Kindergarten Rubric for English Language Arts
Criteria
Comprehends and
Retells Text
Demonstrates
Print
Understanding
Participates in
Shared Language
Activities
Recognizes and
Creates Rhyming
Words
Uses Language
Appropriately
And for a Range of
Purposes
Participates in
Poems, Chants and
Not Yet Meeting Expectations
Approaching Expectations
Meeting Expectations
Exceeding Expectations
 Rarely makes predictions
 Rarely answers how and why
questions based on a text*
 Rarely retells a text* in sequence
 Rarely makes connections from text
to background knowledge, personal
experience and feelings
 Usually makes predictions
 Usually answers how and why
questions based on a text*
 Usually retells a text* in sequence
 Sometimes makes connections from
text to background knowledge,
personal experience and feelings
 Consistently makes predictions
 Consistently answers how and why
questions based on a text*
 Consistently retells a text* in
sequence
 Usually makes connections from
text to background knowledge,
personal experience and feelings
 Holds book incorrectly
 Does not attend to print in books or
environment
 Does not follow front-back, leftright progression
 Usually holds book correctly
 Attends mostly to pictures in books
 Usually moves through book from
front to back
 Consistently holds book correctly
 Attends to some words in book
 Consistently moves through book
from front to back
 Beginning to track print from left to
right using finger and/or eyes
 Does not choose to participate in
Shared Language activities
 Participates in Shared Language
activities with teacher
encouragement
 Does not generate simple rhyming
words when requested to do so
 Does not recognize simple rhymes
 Generates some simple rhyming
words with teacher prompting
 Inconsistently recognizes simple
rhymes within poems, chants,
stories and songs
 Has some difficulty using
appropriate vocabulary to
communicate needs, likes, dislikes
and ideas
 Is learning to adjust formality of
language to a specific audience
(teacher, peer)
 Sometimes demonstrates an
awareness of proper sentence
structure
 Participates in poems, chants and
songs with teacher encouragement
 Willingly participates in Shared
Language activities such as
classroom discussions, collaborative
writing, dramatizations and roleplaying
 Consistently generates rhyming
words
 Easily recognizes rhymes within
poems, chants, stories and songs
 Consistently makes detailed
predictions
 Consistently answers how and why
questions with great detail based on
a text*
 Consistently retells a text* in
sequence using detail
 Consistently makes connections
from text to background
knowledge, personal experience
and feelings
 Consistently following left-right,
top-bottom progression
 Indicates differences between
letters, words and sentences when
asked
 Recognizes some words in books
and in environment
 Enthusiastically participated in
Shared Language activities
 Regularly struggles to find
appropriate vocabulary to
communicate needs, likes, dislikes
and ideas
 Rarely adjusts formality of language
to a specific audience (teacher, peer)
 Has difficulty using proper sentence
structure
 Does not choose to participate in
poems, chants or songs
1 of 2
 Confidently provides a wide variety
of rhyming words
 Recognizes rhyming words easily
and consistently
 Uses appropriate vocabulary to
communicate needs, likes, dislikes
and ideas
 Adjusts formality of language to a
specific audience (teacher, peer)
 Demonstrates an awareness of
proper sentence structure
 Frequently uses a more mature
vocabulary to communicate needs,
likes, dislikes and ideas
 Consistently adjusts formality of
language to a specific audience
(teacher, peer)
 Consistently demonstrates an
awareness of proper sentence
structure
 Willingly participates in poems,
chants and songs
 Participates in poems, chants and
songs with ease and enthusiasm
June 2009
Recognizes LowerCase Letters
 May inconsistently recognize some
lower-case letters
 Recites/Sings some simple, wellpracticed chants or songs
 May be able to sing the alphabet
 May be able to state the alphabet
with teacher prompting
 Recognizes fewer than 20 lowercase letters
Recognizes UpperCase Letters
 May inconsistently recognize some
upper-case letters
 Recognizes fewer than 20 uppercase letters
 Recognizes 20 or more upper-case
letters
 Consistently recognizes all 26
upper-case letters
 Recognizes and produces less than
50% of consonant and vowel
sounds
 Recognizes and produces less than
80% of consonant and vowel
sounds
 Recognizes and produces 80% or
more of consonant and vowel
sounds
 Consistently recognizes and
produces all consonant and vowel
sounds
Songs
States Alphabet
Recognizes Letter
Sounds
 Does not recite/sing even simple
chants or songs
 Can sing or state less than half the
alphabet
2 of 2
 Recites/sings chants and songs
along with group
 Consistently states (not sings) the
alphabet in correct order
 Recognizes 20 or more lower-case
letters
 Independently recites/sings chants
and songs
 Identifies the letter that comes
before or after a given letter within
the alphabet
 Consistently recognizes al 26
lower-case letters
June 2009