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NJSLA-A Writing Student Checklist
A one-page student checklist for the NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A writing unit: the composition and conventions scores, how to spot the genre, and what a top argument includes.
For students · Grades 3–9 · NJGPA-A · 1 page · PDF
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How to use it: The NJSLA-A Writing Task Explained: A Guide for New Jersey Teachers
What's on the sheet
How your essay is scored
Two holistic scores: Composition and Conventions. Grades 3–5 are scored 1–4; grade 6 and up, 1–5.
| Score | Composition |
|---|---|
| 5 | Focused; clear understanding of the task |
| 4 | Mostly focused; general understanding |
| 3 | Basic; some understanding |
| 2 | Limited; partial understanding |
| 1 | Minimal |
Name the genre first
You won’t know it in advance. Before you plan, decide: narrative, informative/explanatory, or opinion (grades 4–5) / argument (grade 6 and up)?
Scorers look for the best fit, not a checklist, and treat your essay as a first draft.
Ideas and focus
- I understood the task and purpose, and I stayed focused on it.
- Argument: my claim clearly introduces the issue.
- Argument: my evidence from the texts is relevant and accurate, and my reasoning is logical.
- Argument, grade 7: I acknowledged an opposing claim. Grade 8 and up: I also showed how my claim differs from it.
- Informative: I developed the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details and evidence from the text.
- Narrative: my story builds on the story starter or scenario I was given.
Organization, expression and word choice
- My ideas are organized, and each paragraph has a clear job.
- My words are precise and fit the genre.
Conventions
- I checked grammar, punctuation and spelling for my grade.
My plan
Genre + my claim or topic
Evidence or details from the text
Opposing claim (argument)
Student summary based on NJDOE's Writing Rubrics for the NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A (grades 6–8 argument wording shown); not an official NJDOE document.