Narrative Scoring Rubric Derived from NAEP by UCSB and UCLA

6 Excellent Response

  • Tells a well-developed story with relevant descriptive details across the response.
  • Events are well connected and tie the story together with transitions across the response.
  • Sustains varied sentence structure and exhibits specific word choices.
  • Exhibits control over sentence boundaries; errors in grammar, spelling and mechanics do not interfere with understanding.

    5 Skillful Response

  • Tells a clear story with some development, including some relevant descriptive details.
  • Events are connected in much of the response; may lack some transitions.
  • Exhibits some variety in sentence structure and exhibits some specific word choices.
  • Generally exhibits control over sentence boundaries; errors in grammar, spelling, and mechanics do not interfere with understanding.

    4 Sufficient response

  • Tells a clear story with little development; has few details.
  • Events are generally related; may contain brief digressions or inconsistencies.
  • Generally has simple sentences and simple word choice; may exhibit uneven control over sentence boundaries.
  • Has sentences that consist mostly of complete, clear, distinct thoughts; errors in grammar, spelling, and mechanics generally do not interfere with understanding.

    3 Uneven Response

  • Attempts to tell a story, but tells only part of a story, gives a plan for a story, or is list-like.
  • Lacks a clear progression of events, elements may not fit togeher or be in sequence.
  • Exhibits uneven control over sentence boundaries and may have some inaccurate word choices.
  • Errors in grammar, spelling, and mechanics sometimes interfere with understanding.

    2 Insufficient Response (may be characterized by one or more of the following:)

  • Attempts a response, but is not more than a fragment or the beginning of a story OR is very repetitive.
  • Is very disorganized OR too brief to detect organization.
  • Exhibits little control over sentence boundaries and sentence formation; word choice is inaccurate in much of the response.
  • Characterized by misspellings, missing words, incorrect word order; errors in grammar, spelling, and mechanics are severe enough to make understanding very difficult in much of the response.

    1 Unsatisfactory response (may be characterized by one or more of the following:)

  • Attempts a response, but may only paraphrase the prompt or be extremely brief. Exhibits no control over organization.
  • Exhibits no control over sentence formation; word choice is inaccurate across the response.
  • Characterized by misspellings, missing words, incorrect word order; errors in grammar, spelling, and mechanics severely impede understanding across the response.

    Developed by Richard Durán (UC Santa Barbara) and Kris Gutiérrez (UC Los Angeles).

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