, he did this
to
make everything the equal amount
of
money for this
the price
of
weat
went
up
due to the
war
Grade 8 Social Studies
Short Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2023
10
Response 2
The change of price provided is incorrect (“the price dropped”). The reason provided is
acceptable for credit (“they werent making a lot og wheat”).
Response 3
The student response provided regarding the price of wheat is correct (“The wheat gonna
cost more money . . .”). The reason provided is irrelevant to the prompt (“they gonna be in
cold tempertures and not in a summer year”).
Response 4
The price change is incorrect (“The price for wheat in 1816 went down”). The reason
provided is sufficient to imply a scarcity of wheat and thus earns credit (“they started to
loose there crops. . . . Volcanic eruptions and cold tempetures drestroyed it all”).
Score Point 2
Response 1
The response minimally addresses the demands of the prompt, yet provides answers to
both questions (“It went up. Becuase there was such limited quanity of it”).
Response 2
The student response correctly identifies that the price of wheat increased (“The price of
wheat rised”). The reason provided is a correct explanation of the concept presented in the
rubric (“when a supply is limited and there is demand, the prices will rise”).
the
price
dropped
because
they
werent
making
a
lot
og
wheat
The
wheat
gonna cost more
money
to buy wheat because they gonna
be
in cold tempertures and not in a
summer
year.
The price for wheat in 1816 went down because they started to loose there crops from across the region.Volcanic eruptions and
cold tempetures drestroyed it all making buisness go down.
It
went up. Becuase there was such limited quanity
of
it.
The price
of
wheat rised. I know this because
of
supply and demand, when a supply
is
limited and there
is
demand, the prices
will rise
Grade 8 Social Studies
Short Constructed Response Scoring Guide
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
2023
11
Response 3
The student response correctly identifies that the price of wheat increased (“the price must
go up . . .”). The response also includes a relevant explanation (“supply and demand says
that the price must go up to coincide with . . . low amount of resoures”).
Response 4
The response correctly identifies the price change and a relevant explanation (“Since the
cold weather made it hard to grow wheat, wheat would be more expensive because it
grew less”).
Because New England did not have a proper growing season, their crops were unable
to
grow and eventually died. Thus, since
there
is
less wheat, supply and demand says that the price must go up
to
coincide with the harder manual labor and low amount
of
resoures.
Since crops failed, wheat would probably raise
in price. Since the cold weather made it hard to grow wheat, wheat would be
more expensive because it grew less. They could sell their wheat like that because
of
the U.S system.
