I am excited to assign more writing now that I can give them specific and objective feedback more quickly. I may even postpone my retirement because of your product!
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Aligned with the official TEA STAAR rubric ↗Grade STAAR essays faster for every student
Students get feedback on their STAAR practice writing in hours, not days. Teachers grade a whole class against the TEKS-aligned STAAR rubric in one pass, then review and approve every score before it goes back.
- Teachers grade a full class of STAAR practice essays on the official rubric, then review and adjust the feedback before it goes back to students.
- Students see exactly how their essay scores on the rubric and what to fix before the next assignment.
What it does
How CoGrader scores STAAR
CoGrader scores STAAR practice writing on the TEKS-aligned rubric and drafts specific, actionable feedback for each response. You review, adjust, and have the final say on every score.
Grading
Scores STAAR practice essays on the STAAR rubric and drafts specific, actionable feedback. Handles argumentative and informational writing for grades 3-8 and English I-II, in English and Spanish.
AI detection
Flags writing that may be AI-generated, so you can spot the essays worth a closer look before a grade is final. No detector is fully accurate, so treat a flag as a reason to read closely, not as proof.
Plagiarism
Checks practice essays for copied sources and originality, so you know the work is the student's own before you score it. Treat a flag as a prompt to read closely, not as proof of copying.
STAAR rubric
Rubric-based essay grading for Texas STAAR
The STAAR Extended Constructed Response (ECR) is scored on a 5-point rubric: 0 to 3 points for Organization and Development of Ideas, and 0 to 2 points for Conventions. CoGrader scores both traits automatically, so you review instead of hand-scoring every essay.
Organization and Development of Ideas (0 to 3)
- Score 3:
- Clear, fully developed argument with consistent focus, purposeful structure, and well-explained evidence. Grades 8 to EII: counterarguments identified and refuted.
- Score 2:
- Argument present but underdeveloped; focus and structure inconsistent; evidence thin. Grades 8 to EII: counterarguments identified but not refuted.
- Score 1:
- Argument present but not developed for the task; little evidence; weak structure. Grades 8 to EII: counterarguments not identified.
- Score 0:
- No clear argument, no structure, and missing or irrelevant evidence.
Conventions (0 to 2)
- Score 3:
- N/A
- Score 2:
- Consistent command of conventions; few errors that do not affect clarity.
- Score 1:
- Inconsistent command; several errors, but still readable.
- Score 0:
- Little command; many errors that affect clarity.
| Trait | Score 3 | Score 2 | Score 1 | Score 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organization and Development of Ideas 0 to 3 | Clear, fully developed argument with consistent focus, purposeful structure, and well-explained evidence. Grades 8 to EII: counterarguments identified and refuted. | Argument present but underdeveloped; focus and structure inconsistent; evidence thin. Grades 8 to EII: counterarguments identified but not refuted. | Argument present but not developed for the task; little evidence; weak structure. Grades 8 to EII: counterarguments not identified. | No clear argument, no structure, and missing or irrelevant evidence. |
| Conventions 0 to 2 | N/A | Consistent command of conventions; few errors that do not affect clarity. | Inconsistent command; several errors, but still readable. | Little command; many errors that affect clarity. |
Reviewed by Andrew Gitner Andrew Gitner Founding Educator at CoGraderELA teacher with a decade of classroom experience. He reviewed how CoGrader maps STAAR practice essays to the TEKS-aligned rubric.
View profile on LinkedInNeed the full rubric set? See the STAAR rubric library, the STAAR ECR grader, or the STAAR SCR grader for short constructed responses.
For Texas districts
Pull practice responses straight from DMAC
CoGrader integrates with DMAC, so schools can import STAAR practice responses, score them on the TEKS-aligned rubric, and send results back.
DMAC export
STAAR Informational · Gr 3-5
Awaiting grading
CoGrader feedback
Glow Clear central idea about pollination.
Grow Paragraph 2 needs one more supporting detail.
Think about it How do bees and butterflies help plants in different ways?
Dev. & Org. of Ideas 3 / 3
Conventions 2 / 2
Graded in 1m 47s STAAR Informational · Grades 3-5
U.S. Dept. of Ed.
IES research award
See how easy it is to grade STAAR essays with TEKS standards
Every STAAR practice essay gets a consistent, rubric-aligned score and specific feedback in one pass. CoGrader drafts the scores; you review, adjust, and keep the final say.
Import
Import practice essays from Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, or DMAC, or paste one in.
Pick your STAAR rubric
Choose your STAAR rubric by grade band and genre, English or Spanish.
Review scores and feedback
Review scores and feedback drafted on the rubric, trait by trait.
Return grades
Return grades to your LMS once you approve them.
Trusted by teachers nationwide
Teachers across the country use CoGrader to grade writing with rubric-aligned scores and give every student timely, meaningful feedback.
I am absolutely blown away by CoGrader. It has been excellent for pre-scoring essays and providing students with comprehensive, usable feedback.
