Use the Georgia Milestones Assessment System to score this Student essay

Question

Summer break has become a cherished tradition among most American schools, and is loved by students and teachers alike. Considering that students attend school from August through May with minimal breaks, most students look forward to summer as a time to break from routine, sleep in, and enjoy personal hobbies. For teachers, it gives them the opportunity to relax and recover from a hard year’s work. Therefore, schools should stick with a traditional schedule that includes summer break to give students the time to relax and teachers the time to prepare for the next school year.
For 180 days a year, students are required to attend school and adhere to a strict bell schedule. Summer break gives students the chance to refresh their minds and focus on spending time with friends and family. For two months out of the year, students can not stress about deadlines, bell schedules, and homework. Instead, they can engage their brains in more creative outlets, or give their brains a break completely. This may also be a time for many students to work to earn money or volunteer to boost their college resumes. Regardless of how the time is spent, it gives students the opportunity to do the things that they want to do.
Teachers are tasked with creating lesson plans and instructional materials for nine ten months out of the year. However, many teachers do not stop planning even over summer break. If teachers did not have summers, they would not have time to effectively transition from year-to-year. Teachers would release one set of students to pick up a whole new roster the following year. This would be even more complicated if teachers were required to move grade-levels or needed to switch school systems. Despite all of the work teachers put into the summer, they also deserve to have a break, too. Therefore, schools should maintain a traditional schedule to ensure they retain good teachers.
If schools switched to a year-round schedule, the teacher and student burnout from attending school non-stop would contribute to the growing mental health crisis in America. Without a break, teachers and students do not have the necessary time to recharge and prepare for the upcoming school year. Many professionals would argue that having school year round would help students retain what they learn from grade-level to grade-level. However, this could come at the expense of increased burnout and decreased graduation rates as students drop-out because they hate school. Considering teachers, without additional pay, many teachers would leave the profession because the workload has increased compared to a traditional school schedule. Overall, switching to a year-round schedule is a bad idea that would have many negative consequences.
In conclusion, to protect teachers’ and students’ mental health and well-being, school districts should not change to a year-round schedule because the consequences outweigh the benefits. Teachers deserve a break and time to plan for the upcoming school year without also having to manage a full class at the same time. Students also need a chance to step away from the classroom to recover from the previous school year and mentally prepare for the new year. Considering these factors, schools should maintain a traditional school schedule and never eliminate summer break.

Answer 1

To score this student essay using the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS) rubric, we would evaluate several key criteria including the essay's focus, organization, evidence and elaboration, and language and conventions. Here's an assessment based on those categories:

Focus

The essay maintains a clear focus on the argument that schools should keep the traditional summer break for both students and teachers. The thesis is strong and clearly states the position from the beginning.

Organization

The essay is well-organized, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs that each focus on specific points, and a strong conclusion that reinforces the main argument. Each paragraph transitions smoothly to the next, helping to guide the reader through the argument.

Evidence and Elaboration

The essay provides relevant reasons to support the argument with some elaboration. It discusses the benefits of summer break for students in terms of mental health and personal development, as well as the workload on teachers and the potential impacts of not having a summer break. However, while there are some solid points, the essay could benefit from more specific examples or data to provide stronger support for its claims.

Language and Conventions

The language used in the essay is appropriate and clear. The student employs varied sentence structures and vocabulary effectively. There are few grammatical or spelling errors, indicating a good command of language conventions.

Overall Score

Based on the GMAS rubric, this essay would likely score in the "Proficient" range, potentially a 3 or 4 out of 4 depending on how well the evidence and elaboration resonated with the evaluator. There’s a clear argument and solid organizational structure, but strengthening the evidence would elevate it further.

General Feedback

• Strengths: Clear thesis and strong organizational structure; appropriate language use.
• Areas for Improvement: Include more specific examples or data to bolster the argument and make it more persuasive.

Considering all of these factors, the student shows good understanding and execution of essay writing, adhering closely to the requirements of the assessment.