What this rubric measures
The RISE Informative/Explanatory Writing Rubric, Grade 6 is the official scoring guide used to evaluate student writing on Utah RISE assessments. It is an Holistic genre trait plus shared Conventions 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 Utah State Board of Education RISE scoring guide.
1 Informative/Explanatory (Genre)
The response demonstrates an ability to provide a purposeful and focused written response to an on-demand prompt. It demonstrates a strong understanding of the task and purpose. Characteristic of score point 6 include:
- a clear topic, well maintained
- an introduction that indicates a focus for the writing
- a conclusion that summarizes and ties back to the topic
- an organizational structure that is clear and appropriate for the purpose
- clear presentation of ideas that demonstrates understanding of the topic
- includes well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, details, examples, and/or quotes to support the topic
- clearly develops the topic and clarifies the relationship among ideas
- precise use of language to develop the topic
The response may: lack the polish of multiple revisions; have minimal loosely related material.
The response demonstrates an ability to provide a purposeful and mostly focused written response to an on-demand prompt. It demonstrates a clear understanding of the task and purpose. Characteristic of score point 5 include:
- a clear topic, mostly maintained
- an introduction that indicates a focus for the writing
- a conclusion that ties back to the topic
- an organizational structure appropriate for the purpose
- coherent presentation of ideas that demonstrates understanding of the topic
- includes relevant, sufficient, and mostly well-chosen facts, details, examples, and/or quotes to support the topic
- mostly develops the topic and clarifies the relationship among ideas
- appropriate use of language to develop the topic
The response may: lack the polish of multiple revisions; have minor lapses in organization; have minimal loosely related material.
The response demonstrates an ability to provide an adequately purposeful and focused written response to an on-demand prompt. It demonstrates an adequate understanding of the task and purpose. Characteristic of score point 4 include:
- a clear topic, adequately maintained
- an organization adequate for the purpose
- coherent presentation of ideas that demonstrates an adequate understanding of the topic
- includes relevant and sufficient facts, details, examples, or quotes to support the topic
- adequately develops the topic and clarifies the relationship among ideas
- adequate use of language to develop the topic
The response may: have minor lapses in organization; have loosely related material; NOT have a clear introduction and/or conclusion.
The response demonstrates an ability to provide a somewhat purposeful and focused written response to an on-demand prompt. It demonstrates some understanding of the task and purpose. Characteristic of score point 3 include:
- a topic
- some organizational elements
- includes facts, details, examples, or quotes to related to the topic (information may be general)
- attempts to develop the topic and clarify the relationship among ideas
- somewhat appropriate use of language to develop the topic
The response may: have unclear organizational elements; have unrelated material; have evidence and/or analysis that is not well-integrated; NOT have a clear introduction and/or conclusion.
The response demonstrates an ability to provide a limited written response to an on-demand prompt. It demonstrates limited understanding of the task and purpose. Characteristic of score point 2 include:
- a topic that is a basic response to the prompt, or a simple summary statement
- partial, limited organizational elements
- sparse and/or irrelevant facts, details, examples, or quotes, or generic information
- unclear or limited analysis
The response may: have more than one topic; have unclear organizational elements; have unrelated material; have word choice inappropriate for the task and purpose; NOT have a clear introduction and/or conclusion.
The response demonstrates an ability to provide a minimal written response to an on-demand prompt. It demonstrates minimal understanding of the task and purpose. Characteristic of score point 1 include:
- a statement which references the topic
- minimal or no organizational elements
- minimal or missing supporting information OR analysis
The response may: be off-purpose (but not off topic; argument instead of summary, etc.); have unrelated material; NOT show evidence of deliberate word choice; NOT have an introduction and/or conclusion.
On-demand Informative/Explanatory rubric used on RISE Writing Benchmarks Grade 6. Score 4 represents meeting grade-level standard. Grade 6 introduces 'develops the topic and clarifies the relationship among ideas' as a characteristic.
2 Conventions
The response demonstrates strong command of conventions and sentence formation in a written response to an on-demand prompt. Characteristic of score point 3 include:
- effective variation of sentence structure
- effective use of punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation, and spelling
The response tends to: have a few minor errors in usage; have no patterns of errors.
The response demonstrates clear command of conventions and sentence formation in a written response to an on-demand prompt. Characteristic of score point 2.5 include:
- appropriate variation of sentence structure
- appropriate use of punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation, and spelling
The response tends to: have minor errors in usage; have no patterns of errors.
The response demonstrates an adequate command of conventions and sentence formation in a written response to an on-demand prompt. Characteristic of score point 2 include:
- some variation of sentence structure
- appropriate use of punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation, and spelling
The response tends to: have some awkward or repetitive sentence structure (but construction does not impede understanding); have minor errors in usage; have errors that do not impede understanding.
The response demonstrates partial command of conventions and sentence formation in a written response to an on-demand prompt. Characteristic of score point 1.5 include:
- attempts to vary sentence structure
- partial use of punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation, and spelling
The response tends to: have errors in usage; have errors that do not significantly impede understanding.
The response demonstrates limited command of conventions and sentence formation in a written response to an on-demand prompt. Characteristic of score point 1 include:
- limited use of punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation, and spelling
The response tends to: have no variation of sentence structure; have significant errors that may impede understanding.
The response demonstrates little to no command of conventions and sentence formation in a written response to an on-demand prompt. Characteristic of score point 0.5 include:
- minimal use of punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation, and spelling
The response tends to: have no variation of sentence structure; have significant errors that may cause confusion or impede understanding.
