Currently, NoRedInk offers the following Grading Assistant rubrics:

Quick Check: This rubric is best for short, informal Quick Writes. It evaluates whether or not students completed the assignment, suggesting a score (0-2) and a feedback comment.
Argumentative Paragraph and Text Analysis Paragraph: These rubrics are best for academic paragraph writing. They assess paragraphs against a four-item rubric and suggest a score and comment for each rubric item.
Argumentative Essay, Literary Analysis Essay, and Expository Essay: These rubrics assess essays against a rubric and suggest comments to target the highest-priority revisions.
Select state test rubrics: These rubrics assess extended writing against the real test rubric and suggest comments to target key skill areas.

Quick Check

The Grading Assistant’s Quick Check evaluates whether a student has answered the prompt and followed directions in their response. It provides a numeric score (0, 1, or 2) and a short feedback comment for the student.

Quick Check is recommended for giving lightweight feedback on short, informal Quick Writes! It will adjust the language and complexity of its feedback based on the grade of the class it's assigned to.

Score of 2	Score of 1	Score of 0
The student answers the question in the prompt and shows a clear attempt at following all directions given in the prompt.	The student makes some progress towards completing the assignment, but doesn't meet the criteria for 2.	The student doesn't answer the prompt at all.

Argumentative Paragraph Rubric

The Grading Assistant’s Argumentative Paragraph rubric evaluates whether a student has produced the core functions of an argumentative paragraph.

Rubric Item	Score of 2	Score of 1	Score of 0
The topic sentence states a claim that answers the prompt.	The topic sentence states a claim that responds to the prompt.	The claim is present, but doesn't meet the criteria for 2.	No claim, or the claim is off-topic.
The evidence supports the claim (at least two pieces).	The student presents multiple supporting ideas.	The evidence is present, but doesn't meet the criteria for 2.	No evidence, or all evidence is off-topic.
The explanation connects the evidence to the claim.	It's clear how each piece of evidence ties back to the claim.	The student attempts to explain evidence, but doesn't meet the criteria for 2.	No attempt to link evidence back to the claim.
The closing sentence restates the claim.	The closing sentence of the paragraph restates the claim and avoids introducing new ideas.	The student attempts to wrap up the paragraph, but doesn't meet the criteria for 2.	The paragraph ends abruptly with no wrap-up.

Text Analysis Paragraph Rubric

When using the Text Analysis Paragraph rubric, the Grading Assistant evaluates whether a student has produced the core functions of a text analysis paragraph.

Rubric Item	Score of 2	Score of 1	Score of 0
The topic sentence answers the prompt.	The topic sentence provides an inference that goes beyond the literal facts of the text.	The student attempts to answer the prompt, but doesn't meet the criteria for a 2.	No attempt to answer the prompt
The evidence supports the claim (at least two pieces).	The student supports their answer with multiple pieces of text evidence.	The evidence is present, but doesn't meet the criteria for 2.	No evidence, or all evidence is a plot summary or off-topic.
The explanation shows how the evidence supports the topic sentence.	It's clear how each piece of evidence supports the student's answer.	The student attempts to explain evidence, but doesn't meet the criteria for 2.	No attempt to link the evidence back to the answer.
The closing sentence wraps up the paragraph.	The closing sentence of the paragraph restates the answer and avoids introducing new ideas	The student attempts to wrap up the paragraph, but doesn't meet the criteria for 2.	The paragraph ends abruptly with no wrap-up.

Argumentative Essay Rubric

When using the Argumentative Essay rubric, the Grading Assistant evaluates whether a student has produced the core functions of an argumentative essay.

