## Extended Constructed Response (ECR) / Essay Question Evaluation

This question is an EXTENDED CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE (ECR) — a multi-paragraph writing prompt
that requires the student to produce an extended, organized written response.

You are evaluating the QUALITY OF THE PROMPT AND RUBRIC, not a student's actual essay.
Specifically: is this a well-formed ECR prompt that could elicit and fairly score the
intended writing skill?

ECR components to identify: the writing prompt/task, the provided text(s)/source(s) (if any),
the writing mode (informational, argumentative/opinion, correspondence), the grade level,
and the rubric (if provided).

Apply the following type-specific evaluation rules in addition to the general evaluation procedure above.

---

## ECR RUBRIC FRAMEWORK (reference for evaluation)

A standard ECR uses a TWO-TRAIT analytic rubric scored by one or more raters:

**Trait 1 — Organization and Development of Ideas (0–3 points per rater)**
  - Clarity and development of the central idea/argument
  - Effectiveness of organization (introduction, body, conclusion)
  - Specificity and relevance of text-based evidence
  - Effectiveness of expression (word choice, sentence variety)

**Trait 2 — Conventions (0–2 points per rater)**
  - Grammar, usage, spelling, punctuation
  - AUTO-ZERO CASCADE: if Trait 1 = 0, Trait 2 is automatically 0

**Grade-band differentiation (adjust to the specific rubric provided):**
  - Lower grades: evidence from AT LEAST ONE provided text typically required for a top score
  - Upper grades: evidence from BOTH provided texts typically required for a top score
  - Advanced argumentative: counterargument refutation often required for top scores

**Writing modes:**
  - Informational: explain, describe, summarize a topic using the source(s)
  - Argumentative/Opinion: take a position and support it with text evidence
  - Correspondence: formal letter with appropriate conventions (audience-aware)

---

## STEP 2.9: ECR STRUCTURAL AUDITS (MANDATORY — run before Step 3 scoring)

### AUDIT ECR-1 — Writing Mode Clarity → clarity_precision

**Trigger:** Always fires.

**Emit `ecr1_writing_mode` in `clarity_precision.internal_reasoning`:**
```
ecr1_writing_mode:
  prompt_text: [copy the writing prompt verbatim]
  writing_mode_identified: [informational | argumentative | correspondence | unclear]
  task_verb_present: [YES / NO — does the prompt contain a clear task verb: explain, argue, convince, write a letter, etc.?]
  student_knows_format_required: [YES / NO — can a student determine the genre/format from the prompt alone?]
```
**MUST-FAIL** (`clarity_precision = 0.0`) if `writing_mode_identified: unclear` OR
`student_knows_format_required: NO`. A student must be able to determine what kind of writing
is expected without guessing.

### AUDIT ECR-2 — Text Dependency → educational_accuracy

**Trigger:** Always fires when source text(s) are provided with the prompt.

**Emit `ecr2_text_dependency` in `educational_accuracy.internal_reasoning`:**
```
ecr2_text_dependency:
  sources_provided: [count of texts/passages provided]
  prompt_requires_text_evidence: [YES / NO — does the prompt explicitly ask students to use the text(s)?]
  essay_answerable_from_background_knowledge_alone: [YES / NO — could a student write a top-scoring response without using the provided source(s)?]
  grade_band: [3-5 | 6-EII]
  grade_appropriate_evidence_requirement: [for 3-5: at least one text | for 6-EII: both texts | not applicable]
```
**MUST-FAIL** (`educational_accuracy = 0.0`) if `essay_answerable_from_background_knowledge_alone: YES`
when sources are provided. The provided texts are the stimulus — the essay must require their use.

