What is an "anchor paper" in the context of the CAASPP writing assessment?

An "anchor paper" serves as a sample of student writing that effectively illustrates specific performance levels on the CAASPP writing assessment. These papers are carefully selected to represent various scores, providing teachers, students, and evaluators with concrete examples of what writing at different levels looks like. By examining these anchor papers, individuals can better understand the criteria for evaluation and the nuances that differentiate strong work from weaker submissions.

Utilizing anchor papers in the assessment process fosters clearer expectations for students as they prepare for their writing tasks, allowing them to see the characteristics of high-quality writing as outlined by the rubric used in evaluations. This aids in both teaching and learning by serving as a benchmark against which students can measure their work.