What this rubric measures
The Forward Informative/Explanatory Short Write Rubric, Grades 6–8 is the official scoring guide used to evaluate student writing on Wisconsin Forward Exam assessments. It is an Holistic rubric that scores responses across 1 distinct criteria, allowing teachers to give precise, targeted feedback on each area of writing.
All 1 scoring criteria
Click any criterion to expand its score level descriptors. The language below is taken verbatim from the official Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Forward Exam scoring guide.
1 Holistic Informative Score
The response to the prompt is appropriate and maintains a clear and concise focus that accurately reflects the informative style of the writing. The response:
- creates an introduction that communicates the topic and engages the reader. (Grade 7: creates an introduction that communicates the topic, clarifies the purpose of the writing, and engages the reader. Grade 8: creates an introduction that communicates the topic, clarifies the purpose of the writing, and engages the reader.)
- organizes information and details to convey a desired idea or concept. (Grade 7: organizes information and selects details to convey a desired idea or concept. Grade 8: organizes relevant information and selects details to convey a desired idea or concept.)
- uses relevant transitions and vocabulary to build connections in the paragraph. (Grade 7: uses relevant transitions and vocabulary to build connections that support the development of ideas in the paragraph. Grade 8: uses relevant transitions and vocabulary to build connections that support the main idea and purpose of the paragraph.)
- establishes a conclusion that supports the topic and is appropriate to the informative style of writing. (Grade 8: establishes a conclusion that supports the topic, is appropriate to the informative style of writing, and provides closure for the reader.)
- demonstrates a command of language. The response may contain errors, but the errors do not significantly interfere with the overall meaning of the response.
The response to the prompt is limited in its focus and may inconsistently reflect the informative style of the writing. The response:
- creates an introduction that connects to the topic. (Grade 7: creates an introduction that communicates the topic and purpose of the writing. Grade 8: creates an introduction that communicates the topic and purpose of the writing.)
- includes partially organized information and details to develop the paragraph. (Grade 7: includes partially organized information and details to convey a desired idea or concept. Grade 8: includes relevant information and details in a partially organized manner to convey a desired idea or concept.)
- uses transitions and vocabulary to connect information and convey meaning in the paragraph. (Grade 7: uses relevant transitions and vocabulary to build connections in the paragraph. Grade 8: uses relevant transitions and vocabulary to build connections that support the development of ideas in the paragraph.)
- provides an abrupt ending or conclusion that may be inappropriate to the informative style of writing.
- demonstrates a limited command of language. Some errors may interfere with the overall meaning of the response.
The response to the prompt lacks focus and may be inappropriate to the informative style of the writing. The response:
- lacks an introduction that connects to the topic.
- lacks information or details to develop the paragraph.
- lacks transitions and vocabulary to connect information and convey meaning in the paragraph. (Grade 7: lacks relevant transitions and vocabulary to build connections in the paragraph. Grade 8: lacks relevant transitions and vocabulary to build connections that support ideas in the paragraph.)
- lacks a clear ending or conclusion.
- demonstrates little to no command of language. The response contains errors that significantly interfere with the overall meaning of the response.
The Grades 6-8 Informative/Explanatory Short Write rubric is holistic. Five scored elements (introduction, information/details, transitions/vocabulary, conclusion, language) are read together at each score point to produce one overall score from 1 to 3. Grade 6 expects engaging the reader; Grade 7 adds clarifying purpose; Grade 8 adds engaging the reader plus clarifying purpose and closure to the conclusion.
How to score with the Forward Informative/Explanatory Short Write Rubric, Grades 6–8.
A practical guide for teachers and norming teams. How to apply each descriptor consistently, the pitfalls that hurt inter-rater reliability, and a workflow for calibrating with colleagues.
Holistic, single overall score from 1 to 3
- Forward produces ONE score per Short Write on a 1 to 3 scale. There are no per-element subscores.
- Read the full descriptor at each score point and select the one that best matches the response as a whole, across all five elements.
- Strong control of one element (e.g., introduction) does not move the score up if another element clearly falls short.
Read the five elements together
- The five elements at each score point describe what writing at that level typically looks like together: introduction, information/details, transitions, conclusion, language.
- Start at the lowest score point and ask, does the response meet all five element descriptors at this level? Move up only when it clearly does.
- If a response sits between two score points, return to the descriptors and identify which level matches more of the response across all five elements.
Common pitfalls to avoid
- Awarding 3 at Grade 7 or 8 to an introduction that only names the topic. Element 1 requires the topic AND the purpose of the writing AND engagement to earn a 3.
