Focus	Elaboration	Organization	Integration	
6	•	Subject and unifying event clear and maintained with the event commented upon by the end of the composition
•	Reactions are relevant to unifying event
•	Has effective closing	•	All major episodes/reactions developed by specific detail
•	Some episodes and reactions may be developed with more detail than others (not necessarily balanced or even)
•	Development in depth
•	Word choice enhances specificity
•	Voice is appropriate for topic, purpose, and audience	•	Narrative structure is clear – sequence of episodes moves through time with a beginning, a middle, and an ending without noticeable gaps
•	Most major episodes appropriately paragraphed
•	Coherence and cohesion demonstrated with effective devices (e.g., transitions, pronouns, parallel structure, etc.)
•	Varied sentence structure and/or word choice produce cohesion	•	Fully-developed composition for grade level
•	Clear and purposeful Focus; in-depth, balanced Elaboration; sequence of episodes is coherently and cohesively developed throughout	
5	•	Subject and unifying event clear and maintained with the event commented upon by the end of the composition
•	Reactions are present, most are relevant to unifying event
•	Has closing	•	Most episodes/reactions developed by specific detail; some may be general
•	Some depth
•	Word choice may enhance specificity
•	Voice may be appropriate for topic, purpose, and audience	•	Narrative structure is evident – sequence of episodes moves through time with a beginning, a middle, and an ending with few gaps
•	Most major episodes appropriately paragraphed
•	Coherence and cohesion demonstrated with most transitional devices appropriate (not redundant or intrusive)
•	Coherence may depend on holistic structure (e.g., chronology)
•	May include minor digressions
•	Some varied sentence structure and/or word choice produce cohesion	•	Developed composition for grade level
•	All features are not equally well-developed throughout	
4	•	Subject and unifying event clear and maintained
•	Reactions are present, but still may be implied
•	May lack closing	•	Some episodes/reactions developed by specific detail; some may be general
•	Sufficient Elaboration but has limited depth
•	Voice may be present but inconsistent	•	Narrative structure is evident – sequence of episodes moves through time with a beginning, a middle, and an ending
•	Some appropriate paragraphing
•	Some evidence of coherence (paragraph to paragraph) and cohesion (sentence to sentence); may depend on holistic structure (e.g., chronology)
•	If present, transitions may be simplistic, but not intrusive
•	May include minor digressions	•	Bare-bones-developed composition for grade level
•	Simple and clear, presenting nothing more than the essentials
•	Limited depth	
3	•	Subject clear, but unifying event is not; reader can infer unifying event
•	Multiple events without unifying umbrella statement
•	No reactions – or reactions are inappropriate to subject/event
•	Lacks sufficiency to demonstrate a developed Focus	•	A list of episodes and/or reactions that may have some extensions
•	May be mostly general
•	Lacks sufficiency to demonstrate developed Elaboration
•	No evidence of suitable voice	•	Noticeable narrative structure but the reader must infer it; movement through time with significant gaps
•	May evidence some inappropriate paragraphing
•	May include inappropriate transitions that disrupt progression of ideas
•	May have major digressions
•	Lacks sufficiency to demonstrate developed Organization	•	Partially developed
•	Some (or one) of the feature(s) are not sufficiently formed but all are present
•	Inference is usually required	

	Focus	Elaboration	Organization	Integration	
2	•	Subject and event may be vague or lack clarity
•	Unrelated ideas or major drift from Focus
•	No reactions
•	Off-mode response (NOT narrative structure showing a sequence through time)
•	Insufficient writing to determine that the subject and/or unifying event can be maintained	•	A list of episodes or reactions
•	There may be insufficient writing to determine that Elaboration can be maintained	•	Structure attempted but may not be narrative (Off-mode)
•	Limited evidence of understanding paragraphing
•	Lacks purposeful ordering of sentences (e.g., sentences could be arranged in almost any order)
•	Insufficient writing to determine that Organization can be sustained	•	Attempts to address the assignment, but only rudiments of techniques for forming Focus, Elaboration, and Organization can be detected
•	Some confusion and/or disjointedness
•	Lacks narrative structure
•	May be insufficient writing to determine that the features can be maintained	
1	•	Subject and event may be absent, or if present, may be limited or confusing
•	Insufficient writing to show that criteria are met	•	Elaboration absent or confusing
•	Insufficient writing to show that criteria are met	•	Confusing; little or no attempt at structure
•	Little or no evidence of understanding paragraphing
•	Insufficient writing to show that criteria are met	•	Does not fulfill the assignment; barely deals with the topic; or does not present most or all of the features
•	Insufficient writing to show that criteria are met	

	Conventions	
3	•	Strong knowledge of conventions is demonstrated
•	Standards of punctuation, capitalization. and spelling are consistently followed – may have minor lapses
•	May have minor errors in usage and sentence formation
•	A variety of sentence structures is evident	
2	•	Partial knowledge of conventions is evident
•	Severity and density of errors constitute a noticeable pattern
•	Little attempt at varying sentence structures	
1	•	Little or no discernable knowledge of conventions
•	Severity and density of errors is such that meaning is impaired
•	Sentence structure is simplistic or in error