Less is Less: Essay Rubric
for LTWR's Student Writing Assessment
Project
This rubric, adapted from the CSU English Placement Test (EPT) Scoring Guide, was created by Mary Wardell and Silverio Haro. The CSUSM Essay Rubric evaluates writing with five larger categories in mind:
- command of topic
- argumentative development
- organization
- syntactic variety and language
- control of mechanics
CSUSM's General Education Writing (GEW) program has been using the CSU EPT Scoring Guide and the adaptation of it below since the writing program began in 1995. GEW instructors use the rubric in their courses. This same rubric is used to evaluate all of the GEW student portfolios (including those of multilingual writers) at the close of each semester. When evaluators apply this rubric to texts written by multilingual writers, they make one addition to the rubric by asking: Do the language errors impede meaning? A "yes" answer will influence, at a minimum, the "Control of Mechanics" score. The scores for the other four areas may also be affected.
To apply this rubric to writing, note that each texts is evaluated in five categories on a scale of 1-5. In each category, check the appropriate score. In the "Total Points" box, insert the respective score for each category and add up the points.
In our repeated use of this rubric in the GEW course, we have learned that instructors and students alike are especially appreciative of the way this rubric helps to demystify the evaluation process. Cheers to your success with this rubric!