Rubric item	Score of 1	Score of 2	Score of 3	Score of 4
Thesis statement is a debatable opinion	There is no recognizable thesis statement.	The thesis doesn’t clearly express an opinion, doesn’t fully answer the prompt, or isn’t in the introduction.	The student’s thesis answers the prompt, but the thesis may be too vague, too obvious, or not defendable.	The thesis is a debatable opinion and answers the prompt. The thesis is in the introduction.
Each topic sentence is a claim that supports the thesis	There are no recognizable topic sentences.	The student attempts to use topic sentences, but most paragraphs have missing or weak topic sentences.	One body paragraph may be missing a topic sentence. Some topic sentences may have issues with clarity or focus.	Each body paragraph has a topic sentence. Each topic sentence is a claim, supports the thesis, and establishes the focus of the paragraph.
Each piece of evidence is a fact that supports the claim	The student hasn’t presented any recognizable evidence from sources.	The student has attempted to use evidence. However, most evidence is irrelevant, vague, or not clearly from a source.	The student has some strong evidence from sources, but there is not enough evidence for full credit. Some evidence may be irrelevant or vague.	Each body paragraph contains evidence that supports the topic sentence. Each piece of evidence is a fact, quote, or example from a source. The essay includes at least three strong pieces of evidence.
Reasoning connects the evidence to the claim	The student doesn’t explain their evidence at all.	The student attempts to explain their thinking, but their reasoning is minimal, vague, or a restatement of the evidence. If there is no evidence in the essay, the student may still receive some credit for reasoning that supports the thesis	Most of the evidence is explained, but some reasoning may be vague or irrelevant.	The student elaborates on each piece of evidence in their own words. It’s clear how each piece of evidence supports the main idea of the paragraph.
Counterargument paragraph presents an opposing argument and defends the essay’s thesis	There is no counterargument paragraph.	The student acknowledges an opposing argument but doesn’t refute it.	The student presents and refutes an opposing argument, but they don’t support their points with evidence.	The student presents an opposing argument and refutes it. The student supports their rebuttal with evidence.
Conclusion restate the argument and explains why readers should care	There is no recognizable conclusion.	The student attempts to include a conclusion paragraph, but their conclusion is minimal, vague, or introduces new ideas.	The student either restates their main points or establishes why readers should care about the topic.	The student restates their thesis and main points. The student ends their conclusion by explaining why readers should care about this topic.

Literary Analysis Rubric

When using the Literary Analysis Essay rubric, the Grading Assistant evaluates whether a student has produced the core functions of an analysis essay.

While the rubric was developed for analysis of literary texts, the rubric and feedback can be used successfully with non-literary texts.

Rubric item	Score of 1	Score of 2	Score of 3	Score of 4
Thesis statement introduces a strong interpretation of the text(s)	There is no recognizable thesis statement.	The thesis doesn’t fully answer the prompt, isn’t supportable by the text(s), or isn’t in the introduction.	The student’s thesis answers the prompt, but the thesis may be too vague or too literal.	The thesis answers the prompt and introduces a strong interpretation of the text(s). The thesis establishes the central idea of the essay. The thesis is in the introduction.
Each topic sentence supports the thesis	There are no recognizable topic sentences.	The student attempts to use topic sentences, but most paragraphs have missing or weak topic sentences.	One body paragraph may be missing a topic sentence. Some topic sentences may have issues with clarity or focus.	Each body paragraph has a topic sentence. Each topic sentence clearly introduces a supporting idea for the thesis and establishes the focus of the paragraph.
Each piece of evidence supports the topic sentence	The student hasn’t presented any recognizable evidence from the text(s).	The student has attempted to use evidence. However, the evidence is minimal, irrelevant, vague, or just a summary of the text.	The student has some strong evidence from the text(s), but there is not enough evidence for full credit. Some evidence may be irrelevant or vague.	Each body paragraph contains evidence that supports the topic sentence. Each piece of evidence is a quote, paraphrase, or specific detail from the text(s). The essay includes at least three strong pieces of evidence.
Explanation shows how the evidence supports the topic sentence	The student doesn’t explain their evidence at all.	The student attempts to explain their thinking, but their explanations are minimal, vague, restatements of the evidence, or just a summary of the text. If there is no evidence in the essay, the student may still receive some credit for reasoning that supports the thesis.	Most of the evidence is explained, but some explanations may be vague, superficial, or irrelevant.	The student elaborates on each piece of evidence in their own words. It’s clear how the student’s evidence connects to their topic sentences.
Conclusion restates the thesis and explains why the analysis matters	There is no recognizable conclusion.	The student attempts to include a conclusion paragraph, but their conclusion is minimal, vague, or introduces new ideas.	The student either restates their main points or establishes why readers should care about the analysis of the text(s).	The student restates their thesis and main points. The student ends their conclusion by explaining why readers should care about their analysis of the text(s).

