What this rubric measures
The NJSLA Research and Literary Analysis Rubric, Grade 3 is the official scoring guide used to evaluate student writing on New Jersey NJSLA assessments. It is an Analytic rubric that scores responses across 2 distinct criteria, allowing teachers to give precise, targeted feedback on each area of writing.
All 2 scoring criteria
Click any criterion to expand its score level descriptors. The language below is taken verbatim from the official New Jersey Department of Education NJSLA scoring guide.
1 Reading Comprehension and Written Expression
The student response
- demonstrates full comprehension by providing an accurate explanation/description/comparison;
- addresses the prompt and provides effective development of the topic that is consistently appropriate to task, purpose, and audience;
- uses clear reasoning supported by relevant, text-based evidence in the development of the topic;
- is effectively organized with clear and coherent writing;
- uses language effectively to clarify ideas.
The student response
- demonstrates comprehension by providing a mostly accurate explanation/description/comparison;
- addresses the prompt and provides some development of the topic that is generally appropriate to task, purpose, and audience;
- uses reasoning and relevant, text-based evidence in the development of the topic;
- is organized with mostly clear and coherent writing;
- uses language in a way that is mostly effective to clarify ideas.
The student response
- demonstrates limited comprehension;
- addresses the prompt and provides minimal development of the topic that is limited in its appropriateness to task, purpose, and audience;
- uses limited reasoning and text-based evidence;
- demonstrates limited organization and coherence;
- uses language to express ideas with limited clarity.
The student response
- does not demonstrate comprehension;
- is undeveloped and/or inappropriate to the task, purpose, and audience;
- includes little to no text-based evidence;
- lacks organization and coherence;
- does not use language to express ideas with clarity.
The Research Simulation Task and the Literary Analysis Task share this rubric at Grade 3. RST uses informational source texts, LAT uses literary source texts; the scoring descriptors apply identically to both.
2 Knowledge of Language and Conventions
The student response to the prompt demonstrates full command of the conventions of standard English at an appropriate level of complexity. There may be a few minor errors in mechanics, grammar, and usage, but meaning is clear.
The student response to the prompt demonstrates some command of the conventions of standard English at an appropriate level of complexity. There may be errors in mechanics, grammar, and usage that occasionally impede understanding, but the meaning is generally clear.
The student response to the prompt demonstrates limited command of the conventions of standard English at an appropriate level of complexity. There may be errors in mechanics, grammar, and usage that often impede understanding.
The student response to the prompt does not demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English at the appropriate level of complexity. Frequent and varied errors in mechanics, grammar, and usage impede understanding.
A response is considered unscoreable if it cannot be assigned a score based on the rubric criteria. Condition codes include A=No response, B=Unintelligible or undecipherable, C=Not written in English, D=Off-topic, E=Refusal to respond, F=Don't understand/know.
How to score with the NJSLA Research and Literary Analysis Rubric, Grade 3.
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.
Two-construct analytic, scored independently
- Score Reading Comprehension and Written Expression (0 to 3) first, then Knowledge of Language and Conventions (0 to 3). Sum for the rubric total out of 6.
- The first construct combines comprehension of the source with development, organization, and language clarity. They are not scored separately at Grade 3.
- One rubric covers both Research Simulation Task (RST, informational sources) and Literary Analysis Task (LAT, literary sources). The descriptors apply identically.
Text-based evidence is required at every passing score
- A 3 requires relevant text-based evidence used in the development of the topic. A 2 still requires relevant text-based evidence. A 1 uses limited reasoning and text-based evidence. A 0 includes little to no text-based evidence.
- Responses that ignore the source and rely on personal opinion or background knowledge typically cap at 1 on the first construct, regardless of how well-written the prose is.
- Reasoning must support the topic with evidence. Evidence alone, without reasoning that connects it to the prompt, falls short of the 2 descriptor.
Common pitfalls to avoid
- Awarding 3 to a response that has accurate comprehension but minimal text-based evidence. The rubric explicitly requires evidence at the top score.
- Treating RST and LAT as different rubrics. They share one set of descriptors at Grade 3; the task type does not change scoring.
- Conflating handwriting or spelling alone with Conventions. The construct covers mechanics, grammar, and usage at an appropriate level of complexity for Grade 3.
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 construct where graders are more than one point apart.
- Re-norm halfway through a long batch. Drift is real, especially on the 0 to 3 scale where the gap between 2 and 1 is thin.
Notes for the NJSLA RST and LAT Rubric, Grade 3
Grade 3 NJSLA uses a 0 to 3 scale on both constructs for RST and LAT. This is the tightest scale on any NJSLA RST/LAT rubric; Grades 4-5 and 6-11 expand the Reading Comprehension and Written Expression construct to a 0 to 4 scale.
Comprehension and written expression are combined into a single construct at every grade band on the RST/LAT rubric. A response cannot earn high comprehension and low expression scores separately; one construct captures both, and the descriptors interlock comprehension with development, organization, and language clarity.
The Research Simulation Task gives students one or more informational source texts and asks for an explanation, description, or comparison. The Literary Analysis Task gives students one or more literary texts and asks for an analytical response. Both task types use this same rubric.
A response that cannot be assigned a score (no response, unintelligible, not in English, off-topic, refusal, or don't-know) is coded rather than scored. Coded responses are flagged with letters A through F per the NJDOE.
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 bats find food in the dark
Bats are animals that fly at night to find food. The two passages explain that bats use a special skill called echolocation to find bugs and other food in the dark. Echolocation is a way of using sound to see.
How echolocation works
The first passage says that bats make a high squeak with their mouth. The sound goes out into the air. When the sound hits a bug, it bounces back to the bat. The bat hears the bounce and knows where the bug is. The passage calls this an "echo."
Why this helps bats
The second passage says that bats hunt at night when it is very dark. Even with sharp eyes, it would be hard to find tiny bugs at night. With echolocation the bat does not need to see the bug. It just needs to hear the echo. The passage says this is why bats are good hunters.
Conclusion
Both passages show that bats use sound, not sight, to find their food. Echolocation lets them catch bugs in the dark. That is how bats find food at night.
Comprehension with relevant evidence
Mostly accurate comprehension with some development. Uses reasoning and relevant text-based evidence from both passages (the squeak, the echo, hunting at night). Organization mostly clear, language mostly effective. Caps at 2 because the how-it-works explanation is brief.
Full command of Grade 3 conventions
Capitalization, punctuation, and spelling are correct throughout. Sentence formation is varied and accurate at Grade 3 level. A few minor moments do not impede meaning. Earns full credit on the 0 to 3 Conventions scale.
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About the NJSLA Research and Literary Analysis Rubric, Grade 3
What is the NJSLA RST and LAT Writing Rubric for Grade 3?
Why are reading comprehension and written expression combined into one construct?
Do RST and LAT use the same rubric?
How is the Grade 3 RST/LAT rubric different from Grades 4-5 and 6-11?
Is this rubric the official version from NJDOE?
Where can I find the source document?
Can EnlightenAI score student writing using this rubric?
Use this rubric in EnlightenAI
Train EnlightenAI on the NJSLA RST and LAT Writing Rubric, Grade 3, and start scoring student writing, with consistent per-construct feedback, in a single class period.