What usually takes me days (and way too many hours of off-contract time), took me mere hours. I plan on hosting a PD for my staff in the next few weeks.
Co-workers, students and I have compared results from CoGrader with a variety of other AI scoring for AP essays, and yours is BY FAR the most accurate.
Helping teachers GRADE but more importantly helping GIVE QUALITY FEEDBACK, and putting the power of great feedback into the hands of kids so they have AGENCY to improve.
Teachers will be motivated to assign more writing. It allows teachers to personalize student feedback quickly, leaving more time for targeted instruction.
I almost cried when I used it. It was as if someone handed me my weekends back on a silver platter.
THANKS. CoGrader is BY FAR the most accurate AI scoring for AP essays I have used, with the best feedback.
I am excited to assign more writing now that I can give them specific and objective feedback more quickly. I may even postpone my retirement because of your product!
I am absolutely blown away by CoGrader. It has been excellent for pre-scoring essays and providing students with comprehensive, usable feedback.
What usually takes me days (and way too many hours of off-contract time), took me mere hours. I plan on hosting a PD for my staff in the next few weeks.
Co-workers, students and I have compared results from CoGrader with a variety of other AI scoring for AP essays, and yours is BY FAR the most accurate.
Helping teachers GRADE but more importantly helping GIVE QUALITY FEEDBACK, and putting the power of great feedback into the hands of kids so they have AGENCY to improve.
Teachers will be motivated to assign more writing. It allows teachers to personalize student feedback quickly, leaving more time for targeted instruction.
I almost cried when I used it. It was as if someone handed me my weekends back on a silver platter.
THANKS. CoGrader is BY FAR the most accurate AI scoring for AP essays I have used, with the best feedback.
Works with your LMS
Import a whole class, grade STAAR practice essays on your rubric, and send grades back without leaving the tools you already use.
Explore the STAAR toolkit
Grading a full essay is one job. The rest of the STAAR toolkit covers ECR, SCR, rubrics, and district workflows.
STAAR ECR Grader
Score Extended Constructed Responses on the official 5-point STAAR rubric.
Open the ECR GraderSTAAR SCR Grader
Score Short Constructed Responses for grades 3-5, 6-8, and EOC.
Open the SCR GraderSTAAR Rubric Library
Browse every STAAR rubric: argumentative, informational, English I and II, and Spanish.
Browse STAAR rubricsSTAAR Practice & Prep
Run STAAR writing practice through the same rubrics graders use, with per-class reports.
Open practice & prepDMAC Integration
Pull STAAR practice responses from DMAC, score them, and send results back.
See the DMAC workflowSee every STAAR tool, rubric, and workflow in one place in the Texas STAAR grading toolkit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Your Texas STAAR grading questions, answered.
Is the STAAR test graded by AI?
Since 2024, the Texas Education Agency has used its Automated Scoring Engine (ASE) to score about 75% of STAAR constructed responses, with the rest scored by human raters plus quality checks (Texas Tribune, 2024). CoGrader is separate. It grades your students' practice essays on the same TEA rubrics, never the live exam.
Who grades the STAAR essay?
On the real test, TEA's Automated Scoring Engine scores about 75% of constructed responses, and human raters score the remainder and run quality control (Texas Tribune, 2024). For practice work, teachers grade essays themselves, and tools like CoGrader speed up that first pass while the teacher approves every grade.
How is the STAAR ECR scored?
The STAAR Extended Constructed Response uses a 5-point rubric: 0 to 3 points for Organization and Development of Ideas, and 0 to 2 points for Conventions, per the Texas Education Agency scoring guide. If a response scores 0 on Organization and Development, it automatically scores 0 on Conventions.
What is the difference between ECR and SCR?
An ECR (Extended Constructed Response) is a full essay scored on a 5-point rubric. An SCR (Short Constructed Response) is a brief answer scored on a 1- or 2-point rubric. Every STAAR reading and language arts grade level includes both response types.
Which STAAR rubric does CoGrader use?
CoGrader scores essays using rubrics taken directly from TEA's published STAAR rubrics, covering grades 3-5, 6-8, English I, and English II, plus Spanish writing rubrics for grades 3-5. You can also adjust a rubric or upload your own.
Does CoGrader check for AI writing and plagiarism?
Yes. CoGrader flags writing that may be AI-generated and checks practice essays for copied sources, alongside the rubric score. No AI detector is fully accurate, so treat a flag as a reason to read closely rather than as proof.
Is CoGrader free for Texas teachers?
Yes. Individual Texas teachers can use CoGrader on a free plan. Paid plans add higher monthly volume, class analytics, multi-class management, and district rollouts with admin controls and DMAC integration. Current limits are on the CoGrader pricing page.
Does CoGrader work with Google Classroom and DMAC?
Yes. CoGrader imports from Google Classroom, Canvas, and Schoology, and pulls STAAR practice responses from DMAC for Texas districts. You import a set of essays, grade them on the STAAR rubric, and send scores and feedback straight back.
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