New Jersey Holistic Scoring Rubric
New Jersey Holistic Scoring Rubric
New Jersey Holistic Scoring Rubric
Inadequate Command Limited Command Partial Command Adequate Command Strong Command Superior Command
Scoring Criteria
1 2 3 4 5 6
CONTENT & • May lack opening • May lack opening • May lack opening • Generally has • Opening and closing • Opening and closing
ORGANIZATION and/or closing and/or closing and/or closing opening/closing
• Communicates intended • Minimal response to • Attempts to focus • Usually has single • Single focus • Single focus • Single, distinct focus
message to intended topic; uncertain • May drift or shift focus • Sense of unity and • Unified and coherent
audience focus focus coherence • Well-developed
• Relates to topic • Key ideas developed
• Opening and closing
• No planning evident; • Attempts • Some lapses or flaws • Ideas loosely • Logical progression • Logical progression of ideas
• Focused
disorganized organization in organization connected of ideas • Fluent, cohesive
• Logical progression of
• Few, if any, • May lack some • Transition evident • Moderately fluent • Compositional risks
ideas
transitions transitions • Attempts successful
• Transitions
between ideas between ideas compositional
• Appropriate details and
risks
information
• Details random, • Details lack • Repetitious details • Uneven development • Details appropriate • Details effective, vivid,
inappropriate, or elaboration, i.e., • Several unelaborated of details and varied explicit, and/or pertinent
barely apparent highlight paper details
USAGE • No apparent control • Numerous errors • Errors/ patterns of • Some errors that do • Few errors • Very few, if any, errors
• Tense formation • Severe/ errors may be not interfere with
• Subject-verb agreement numerous errors evident meaning
• Pronouns
usage/agreement
• Word choice/meaning
• Proper modifiers
SENTENCE • Assortment of • Excessive • Little variety in • Some errors that do • Few errors • Very few, if any, errors
CONTRUCTION incomplete and/or monotony/ same syntax not interfere with
• Variety of type, incorrect sentences structure • Some errors meaning
structure, and length • Numerous errors
• Correct construction
MECHANICS • Errors so severe they • Numerous serious • Patterns of errors • No consistent pattern • Few errors • Very few, if any, errors
• Spelling detract from errors evident of errors
• Capitalization meaning • Some errors that do
• Punctuation not interfere with
meaning
Student wrote too little to allow reliable Student wrote in a language other than
NR = No Response NE = Not English
Non-Scorable judgment of his/her writing. English.
Responses
OT = Off Topic/ Off Student did not write on the assigned topic/task, Student refused to write on the topic, or
WF = Wrong Format
Task or the student attempted to copy the prompt. the writing task folder was blank.
1
2