CAASPP Smarter Balanced Narrative Performance Task Writing Rubric | Grades 3-8

CAASPP Smarter Balanced Narrative Performance Task Writing Rubric | Grades 3-8

7 min read June 24, 2023
✨ Summary: CAASPP Smarter Balanced Narrative Performance Task Writing Rubric for Grades 3-8. Detailed scoring criteria for organization/purpose, development/elaboration, and conventions, essential for students, teachers, and parents in elementary and middle school education.

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Enhance Your Narrative Writing with CoGrader!

Use this CAASPP Smarter Balanced Narrative Writing Rubric for Grades 3-8 in CoGrader to guide your students through practice tasks, preparing them for real assessments with instant, quality feedback.

Get Instant Feedback Using This Rubric

CAASPP Smarter Balanced Narrative Performance Task Writing Rubric for Grades 3-8

Key Points

  • This rubric guides narrative writing assessment for grades 3-8
  • It helps teachers evaluate students’ ability to write real or imagined narratives effectively
  • It’s essential for CAASPP Smarter Balanced narrative writing task preparation
  • It aims to improve elementary and middle school students’ narrative writing skills

Full Rubric

Score4321NS
Organization/PurposeThe organization of the narrative, real or imagined, is fully sustained and the focus is clear and maintained throughout.The organization of the narrative, real or imagined, is adequately sustained, and the focus is adequate and generally maintained.The organization of the narrative, real or imagined, is somewhat sustained and may have an uneven focus.The organization of the narrative, real or imagined, may be maintained but may provide little or no focus.• Insufficient (includes copied text)• In a language other than English• Off-topic• Off-purpose
Development/ElaborationThe narrative, real or imagined, provides thorough, effective elaboration using relevant details, dialogue, and/or description.The narrative, real or imagined, provides adequate elaboration using details, dialogue, and/or description.The narrative, real or imagined, provides uneven, cursory elaboration using partial and uneven details, dialogue, and/or description.The narrative, real or imagined, provides minimal elaboration using few or no details, dialogue, and/or description.• Insufficient (includes copied text)• In a language other than English• Off-topic• Off-purpose
ConventionsN/AN/AThe response demonstrates an adequate command of conventions.The response demonstrates a partial command of conventions.The response demonstrates little or no command of conventions. NS• Insufficient (includes copied text)• In a language other than English• Off-topic

Detailed Criteria Descriptions

Organization/Purpose Rubric

ScoreDescription and Structure
4Description: The organization of the narrative, real or imagined, is fully sustained and the focus is clear and maintained throughout.Structure:• an effective plot helps to create a sense of unity and completeness• effectively establishes a setting, narrator/characters, and/or point of view*• consistent use of a variety of transitional strategies to clarify the relationships between and among ideas; strong connection between and among ideas• natural, logical sequence of events from beginning to end• effective opening and closure for audience and purpose
3Description: The organization of the narrative, real or imagined, is adequately sustained, and the focus is adequate and generally maintained.Structure:• an evident plot helps to create a sense of unity and completeness, though there may be minor flaws and some ideas may be loosely connected• adequately establishes a setting, narrator/ characters, and/or point of view*• adequate use of a variety of transitional strategies to clarify the relationships between and among ideas• adequate sequence of events from beginning to end• adequate opening and closure for audience and purpose
2Description: The organization of the narrative, real or imagined, is somewhat sustained and may have an uneven focus.Structure:• there may be an inconsistent plot, and/or flaws may be evident• unevenly or minimally establishes a setting, narrator/characters, and/or point of view*• uneven use of appropriate transitional strategies and/or little variety• weak or uneven sequence of events• opening and closure, if present, are weak
1Description: The organization of the narrative, real or imagined, may be maintained but may provide little or no focus.Structure:• there is little or no discernible plot or there may just be a series of events• may be brief or there is little to no attempt to establish a setting, narrator/characters, and/or point of view*• few or no appropriate transitional strategies may be evident and may cause confusion• little or no organization of an event sequence; frequent extraneous ideas and/or a major drift may be evident• opening and/or closure may be missing or unsatisfactory
NS• Insufficient (includes copied text)• In a language other than English• Off-topic• Off-purpose

