Test Specifications
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Language Arts Literacy

Writing

New Jersey Registered Holistic Scoring Rubric - GEPA/HSPA - p. 23

In Scoring, consider the grid of  written language	Inadequate Command	Limited Command	Partial Command	Adequate Command	Strong Command	Superior Command
Score	1	2	3	4	5	6
Content & Organiza- tion (see below)	May lack opening and/or closing	May lack opening and/or closing	May lack opening and/or closing	Generally has opening and/or closing	Opening and closing	Opening and closing
.	Minimal response to topic; uncertain focus	Attempts to focus May drift or shift focus	Usually has single focus	Single focus	Single focus Sense of unity and coherence Key ideas developed	Single, distinct focus Unified and coherent Well-developed
.	No planning evident; disorganized	Attempts organization Few, if any, transitions between ideas	Some lapses or flaws in organization May lack some transitions between ideas	Ideas loosely connected Transition evident	Logical progression of ideas Moderately fluent Attempts compositional risks	Logical progression of ideas Fluent, cohesive Composi- tional risks successful
.	Details random, inappropriate, or barely apparent	Details lack elaboration, i.e., highlight paper	Repetitious details Several unelaborated details	Uneven development of details	Details appropriate and varied	Details effective, vivid, explicit, and/or pertinent
Usage (see below)	No apparent control Severe/ numerous errors	Numerous errors	Errors/ patterns of errors may be evident	Some errors that do not interfere with meaning	Few errors	Very few, if any, errors
Sentence Construc- tion (see below)	Assortment of incomplete and/or incorrect sentences	Excessive monotony/ same structure Numerous errors	Little variety in syntax Some errors	Some errors that do not interfere with meaning	Few errors	Very few, if any, errors
Mechanics (see below)	Errors so severe they detract from meaning	Numerous serious errors	Patterns of errors evident	No consistent pattern of errors Some errors that do not interfere with meaning	Few errors	Very few, if any, errors

Non-Scorable Responses	NR = No Response	Student wrote too little to allow reliable judgment of his/her writing.
	OT = Off Topic/ Off Task	Student did not write on the assigned topic/task, or the student attempted to copy the prompt.
	NE = Not English	Student wrote in a language other than English.
	WF = Wrong Format	Student refused to write on the topic, or the writing task folder was blank.

Content & Organization	Usage	Sentence Construction	Mechanics
Communicates intended message to intended audience Relates to topic Opening and closing Focused Logical progression of ideas Transitions Appropriate details and information	Tense formation Subject-verb agreement Pronouns usage/agreement Word choice/meaning Proper modifiers	Variety of type, structure, and length Correct construction	Spelling Capitalization Punctuation

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