Mechanics – 35 Points

EXPERT (32-35 points):  Minimal or no spelling/grammatical errors. Word choice establishes authority and a scholarly, professional tone.

ACCOMPLISHED (28-31 points):  Several spelling/grammatical errors, but errors do not obscure the writer’s meaning. Minor improvement needed in word choice and/or tone.

CAPABLE (25-30 points):  Many spelling/grammatical errors that distract somewhat from the writer’s meaning. Improvement needed in word choice and/or tone.

BEGINNER (21-24 points):  Numerous spelling/grammatical errors obscure the writer’s meaning. There are some word choice errors and/or a scholarly tone is not maintained throughout.

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT (0-21): Significant spelling/grammatical errors obscure the writer’s meaning. Multiple word choice errors, and the essay is lacking a scholarly tone.

Formatting – 25 Points

EXPERT (23-25 points):  Essay is in MLA format and is 3 - 4 pages in length.

ACCOMPLISHED (20-22 points):  Minimal MLA formatting errors but meets minimum length requirement.

CAPABLE (18-19 points):  Some MLA formatting errors and/or is only 2 ½ pages long.

BEGINNER (15-17 points):  Numerous formatting errors and/or is only 1 - 2 pages long.

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT (0-14): Significant formatting errors and/or is 1 page long or shorter.

Critical Thinking – 50 Points

EXPERT (45 - 50 points):  Thesis is clear, and establishes an evaluation. The criteria are clearly established and supported by evidence. Key terms are defined as needed.

ACCOMPLISHED (40 - 44 points): Thesis is identifiable, mostly reflects the purpose of an evaluation. Criteria are generally clear and supported by evidence. Most key terms are defined.

CAPABLE (35 - 39 points): Thesis is vague or only partially reflects the purpose of the evaluation. Some criteria are provided, evidence may be lacking. Key terms may not be defined.

BEGINNER (30-34 points): Thesis is unclear or minimally reflects the purpose of the evaluation. The criteria are ill-defined and lacking supporting evidence.

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT (0-29): Thesis may be missing; the writing does not meet assignment requirements.

Organization – 50 Points

EXPERT (45 - 50 points):  Intro contains a thesis statement, body paragraphs are unified & fully developed, concl. reinforces the thesis. Essay follows the correct organizational pattern.

ACCOMPLISHED (40 - 44 points):  Intro contains identifiable thesis statement, most body paragraphs are unified and adequately developed, concl. restates the thesis. Essay generally follows correct organizational pattern.

CAPABLE (35 - 39 points):  Intro contains a weak or unclear thesis statement, inconsistently unified &/or developed body paragraphs, concl. partially relates to the main idea. Essay inconsistently follows the correct organizational pattern.

BEGINNER (30 - 34 points): Intro attempts a thesis statement but it lacks clarity, body paragraphs show limited unity &/or insufficient development, concl. is minimally connected to main idea. Inconsistent organization.

NEEDS IIMPROVEMENT (0-29): Thesis indiscernible, body paragraphs lack development, concl. missing/incomplete. Essay lacks organization.

Content – 55 Points

EXPERT (50-55 points): The writing demonstrates knowledge appropriate to the assignment. The essay is unified, demonstrating understanding of the topic and the development of evaluative criteria. Incorporates sources to support evaluation.

ACCOMPLISHED (45-49 points): The writing mostly demonstrates knowledge appropriate to the assignment. The essay is mainly unified, understanding of the topic and the evaluative criteria may be inconsistent. Evaluation is mostly supported by evidence.

CAPABLE (40-44 points): The writing inconsistently demonstrates knowledge appropriate to the assignment. Essay unity, understanding of the topic, and the criteria and supporting evidence are inconsistent.

BEGINNER (35-39 points):  The writing does not demonstrate knowledge appropriate to the assignment. Essay may not be unified, topic knowledge may be underdeveloped, evaluative criteria may be unclear.

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT (0-34): The writing does not focus on evaluation. Insufficient or missing support.

MLA Documentation – 35 Points

EXPERT (31-35 points): Quotes and In-text citations appear in all body paragraphs; Works Cited page and in-text citations have no errors or errors are negligible. Min. 3 scholarly sources.

ACCOMPLISHED (26-30 points): Quotes and In-text citations appear in most body paragraphs. In-text citations and/or Works Cited page have minimal errors. Min. 3 scholarly sources.

CAPABLE (21-25 points): Quotes and In-text citations appear in some body paragraphs. In-text citations and/or Works Cited page have some errors and/or inconsistencies. Lacking 1 source.

BEGINNER (16-20 points): Quotes and In-text citations are missing in most body paragraphs. In-text citations and/or Works cited page have significant and/or repeated errors. Lacking more than 1 source.

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT (0-15): In-text citations and/or Works Cited page are missing, incomplete, and/or errors are significant. Lacking sources.