- Awarding 3 at Grade 8 to a conclusion that wraps the topic but does not provide closure for the reader. Element 4 at Grade 8 adds closure to the score-3 descriptor.
- Treating an opinion-style argument as informative development. Forward Informative is explanatory writing; argumentative framing typically caps the response at 2.
Tips for norming with your team
- Anchor with 3 to 5 sample responses scored by your most experienced grader before the session.
- Score the first 5 silently, then compare. Discuss any response where graders disagree on score point.
- Re-norm halfway through a long batch. Drift is real.
Notes for the Forward Informative Rubric, Grades 6–8
Forward Informative at Grades 6-8 is explanatory writing. The student communicates a topic and develops it with organized relevant information and details that convey a desired idea or concept. Responses that lean into argument or opinion typically cap at 2 because they do not accurately reflect the informative style of the writing.
Expectations rise meaningfully between Grade 6 and Grade 8. Grade 6 introductions must communicate the topic AND engage the reader. Grade 7 adds clarifying the purpose of the writing to both the introduction and the transitions. Grade 8 expects closure in the conclusion and the highest expectation for organized relevant information.
The Forward Short Write expects ONE focused paragraph, not a multi-paragraph essay. The rubric's introduction element refers to the opening sentence(s) of the paragraph and the conclusion element refers to the closing sentence(s).
The Forward rubrics are based on standards W2 and W3 in the Wisconsin ELA writing standards. They are designed for educator use, not student-facing rubrics, and may not be used during testing.
See this rubric in action.
EnlightenAI scores student writing on this exact rubric, with per-criterion feedback that mirrors how you grade by hand. The sample response below shows how the rubric applies to a real piece of student writing, scored against every criterion.
How wind turbines make electricity
Wind turbines turn moving air into usable electricity through a sequence of mechanical and electrical steps, and understanding that process makes the strange-looking towers on the horizon a lot less mysterious. When wind blows across the long blades of a turbine, the curved shape of each blade causes uneven air pressure that lifts and pushes the blades, making the central rotor spin. The rotor is connected to a shaft inside the housing at the top of the tower, called the nacelle. That shaft turns a gearbox that speeds up the rotation, which then drives a generator. Inside the generator, magnets spin around coils of copper wire, and that motion produces an electric current through electromagnetic induction. The current travels down cables inside the tower to a transformer at the base, which raises the voltage so the electricity can move long distances along power lines. A single large wind turbine can generate enough electricity in one year to power roughly 1,500 homes. Wind turbines therefore convert one form of energy, kinetic energy in the air, into another form, electrical energy in the grid, with very few moving parts and no fuel burned.
Topic and purpose clear, details organized
Opening sentence communicates the topic (wind turbines turn air into electricity) and clarifies purpose (a sequence of steps). Information is organized in sequence with relevant details about blades, rotor, gearbox, generator, transformer.
Transitions build connections, conclusion supports the topic
Transitions (when, that, which then, inside, therefore) build connections that support development of the explanation. The closing sentence supports the topic and is appropriate to informative writing. Elements 3 and 4 match the Grade 7 score-3 descriptors.
Errors do not interfere with meaning
Capitalization, punctuation, and sentence formation are correct throughout. Domain-specific vocabulary (rotor, nacelle, electromagnetic induction, transformer) is used precisely. The response demonstrates a command of language matching Element 5 at the Grade 7 score-3 descriptor.
Score this rubric consistently, with the feedback students actually use
EnlightenAI is trained on your standards and your exemplars, then scores at the speed of your classroom.
Trained on your rubric
Upload this rubric, or any custom one, and the AI learns your exact criteria, descriptor language, and score level boundaries.
Per-criterion feedback
Students receive specific, actionable comments tied to each criterion, exactly the way you'd grade by hand.
Built for K–12 schools
Roster sync, FERPA-aligned data handling, and per-school configuration so every campus uses the same standards.
About the Forward Informative/Explanatory Short Write Rubric, Grades 6–8
What is the Forward Informative/Explanatory Short Write rubric for Grades 6 to 8?
How is the Grade 6 Informative rubric different from Grade 8?
What does clarifying the purpose mean at Grade 7 and Grade 8?
How is the Forward Informative rubric different from Forward Argumentative?
How does the Forward rubric handle Conventions?
Is this rubric the official version from DPI?
Where can I find the source document?
Can EnlightenAI score student writing using this rubric?
Use this rubric in EnlightenAI
Train EnlightenAI on the Forward Informative/Explanatory Short Write Rubric, Grades 6–8 and start scoring student writing, with consistent per-element feedback, in a single class period.