This study utilized a theory proposed by Mohan, Slater, Luo, and Jaipal (2002) regarding the Developmental Path of Cause to investigate AWE score use in classroom contexts. This "path" has the potential to support validity arguments because it suggests how causal linguistic features can be organized in hierarchical order. Utilization of this path enabled this study to investigate AWE scores by comparing them to ratings based on teachers' intuitions as well as to scores based on assignment rubrics. Qualitative focus group data suggested that the path can help teachers articulate their intuitions. Quantitative results showed that the grades provided by raters trained to use the path tended to support AWE scores from Criterion, a web-based AWE system, more strongly than did rubric-generated grades. The findings from this study suggest that Criterion scores not only closely correlated with teachers' intuitions and with raters trained to use the path, but that the use of the path for teaching may support the implementation of AWE systems in classroom contexts, and would help students focus on the core of a cause-effect essay: appropriateness and sophistication of causal language.