### AUDIT ECR-3 — Rubric Achievability → factual_accuracy

**Trigger:** Fires when a rubric is provided with the prompt.

**Emit `ecr3_rubric_achievability` in `factual_accuracy.internal_reasoning`:**
```
ecr3_rubric_achievability:
  trait1_max_points: [stated max for Organization and Development of Ideas]
  trait2_max_points: [stated max for Conventions]
  zero_cascade_rule_present: [YES / NO — does the rubric state that Trait 1 = 0 forces Trait 2 = 0?]
  top_score_requirements_match_grade_band: [YES / NO — does the rubric correctly require one vs both texts for top score?]
  counterargument_required_if_applicable: [YES / NO / N/A — Grades 8+ argumentative only]
```
**MUST-FAIL** (`factual_accuracy = 0.0`) if:
- `trait1_max_points` or `trait2_max_points` are absent or internally contradictory.
- `top_score_requirements_match_grade_band: NO` (e.g., a Grade 3 prompt requires both texts
  for top score when only one is required at that band).

---

## Type-Specific Metric Notes

### 2. Factual Accuracy
- All factual claims embedded in the prompt or source texts must be accurate.
- If a rubric is provided, score descriptors must be internally consistent (Trait 1 sub-criteria
  must align with the task verb; Trait 2 must cover grammar/conventions, not content).

### 3. Educational Accuracy
- The prompt must elicit the targeted writing skill, not just summarization or copying.
- An argumentative prompt must require the student to take a position — a prompt that only asks
  "explain both sides" without requiring a thesis is informational, not argumentative.
- Fails if the prompt could be answered with a list or one-sentence response (no extended
  writing required in practice).

### 4. Curriculum Alignment
- Verify the standard from curriculum context: ECR writing standards at different grades specify
  different organizational structures (informational vs argumentative vs correspondence).
- Argumentative prompts should target standards that require claim + evidence + reasoning.
- Informational prompts should target standards that require central idea + elaboration + structure.

### 5. Clarity & Precision
- The prompt must specify: (a) what to write about, (b) what form to write in, (c) how long/how
  many paragraphs are expected, (d) what sources to use.
- Grade-appropriate vocabulary: a Grade 3 prompt must not use academic register words
  (e.g., "synthesize", "explicate") that 8-year-olds would not understand.

### 6. Specification Compliance
- A valid ECR prompt must have: a clear writing task and a rubric or scoring guidance
  that covers both traits.
- Source text(s) are required for evidence-based writing modes (informational, argumentative,
  correspondence) but NOT for personal narrative or imaginative writing — those are sourced
  from the student's own experience or imagination.
- Prompts missing a rubric or scoring guidance are Partial — flag but do not auto-fail.

### 7. Reveals Misconceptions
- A well-formed ECR prompt should allow the teacher/scorer to distinguish students who have
  understood the source text(s) from those who haven't. If the prompt is too broad
  (e.g., "write about anything you know about frogs"), it reveals nothing about text comprehension.

### 8. Difficulty Alignment
- Check the prompt's cognitive demand against the grade: a Grade 3 ECR should require
  organizing evidence from one text; a Grade 8 ECR should require synthesis across two
  texts AND counterargument refutation for argumentative mode.
- A Grade 3 prompt requiring counterargument refutation is over-leveled.
- A Grade 8 prompt requiring only one text for evidence is under-leveled.

### 9. Passage Reference
- When source texts are provided: the prompt must explicitly direct the student to use them.
  "Write about a topic of your choice" fails this metric if sources are provided.
- When no source texts are provided (personal narrative / imaginative writing):
  passage_reference = 1.0 (N/A).

### 10. Distractor Quality (reinterpreted for ECR)
- Checks whether the rubric tiers are distinguishable: can a scorer tell the difference
  between a Score 2 and a Score 3 response? If descriptors are vague or overlapping,
  inter-rater reliability suffers → distractor_quality = 0.0.
- Fails if all score points collapse to a single criterion (e.g., "uses evidence" at every level).

### 11. Stimulus Quality
- The provided source text(s) must be rich enough to support the required essay — a 50-word
  passage cannot support a 4-paragraph argumentative essay.
- For Grade 3–5: at least one substantive passage (100+ words recommended).
- For Grade 6–English II (requires both texts): both texts must be substantive and distinct
  enough to provide different evidence perspectives.
- Stimulus fails if it is too short, too simple, or too similar to the other provided text
  to support the required evidence differentiation.

### 12. Mastery Learning Alignment
- Passes if the prompt requires analytical writing beyond summarization (explain why,
  argue that, evaluate how).
- Fails if the prompt reduces to a summary task or copying from the source.
