Academic Expectation 1
Students will write clearly and effectively, producing work that is informative, well organized, and appropriate to its purpose.
Levels of Performance
Criteria Exemplary
Description of identifiable
performance characteristics
reflecting highest level of
performance.
Focus ▪ Expresses a specific, supportable
central idea in a sophisticated
and concise manner
Organization ▪ Begins in a dynamic fashion that
immediately captures the reader
▪ Establishes a clear, concise, and
compelling preview of the paper’s
purpose
▪ Develops a logical and coherent
structure that flows smoothly
▪ Provides a strong reflective sense
of closure
Content ▪ Employs sufficient and well-
chosen evidence that is relevant
to the central idea
▪ Develops and analyzes content
with sophistication and
originality, taking risks with ideas
▪ Chooses words with careful
attention to connotation and
denotation
Conventions ▪ Uses appropriate grammar and
spells correctly throughout
• Uses the correct verb tenses
• Integrates quotations correctly
Proficient Developing
Description of identifiable
performance characteristics
reflecting mastery of
performance.
▪ Expresses a specific, supportable
central idea in a concise manner
▪ Begins in a capable fashion that
captures the reader
▪ Establishes a clear and concise
preview of the paper’s purpose
▪ Develops a logical and coherent
structure
▪ Provides a sense of closure
▪ Employs sufficient evidence that
is relevant to the central idea
▪ Develops and analyzes content,
taking limited risks with ideas
▪ Chooses words with some
attention to connotation and
denotation
▪ Uses appropriate grammar and
spells correctly most of the time
• Makes only a handful of errors
with verb tense usage
• Integrates most quotations
correctly
Beginning
Description of Description of identifiable
identifiable performance characteristics
performance reflecting a beginning level of
characteristics performance.
reflecting movement
and development
towards mastering
performance.
▪ Expresses a vague, ▪ Expresses an extremely vague,
somewhat supportable trite, and/or insupportable central
central idea idea
▪ Begins in perfunctory ▪ Offers no introduction to the reader
fashion with limited
capacity to interest the
reader
▪ Attempts to preview ▪ Neglects to preview the paper’s
the paper’s purpose purpose
▪ Develops a structure ▪ Neglects to develop a structure
that is confusing
▪ Provides a limited ▪ Provides no closure
sense of closure
▪ Provides some ▪ Provides little or no evidence
evidence that may or relevant to the central idea
may not be relevant to
the central idea
▪ Reiterates content with ▪ Does not attempt analysis
a lack of analysis
▪ Uses words with ▪ Relies on colloquial phrases and
minimal attention to vague word choices
connotation and
denotation
▪ Makes grammatical and ▪ Makes grammatical and spelling
spelling errors that errors that compromise meaning
distract but do not
compromise the
meaning
• Makes more than a • Makes a lot of errors of verb tense
handful of errors of usage
verb tense
• Integrates most • Integrates all quotations incorrectly
quotations incorrectly
 ▪ When appropriate, uses the
correct citation and bibliographic
format consistently
Style • Avoids the passive voice almost
entirely, and never uses it when it
is not necessary
▪ When appropriate, uses the
correct citation and bibliographic
format most of the time
• Avoids the passive voice almost
entirely, with only a handful of
unnecessary passive
constructions
▪ Uses incorrect citation ▪ Does not use citations and
and bibliographic bibliographic formats
formats
• Relies on the passive • Relies almost entirely on the
voice unnecessarily passive voice