Argumentation/Opinion Text-Based Writing Rubric Grade 8 Score of 4 Score of 3 Score of 2 Score of 1 Reading/Research The writing – makes effective use of available resources skillfully/effectively supports an opinion with relevant and sufficient facts and details from resources with accuracy uses credible sources* The writing – makes adequate use of available resources supports an opinion with relevant and sufficient facts and details from resources with accuracy uses credible sources* The writing – makes limited use of available resources inconsistently supports an opinion with relevant and sufficient facts and details from resources with accuracy inconsistently uses credible sources* The writing – makes inadequate use of available resources fails to support an opinion with relevant and sufficient facts and details from resources with accuracy attempts to use credible sources* Development The writing – addresses all aspects of the writing task with a tightly focused response establishes the significance of a claim or proposal effectively acknowledges and distinguishes the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims skillfully supports claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence demonstrates effective use of writing process (using technology if applicable) ∆ The writing – addresses the writing task with a focused response establishes a plausible claim or proposal acknowledges and distinguishes the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims supports claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence demonstrates adequate use of writing process (using technology if applicable) ∆ The writing – addresses the writing task with an inconsistent focus attempts to establish a plausible claim or proposal inconsistently supports claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence demonstrates limited use of writing process (using technology if applicable) ∆ The writing – attempts to address the writing task but lacks focus attempts to establish a claim or proposal supports claim(s) using evidence that is insufficient and/or irrelevant demonstrates inadequate use of writing process (using technology if applicable) ∆
Organization The writing – effectively introduces the claim(s) organizes the reasons and evidence logically in a manner that supports the writing task effectively uses words, phrases, and/or clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence provides an effective concluding statement or section that follows from and skillfully supports the argument presented The writing – introduces the claim(s) organizes the reasons and evidence logically uses words, phrases, and/or clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence provides a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented The writing – introduces the claim(s); however, may fail to distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claim(s) organizes reasons and evidence in a manner that may lack cohesion (ideas may be rambling and/or repetitive) inconsistently uses words, phrases, and/or clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence provides a sense of closure The writing – identifies the claim(s) has little or no evidence of purposeful organization Argumentation/Opinion Text-Based Writing Rubric Grade 8