Grade 8 Instructional Writing Rubric* (Last Revised 11/1/2012)

Grade 8 Instructional Writing Rubric* (Last Revised 11/1/2012) Aligned to Next Generation West Virginia Content Standards and Objectives for English Language Arts and Literacy Smarter Balanced Claim 2: Students can produce effective and well-grounded writing for a range of purposes and audiences. INFORMATIVE/EXPLANATORY 4 3 2 1 Exemplary – Exceeds Standard Proficient – Meets Standard Partial – Approaches Standard Minimal – Begins Standard f

o The writer The writer The writer The writer t  effectively and consistently focuses  adequately focuses on an identified  somewhat focuses on an identified  seldom focuses on purpose and topic, n e on a clearly identified purpose and purpose and topic purpose and topic and response may be very brief, m

e topic throughout confusing or ambiguous t a t

S  effectively considers the audience’s  adequately considers the audience’s  shows some consideration of the  does not consider the audience’s s

u knowledge of the topic knowledge of the topic audience’s knowledge of the topic knowledge of the topic c o F / e s o p r u P The writer The writer The writer The writer  uses a clear and effective  uses an evident organizational  uses an inconsistent organizational  uses little or no discernible organizational structure that structure that adequately presents structure that partially presents ideas, organizational structure to present effectively and logically presents ideas, concepts and information into concepts and information into some ideas, concepts and information into ideas, concepts and information into broader categories, creating a sense categories but with some evident categories broader categories, creating unity and of completeness flaws completeness  includes formatting (e.g. headings),  includes formatting (e.g. headings),  uses some formatting, graphics and  uses little or no formatting, graphics or graphics (e.g. charts and tables), and graphics (e.g. charts and tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding multimedia n multimedia when useful to aiding multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension o i comprehension t comprehension a  adequately uses a variety of transition  inconsistently uses basic transition  uses few or no transition words, z  effectively and consistently uses a i n variety of transition words, phrases words, phrases and clauses, along words, phrases or clauses with little phrases or clauses (limited language a g and clauses, along with varied syntax, with some variation in syntax, to: variety and simple syntax to structures) with frequent extraneous r o adequately create cohesion o somewhat create cohesion ideas that may intrude O to: o effectively create cohesion o adequately clarify the o partially clarify the o effectively clarify relationships among ideas relationships among ideas relationships among ideas and concepts and concepts and concepts  provides an effective introduction  provides an adequate introduction  provides a limited introduction  provides a minimal or no introduction  provides a powerful conclusion that  provides a conclusion that follows  provides a conclusion that partially  does not provide a conclusion that follows from and effectively supports from and adequately supports the supports the information or adequately supports the information the information or explanation information or explanation presented explanation presented or explanation presented presented f

o The writer The writer The writer The writer

n  supplies thorough and convincing  supplies significant and relevant  supplies some relevant  provides little or no relevant o i t support/evidence with many well- support/evidence with sufficient well- support/evidence: support/evidence: a r chosen: chosen: o facts o facts o

b o facts o facts o details o details a l o definitions o definitions o examples o examples E

: o concrete details o concrete details t n o quotations or other information o quotations or other information e strong examples  uses weak or uneven elaborative  uses little or no elaborative m o o sufficient examples p  effectively uses a variety of techniques techniques o  adequately uses some elaborative l e elaborative techniques techniques  uses evidence from sources that is  uses little or no evidence from v weakly integrated, and citations, if sources or evidence that is erroneous e  effectively uses evidence from  adequately uses some evidence from

D sources that is smoothly integrated, present, are uneven or irrelevant

e sources that is integrated, though c comprehensive and concrete citations may be general or imprecise n e d i v E d The writer The writer The writer The writer n a

 clearly and effectively expresses  adequately expresses ideas,  unevenly expresses ideas, using  expresses vague, unclear or e g a u g n a L *This instructional writing rubric is designed as an instructional tool for teachers and students to use as they begin implementation of the Next Generation WV Content Standards and Objectives in the classroom. The existing WV Writing Rubric, aligned to the 21st Century WV Content Standards and Objectives, will continue to be used to assess student writing produced for WESTEST 2 Online Writing, a component of WESTEST 2, through 2014. Classroom teachers, schools and school systems implementing the Next Generation Content Standards prior to 2014 should use this instructional rubric to assess student growth in writing relevant to the expectations set forth in the Next Generation Standards prior to 2014-15 when the SMARTER Balanced Assessment is scheduled to be administered as the state summative assessment.