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.
ARGUMENTATIVE
Development: Elaboration of
Evidence
Organization
Statement of
Purpose/Focus
4
Exemplary – Exceeds Standard
3
Proficient – Meets Standard
2
Partial – Approaches Standard
The writer
 effectively and consistently focuses
on a clearly identified purpose and
topic throughout
 effectively introduces claim(s)
The writer
 adequately focuses on an identified
purpose and topic
The writer
 somewhat focuses on an identified
purpose and topic

adequately introduces claim(s)

introduces claim(s), but claim(s) may
be unclear and unfocused


adequately establishes the
significance of the claim(s)
distinguishes the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claim(s)

partially establishes the significance
of the claim(s)
somewhat acknowledges existence
of alternate or opposing claim(s)

effectively establishes the significance
of the claim(s)
clearly distinguishes the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claim(s)


1
Minimal – Begins Standard
The writer
 shows a minimal focus on purpose
and topic, and response may be very
brief
 shows an attempt to introduce
claim(s), but claim(s) may be
confusing or ambiguous
 does not establish the significance of
the claim(s)
 does not acknowledge existence of
alternate or opposing claim(s)
The writer
 uses a clear and effective
organizational structure that
effectively and logically sequences
claims, counterclaims, reasons and
evidence creating unity
 effectively and consistently uses a
variety of transition words, phrases
and clauses, along with varied syntax,
to:
o effectively create cohesion
o effectively clarify relationships
among claim(s), counterclaim(s),
reasons and evidence
 provides an effective introduction
 provides a powerful conclusion that
follows from and effectively supports
the argument presented
The writer
 effectively supports claim(s) and
counterclaim(s) with logical reasoning
The writer
 uses an evident organizational
structure that adequately sequences
claims, counterclaims, reasons and
evidence creating a sense of
completeness
 adequately uses variety of transition
words, phrases and clauses, along
with some variation in syntax, to:
o adequately create cohesion
o adequately clarify relationships
among claim(s), counterclaim(s),
reasons and evidence
The writer
 uses an inconsistent organizational
structure that partially sequences
claims, reasons and evidence with
some evident flaws
The writer
 uses little or no discernible
organizational structure

inconsistently uses basic transition
words, phrases or clauses with little
variety and simple syntax to
o somewhat create cohesion
o partially clarify relationships
among claim(s), counterclaim(s),
reasons and evidence

uses few or no transition words,
phrases or clauses (limited language
structures) with frequent extraneous
ideas that may intrude






provides a minimal or no introduction
does not provide a conclusion that
supports the argument presented


provides a limited introduction
provides a conclusion that partially
and weakly supports the argument
presented
The writer
 partially supports claim(s) and
counterclaim(s) with somewhat logical
reasoning
 supplies some relevant
support/evidence:
o facts
o details
o quotations
o examples




supplies thorough and convincing
support/evidence with many wellchosen:
o facts
o definitions
o concrete details
o quotations/other information
o strong examples
effectively uses a variety of
elaborative techniques
effectively uses evidence from
sources that is smoothly integrated,
comprehensive and concrete
provides an adequate introduction
provides a conclusion that follows
from and adequately supports the
argument presented
The writer
 adequately supports claim(s) and
counterclaim(s) with logical reasoning


supplies adequate relevant
support/evidence with sufficient wellchosen:
o facts
o definitions
o concrete details
o quotations/other information
o sufficient examples
adequately uses some elaborative
techniques
adequately uses some evidence from
sources that is integrated, though
citations may be general or imprecise

uses weak or uneven elaborative
techniques
uses evidence from sources that is
weakly integrated, and citations, if
present, are uneven
The writer
 attempts to develop claim(s) and
counterclaim(s) but without logical
reasoning
 provides little or no relevant
support/evidence:
o facts
o details
o quotations
o examples

uses little or no elaborative
techniques
uses little or no evidence from
sources or evidence that is erroneous
or irrelevant
Language and
Vocabulary
Conventions
The writer
 clearly and effectively expresses
ideas, using precise words, phrases
and clauses to manage the logic and
clarity of the argument
 uses academic and domain-specific
vocabulary that is clearly appropriate
for the audience and purpose
 effectively establishes and maintains
a formal style
The writer
 demonstrates an effective command
of conventions:
o demonstrates effective use of
capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling, with insignificant errors
that need little or no editing:

comma, ellipsis and dash to
indicate a pause or break

an ellipsis to indicate an
omission
o demonstrates few, if any, errors
in grammar and usage:

verbals (gerunds, participles,
infinitives)

verbs in active and passive
voice

verbs in the indicative,
imperative, interrogative,
conditional and subjunctive
mood
o effectively recognizes and
corrects inappropriate shifts in
verb voice and mood
o demonstrates few, if any, errors
in sentence formation
The writer
 adequately expresses ideas,
employing a mix of precise with more
general words, phrases and clauses
to support the logic of the argument
 uses domain-specific vocabulary that
is generally appropriate for the
audience and purpose
 adequately establishes and maintains
a formal style
The writer
 demonstrates an adequate command
of conventions:
o demonstrates adequate use of
capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling, with few errors that need
editing but do not detract from
the argument:

comma, ellipsis and dash to
indicate a pause or break

an ellipsis to indicate an
omission
o demonstrates some minor errors
in grammar and usage:

verbals (gerunds, participles,
infinitives)

verbs in active and passive
voice

verbs in the indicative,
imperative, interrogative,
conditional and subjunctive
mood
o adequately recognizes and
corrects inappropriate shifts in
verb voice and mood
o demonstrates some minor errors
in sentence formation that do not
obscure meaning
The writer
 unevenly expresses ideas, using
simplistic words, phrases and clauses
to support the logic of the argument


uses domain-specific vocabulary that
may at times be inappropriate for the
audience and purpose
partially establishes a formal style
The writer
 demonstrates a partial command of
conventions:
o demonstrates inconsistent use of
capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling, with frequent errors that
need editing to clarify the
argument:

comma, ellipsis and dash to
indicate a pause or break

an ellipsis to indicate an
omission
o demonstrates frequent errors in
grammar and usage:

verbals (gerunds, participles,
infinitives)

verbs in active and passive
voice

verbs in the indicative,
imperative, interrogative,
conditional and subjunctive
mood
o partially recognizes and corrects
some inappropriate shifts in verb
voice and mood
o demonstrates frequent errors in
sentence formation that may
obscure meaning
The writer
 expresses vague, unclear or
confusing ideas, rarely using words,
phrases and clauses that support the
argument
 uses limited language or domainspecific vocabulary

rarely establishes a formal style
The writer
 demonstrates a lack of command of
conventions
o demonstrates incorrect use of
capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling, with frequent and severe
errors that need editing to convey
the argument:

comma, ellipsis and dash to
indicate a pause or break

an ellipsis to indicate an
omission
o demonstrates frequent and
severe errors in grammar and
usage:

verbals (gerunds, participles,
infinitives)

verbs in the active and
passive voice

verbs in the indicative,
imperative, interrogative,
conditional and subjunctive
mood
o does not recognize and correct
inappropriate shifts in verb voice
and mood
o demonstrates frequent and
severe errors in usage and
sentence formation that often
obscure meaning
*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 21 st 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.