State writing rubrics
Mississippi Grades 3–8, High School 1 official rubrics

Mississippi MAAP writing rubric, in one place.

The official Mississippi MAAP English Language Arts writing rubric from the Mississippi Department of Education. One analytic rubric covering Development of Ideas, Writing Organization, and two Language Conventions sub-scales. Every score point, every descriptor extracted verbatim from the MAAP rubric and ready to use in your classroom.

Verified against mdek12.org Last updated May 2026
01 About MAAP

Mississippi's state writing assessment, rubric by rubric

MAAP (Mississippi Academic Assessment Program) is the state's annual summative assessment program. The English Language Arts writing portion is scored using a single analytic rubric that applies across the assessed grade levels.

MAAP uses four standards: Development of Ideas (W.1-3, 0 to 4), Writing Organization (W.1-3, 0 to 4), Language Conventions of Grammar and Usage (L.1 and L.3, 0 to 2), and Language Conventions of Mechanics (L.2, 0 to 2). Development and Organization each carry a 4-point analytic scale. The two Language Conventions traits are each scored on a 2-point sub-scale that begins at score point 2.

Raw point totals map to four performance ranges: Advanced (12), Proficient (11 to 9), Basic (8 to 5), and Minimal (4 to 1). The rubric is genre-flexible, applying to argumentative, informational, and narrative writing alike. Descriptor language is anchored to the Common Core writing and language standards (W.1 through W.3 for production of writing, L.1 through L.3 for conventions).

02 The rubrics

The Mississippi MAAP writing rubric

MAAP uses a single analytic writing rubric across the assessed grades. Responses are scored on four standards. Development of Ideas (0 to 4) and Writing Organization (0 to 4) each carry a 4-point analytic scale. Language Conventions of Grammar and Usage (0 to 2) and Language Conventions of Mechanics (0 to 2) are scored on tighter 2-point sub-scales. Performance ranges map raw totals to Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Minimal.

03 Scoring

How MAAP scores writing

The MAAP writing rubric scores responses on four standards. Development of Ideas (0 to 4) and Writing Organization (0 to 4) each carry a 4-point analytic scale that maps to the Common Core W.1-3 production-of-writing standards. The two Language Conventions standards (Grammar and Usage at L.1 and L.3, Mechanics at L.2) are each scored on a 2-point sub-scale.

01
Development of Ideas

Scored 0 to 4. Anchored to Common Core W.1-3 (production of writing). Captures clarity and focus of the writing relative to the task, depth and logical reasoning of idea development, and use of relevant, accurate, text-based evidence and details.

02
Writing Organization

Scored 0 to 4. Also anchored to W.1-3. Captures evidence of planning, logical progression of ideas, effective use of words, clauses, and transitions to clarify relationships among claims, reasons, details, and evidence, and the presence of an effective introduction and conclusion that contribute to cohesiveness and clarity.

03
Language Conventions, Grammar and Usage

Scored 0 to 2 on a tighter sub-scale anchored to Common Core L.1 and L.3. Captures tone appropriateness, word choice precision, sentence fluency and variety, and command of grammar and usage. The 2-point sub-scale begins at score point 2; a response with no command of grammar and usage earns 0.

Scale 4 standards, performance bands
Total possible 12 pts total
Type Analytic
04 FAQ

Common questions about Mississippi MAAP writing

What is the MAAP writing rubric?
It is the official Mississippi Department of Education rubric used to score the English Language Arts writing portion of the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP). The rubric is analytic with four standards, Development of Ideas (0 to 4), Writing Organization (0 to 4), Language Conventions of Grammar and Usage (0 to 2), and Language Conventions of Mechanics (0 to 2), for a total of 12 possible points.
How many points is the MAAP writing rubric worth?
12 points total. Development of Ideas is worth up to 4 points, Writing Organization is worth up to 4 points, Language Conventions of Grammar and Usage is worth up to 2 points, and Language Conventions of Mechanics is worth up to 2 points. The four standards are scored independently, then summed.
How are MAAP raw scores converted to performance levels?
MAAP uses four performance ranges. Advanced is a total of 12. Proficient is 11 to 9. Basic is 8 to 5. Minimal is 4 to 1. A score of 0 indicates a non-scorable response.
Does MAAP use different rubrics for different writing genres?
No. MAAP uses a single genre-flexible writing rubric that applies to argumentative, informational, and narrative writing tasks. The descriptor language is anchored to the Common Core W.1-3 production-of-writing standards, which span all three genres.
Is this rubric the official version from the Mississippi Department of Education?
Yes. The descriptor language on this page is extracted verbatim from the official Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) English Language Arts Writing Rubric, published by the Mississippi Department of Education. We do not edit, paraphrase, or interpret the criteria.
Where can I find the source documents?
The official MAAP writing rubric is published by the Mississippi Department of Education at mdek12.org/OSA (Office of Student Assessment). The descriptors on this page are extracted from that document and re-verified each spring.
Does EnlightenAI auto-score with this rubric?
Yes. EnlightenAI's scoring engine uses the official MAAP writing rubric. Teachers calibrate against a handful of their own scored samples before deploying to students, and per-standard feedback is generated automatically.

Score Mississippi MAAP writing in EnlightenAI

Train EnlightenAI on the official MAAP writing rubric and start scoring student writing, with consistent per-standard feedback, in a single class period.