Shared On-Demand Conventions rubric used across all RISE Writing Summative Grades 5 and 8 and Benchmarks Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Identical descriptors are applied to every Argument and Informative/Explanatory response. Scored in half-point steps. Score 2 represents meeting grade-level standard.
How to score with the RISE Informative/Explanatory Writing Rubric, Grade 6.
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 independent traits, separate passes
- Score the Informative/Explanatory Genre trait (1 to 6) and the Conventions trait (0.5 to 3) on separate passes.
- Per USBE guidance, the two trait scores are not combined into a cumulative writing score.
- Score 4 on the Genre rubric and Score 2 on Conventions both represent meeting grade-level standard.
Topic development and relationship among ideas
- Grade 6 introduces 'develops the topic and clarifies the relationship among ideas' as a separately scored characteristic. To earn 6, the response must do so clearly. To earn 5, mostly. To earn 4, adequately.
- Score 3 lists this characteristic as 'attempts to develop the topic and clarify the relationship among ideas'. The verb tense ('attempts') marks the distinction from score 4.
- Score 2 introduces 'unclear or limited analysis', which signals that Grade 6 also begins evaluating analysis-like thinking at the low end of the scale.
Common pitfalls to avoid
- Awarding 5 or 6 to a response that has facts but does not clarify the relationship among them. The Grade 6 rubric explicitly requires this characteristic at every score point above 3.
- Treating 'relevant facts' as the same as 'well-chosen facts'. Score 4 requires 'relevant and sufficient'. Score 6 requires 'well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient'.
- Penalizing convention errors under the Genre rubric. Convention errors are scored only under the Conventions trait.
Tips for norming with your team
- Anchor with USBE RISE Grade 6 released samples scored across both traits before the session.
- Score the first 5 silently, then compare. Discuss any trait where graders are more than one point apart.
- Re-norm halfway through a long batch. Drift is real, especially on the half-point Conventions scale.
Notes for the RISE Informative/Explanatory Writing Rubric, Grade 6
The Grade 6 Informative/Explanatory rubric is the bridge between the Grades 3-5 rubric and the Grades 7-8 rubric. It introduces 'develops the topic and clarifies the relationship among ideas' as a scored characteristic at every score point above 3. It does NOT yet require explicit 'analysis' as a scored characteristic; that language appears at Grades 7-8.
Grade 6 score 2 introduces 'unclear or limited analysis' at the low end of the scale, signaling that the rubric begins evaluating analysis-like thinking starting at Grade 6 but does not require it at the upper score points until Grades 7-8.
Per the USBE rubric note: this on-demand rubric is for first-draft responses to a single RISE prompt. It should NOT be used to assess classroom writing that has gone through the writing process.
The Conventions trait is shared with every other RISE Writing rubric (Grades 3-8, both genres). The descriptors and the half-point scale (0.5 to 3) are identical regardless of the genre or grade band being scored.
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 community gardens change the neighborhoods they serve
Community gardens are small shared plots of land where neighbors grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers together. According to the article, community gardens affect their neighborhoods in three main ways. They improve access to fresh food, they create stronger relationships among neighbors, and they help neighborhoods become more environmentally healthy. The three effects are connected to each other in important ways.
Better access to fresh food
The first effect is improved food access. The article reports that residents within two blocks of a community garden consumed an average of 1.4 more servings of fresh produce per day than residents farther away. This effect matters because many neighborhoods do not have a grocery store nearby. Community gardens fill a gap that supermarkets do not. The relationship between food access and community gardens is direct: closer access leads to more frequent consumption.
Stronger relationships among neighbors
The second effect is on relationships. The article explains that community gardens require shared work, like watering schedules and weeding rotations. Neighbors who would otherwise pass each other on the street start talking and working together. The relationship among ideas here is important: food access and stronger relationships develop together. The shared work that grows the food also grows the friendships.
Healthier environment
The third effect is environmental. The article describes how community gardens reduce stormwater runoff because plants absorb rainfall that would otherwise run into the street. Gardens also bring pollinators back to neighborhoods that previously had little plant life. Healthier environments also support healthier residents, so this third effect ties back to the first two. A garden that absorbs rainwater and brings back bees is also a garden that produces more food and brings neighbors together.
Conclusion
Better food access, stronger neighbor relationships, and a healthier environment are the three main effects of community gardens. The relationship among the three effects matters: each one supports the others. That is why a single community garden can change a neighborhood in ways that feel bigger than the size of the plot of land.
Clear topic, develops and clarifies relationships among ideas
Topic is clear and mostly maintained. Three effects each get a paragraph with relevant, sufficient facts. The response mostly develops the topic AND clarifies the relationship among the three effects.
Clear command of grade-level conventions
Appropriate variation of sentence structure throughout. Punctuation, capitalization, and spelling are appropriate. Minor usage errors only. No patterns of errors. Earns 2.5; would need consistently effective variation to reach 3.
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About the RISE Informative/Explanatory Writing Rubric, Grade 6
What is the Utah RISE Informative/Explanatory Writing Rubric for Grade 6?
How is the Grade 6 RISE Informative/Explanatory rubric different from Grades 3-5?
Does the RISE Grade 6 Informative/Explanatory rubric evaluate analysis?
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Use this rubric in EnlightenAI
Train EnlightenAI on the RISE Grade 6 Informative/Explanatory Writing Rubric (plus the shared Conventions rubric) and start scoring student writing, with consistent per-trait feedback, in a single class period.