Directions: Read the passage carefully. Plan and write a response according to
the guidance below. Use this document to write your response.
● Your response will be evaluated on the strength of your argument(s) and the
ideas presented.
● Your response may be structured in any way as long as it is thorough and
comprehensive. For example, you may opt to utilize detailed bulleted
phrases, outlines, paragraphs, etc...
● Grammar, spelling, and syntax will not count against you.
● You will have 45 minutes to submit your response.
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1
Released Prompt #1
The US Fish & Wildlife Service wants to remove 23 animal species from the Endangered Species List.
The agency wants to remove these animals from the list because they are believed to be extinct, which
means all individuals of that species have died out. Affected animals include the ivory-billed woodpecker
(bird) and eight species of mussels (shellfish).
A.
Imagine you are a wildlife biologist working to update the Endangered Species List and make
recommendations to the US Fish & Wildlife Service. What questions do you need to ask to assess
whether these species are, indeed, extinct?
B.
What types of information might you use to support your findings? What criteria would you use to
judge the accuracy and authenticity of the evidence you gather?
C.
How would you present your arguments to the US Fish & Wildlife Service? How would you
acknowledge differing points of view?
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2
ACL Admissions Scoring Rubric - (2022 - 2023)
Indicators
0
No
Evidence
Open Mindset
No
evidence
Information
Processing
No
evidence
1
Limited Evidence
(Response indicates one or fewer of the
criteria below)
● Limited approaches and/or
solutions to the problem
● Lacks specificity
●
●
●
Fluency of Ideas
No
evidence
●
●
Problem Solving
No
evidence
●
●
Resourcefulness
No
evidence
●
●
●
Total
2
Full Evidence
(Response indicates one or more of the
criteria below)
● Multiple arguments and/or counter
arguments are present
● Several approaches are present
● Considers alternative points of view
Minimal organization of thought
Lacks evidence of interconnected
ideas
Limited evidence of logical
thought process
●
Limited solutions based on
assumptions
Minimal approaches and/or
solutions to the problem
●
Lacks pursuit of a counter
argument
Minimal evidence of a
meaningful solution
Limited use of technology and/or
global systems
Lacks consideration of
possibilities
Minimal practical application
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Score
(Record Score in this
column)
Highly developed synopsis
extending beyond given
information
Displays strong processing of ideas
Logical argument based on
evidence
Proposes and/or pursues multiple
innovative solutions
Provides clear and concise
explanation of abstract ideas
Clearly presents and/or pursues
multiple counter arguments
Generates original and innovative
solution(s)
Multifaceted use of technologies
and/or global systems
Uses multiple sources of evidence
Challenges assumptions with novel
ideas
10
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