COM 506 – Core Values Essay Scoring Rubric
Rating Scale Exemplary: Corresponds to an A- to A (90-100%)
Proficient: Corresponds to B- to B+ (80-89%)
Basic: Corresponds to C- to C+ (70-79%)
Novice: Corresponds to D to D+ (60-69%)
Not Attempted: Corresponds to an F (0-59%)
Elements
Criteria
Not Attempted
(Criterion is
missing or not in
evidence)
0-14 points
Novice
(does not meet
expectations;
performance is
substandard)
15-17 points
Basic
(works towards
meeting
expectations;
performance
needs
improvement)
18-19 points
Proficient
(meets expectations;
performance is
satisfactory)
20-22 points
Exemplary
(exceeds
expectations;
performance is
outstanding)
23-25 points
Paper Topic
There was little
or no evidence of
an essay
The paper fails to
address multiple
parts of the essay
prompt; and/or the
paper lacks a
thesis statement.
The paper
addresses most,
but not all, of parts
of the essay
prompt; and/or the
paper’s thesis is
difficult to discern.
The paper
addresses all parts
of the essay prompt,
but not adequately;
and/or the paper has
an adequate thesis,
but it is not explicitly
stated in the
introductory
paragraph.
The paper
adequately
addresses all
parts of the essay
prompt; and the
paper clearly
states a well-
defined thesis in
the introductory
paragraph.
Length
Requirements
There was little
or no evidence of
an essay
The paper is
entirely too short.
The paper
contains a great
deal of “fluff” and
still doesn’t meet
the length
requirements
The paper is just a
little on the short
side and/or it meets
the requirements
only because it
contains “fluff” that
could use trimming.
The paper falls
within the required
length
requirements
without going over
and without
straying from the
main topic.
Mechanics of
Writing
Little to no
evidence of
proper writing
mechanics
The grammar of the
paper greatly
impedes
understanding of
content; and/or the
paper contains no
citations.
The paper needs
a good deal of
improvement with
respect to
grammar,
citations, spelling,
and/or style.
The paper is mostly
free of errors with
respect to grammar,
citations, spelling,
and/or style, but
needs some
improvement in this
area.
The paper is
nearly perfect with
respect to
grammar,
citations, spelling,
and style.
Understanding
The paper
exhibits a
complete lack of
understanding of
the text and/or
course materials.
The paper exhibits
very little
understanding of
the text and/or
course materials.
The paper exhibits
basic
understanding of
the text and/or
course materials,
but needs
improvement in
this area.
The paper exhibits
sufficient
understanding of the
text and/or course
materials, but some
improvement
needed.
The paper does
an excellent job
demonstrating an
accurate
understanding of
the text and/or
course materials.