Expository Rubric

When using the Expository Essay rubric, the Grading Assistant evaluates whether a student has produced the core functions of an informational essay.

Rubric item	Score of 1	Score of 2	Score of 3	Score of 4
Thesis statement introduces the central idea	There is no recognizable thesis statement.	The thesis doesn’t fully answer the prompt, doesn’t express a central idea, or isn’t in the introduction.	The student’s thesis answers the prompt, but the thesis may be too vague or too literal.	The thesis answers the prompt and establishes a thoughtful central idea for the essay. The thesis is in the introduction.
Each topic sentence supports the thesis	There are no recognizable topic sentences.	The student attempts to use topic sentences, but most paragraphs have missing or weak topic sentences.	One body paragraph may be missing a topic sentence. Some topic sentences may have issues with clarity or focus.	Each body paragraph has a topic sentence. Each topic sentence clearly introduces a supporting idea for the thesis and establishes the focus of the paragraph.
Each piece of evidence supports the topic sentence	The student hasn’t presented any recognizable evidence.	The student has attempted to use evidence. However, most evidence is irrelevant, vague, or not clearly a fact, quote, or example.	The student has some strong evidence, but there is not enough evidence for full credit. Some evidence may be irrelevant or vague.	Each body paragraph contains evidence that supports the topic sentence. Each piece of evidence is a fact, quote, or specific example. The essay includes at least three strong pieces of evidence.
Explanation shows how the evidence supports the topic sentence	The student doesn’t explain their evidence at all.	The student attempts to explain their thinking, but their explanations are minimal, vague, or restatements of the evidence. If there is no evidence in the essay, the student may still receive some credit for reasoning that supports the thesis.	Most of the evidence is explained, but some explanations may be vague, superficial, or irrelevant.	The student elaborates on each piece of evidence in their own words. It’s clear how the student’s evidence connects to their topic sentences.
Conclusion restates the thesis and explains why the reader should care	There is no recognizable conclusion.	The student attempts to include a conclusion paragraph, but their conclusion is minimal, vague, or introduces new ideas.	The student either restates their main points or establishes why readers should care about the analysis of the topic.	The student restates their thesis and main points. The student ends their conclusion by explaining why readers should care about their analysis of the topic.
Organization helps readers understand the thesis	The student hasn’t organized their ideas at all.	The response uses paragraphs, but there is no recognizable essay structure. There are multiple places where the order of ideas feels random. More than one paragraph mixes supporting ideas or changes subject midway through.	The response has a recognizable essay structure. Most ideas are presented in a logical order, but there may be a couple of places where the flow of ideas is unclear. Most body paragraphs focus on one supporting idea, but one paragraph may mix ideas or change subject midway through.	The response has a recognizable essay structure: an introduction, one or more body paragraphs, and a conclusion. There is a logical flow of ideas from sentence to sentence. Each body paragraph focuses on one supporting idea.

State Test Rubrics

Grading Assistant currently covers the following real state test rubrics:

Smarter Balanced Performance Task Extended Response (Grades 6+)
Georgia Milestones Extended Writing Task (Grades 6+)
Texas STAAR Extended Constructed Response (Grades 6+)
Virginia SOL Integrated Reading and Writing (All grades - 5, 8, and End of Course)

Assessed criteria vary by state. Please note that unlike our other rubrics, Grading Assistant for state tests will not assess non-English submissions. You can either assess these yourself or try one of our essay rubrics listed above.

What to expect from Grading Assistant?

Keep in mind that the Grading Assistant does not currently assess other criteria, such as:

Holistic quality
Factual accuracy
Whether the evidence is from a specific source or text
Plagiarized material

Grammar, conventions, and style are assessed only on rubrics with specific rubric items targeting these criteria. Currently, only state test rubrics include grammar rubric items.

Grading Assistant and Sources

Grading Assistant reliably assesses whether students are responding to the text or presenting plausible text evidence in their writing. However, it cannot refer to source texts. While rare, Grading Assistant may not catch students’ inaccurate interpretations or evidence.

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