*point of view begins at grade 7

Development/Elaboration Rubric

ScoreDescription and Evidence
4Description: The narrative, real or imagined, provides thorough, effective elaboration using relevant details, dialogue, and/or description.Evidence:• experiences, characters, setting and/or events are clearly developed• connections to source materials may enhance the narrative• effective use of a variety of narrative techniques that advance the story or illustrate the experience• effective use of sensory, concrete, and figurative language that clearly advances the purpose• effective, appropriate style enhances the narration
3Description: The narrative, real or imagined, provides adequate elaboration using details, dialogue, and/or description.Evidence:• experiences, characters, setting, and/or events are adequately developed• connections to source materials may contribute to the narrative• adequate use of a variety of narrative techniques that generally advance the story or illustrate the experience• adequate use of sensory, concrete, and figurative language that generally advances the purpose• generally appropriate style is evident
2Description: The narrative, real or imagined, provides uneven, cursory elaboration using partial and uneven details, dialogue, and/or description.Evidence:• experiences, characters, setting, and/or events are unevenly developed• connections to source materials may be ineffective, awkward, or vague but do not interfere with the narrative• narrative techniques are uneven and inconsistent• partial or weak use of sensory, concrete, and figurative language that may not advance the purpose• inconsistent or weak attempt to create appropriate style
1Description: The narrative, real or imagined, provides minimal elaboration using few or no details, dialogue, and/or description.Evidence:• experiences, characters, setting, and/or events may be vague, lack clarity, or confusing• connections to source materials, if evident, may detract from the narrative• use of narrative techniques may be minimal, absent, incorrect, or irrelevant• may have little or no use of sensory, concrete, or figurative language; language does not advance and may interfere with the purpose• little or no evidence of appropriate style
NS• Insufficient (includes copied text)• In a language other than English• Off-topic• Off-purpose

Conventions Rubric

ScoreCriteria and Usage
2Criteria: The response demonstrates an adequate command of conventions.Usage: adequate use of correct sentence formation, punctuation, capitalization, grammar usage, and spelling
1Criteria: The response demonstrates a partial command of conventions.Usage: limited use of correct sentence formation, punctuation, capitalization, grammar usage, and spelling
0Criteria: The response demonstrates little or no command of conventions.Usage: infrequent use of correct sentence formation, punctuation, capitalization, grammar usage, and spelling
NSCriteria: Insufficient (includes copied text), In a language other than English, Off-topic.Usage: N/A

Holistic Scoring:

  • Variety: A range of errors includes sentence formation, punctuation, capitalization, grammar usage, and spelling.
  • Severity: Basic errors are more heavily weighted than higher-level errors.
  • Density: The proportion of errors to the amount of writing done well. This includes the ratio of errors to the length of the piece.

How to Use This Rubric

  1. For Teachers: Use this rubric to assess your students’ narrative writing skills. It can help you identify areas where students excel and where they need improvement. Incorporate these criteria into your writing instruction to help students develop strong narrative writing skills.

  2. For Students: Familiarize yourself with this rubric to understand what’s expected in your narrative writing. Use it as a checklist when revising your work to ensure you’ve covered all the important aspects of effective narrative writing.

  3. For Parents: Review this rubric to understand how your child’s narrative writing is evaluated. Use it as a guide to support your child’s writing development at home.

Tips for Success in CAASPP Smarter Balanced Narrative Writing

  1. Clear Organization: Ensure your narrative has a clear, well-focused organizational structure that is consistently maintained throughout the story.

  2. Effective Plot: Develop an effective plot that helps create a sense of unity and completeness in your narrative.

  3. Establish Setting and Characters: Effectively establish a setting, narrator/characters, and point of view (for grade 7 and above).

  4. Use Transitional Strategies: Employ a variety of transitional strategies to clarify the relationships between and among ideas.

  5. Logical Sequence of Events: Ensure a natural, logical sequence of events from beginning to end.

  6. Thorough Elaboration: Provide thorough, effective elaboration using relevant details, dialogue, and description.

  7. Appropriate Language: Use sensory, concrete, and figurative language that clearly advances the purpose of your narrative.

  8. Convention Mastery: Demonstrate adequate command of sentence formation, punctuation, capitalization, grammar usage, and spelling.

By focusing on these areas, students can improve their narrative writing skills and perform better on the CAASPP Smarter Balanced Narrative Writing task. Remember, practice makes perfect! Regular writing practice using this rubric as a guide can significantly enhance your performance.

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Table of Contents đź“’

Enhance Your Narrative Writing with CoGrader!

Use this CAASPP Smarter Balanced Narrative Writing Rubric for Grades 3-8 in CoGrader to guide your students through practice tasks, preparing them for real assessments with instant, quality feedback.

Get Instant Feedback Using This Rubric

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