PARCC Kid-Friendly Rubrics

PARCC PCR Kid-Friendly Rubrics

Did everyone enjoy the PARCC field test this week?  I’m sure we are all looking forward to all the writing our students will be doing next year! One of the things I have been emphasizing is using rubrics with your students. I believe that encouraging metacognition is a critical skill, and that students who are able to use a rubric to self-assess produce stronger writing.

Download some PARCC-based, kid-friendly rubrics here. There are user- friendly Prose Constructed Response (PCR) rubrics for each grade level.  Prose Constructed Responses are on-demand writing pieces that are crafted in response to text, or prose.

This rubric is based on PARCC language but infuses kid-friendly language

This rubric is based on PARCC language but infuses kid-friendly language

These rubrics use the same language as those developed by PARCC for grades 4-5 or grade 3 (criteria have been scaled down for grades 1-2). The official PARCC rubrics address both analytic (opinion and informational) and for narrative. However, an asterisk on the rubrics indicates that narrative pieces are no longer scored for their demonstration of reading comprehension.  While narrative writing will be written in response to a piece of prose, they will only scored for their writing content and language conventions, not for evidence of reading comprehension.  Therefore, the rubrics are adjusted accordingly.

In addition, there are two versions of each rubric—a condensed and an expanded.  In August 2013, PARCC revised its Prose Constructed Response (PCR) rubric to make it condensed. This means it collapsed all of the writing content into one component and a single goal for possible points. You may find it helpful to use the expanded for instruction because it allows for more distinctions in each category.

Each rubric features precise language from PARCC rubrics; this allows students to become familiar with this language for the assessments.  At this time, students may access PARCC rubrics during PARCC assessments. Therefore, it is a good idea to familiarize students with this language.

Hints for teaching using PCR rubrics:

  • Use rubrics often throughout the writing process and instruction.
  • Read and think aloud what each section of the rubric means.
  • Write (next to the bullet) what it means in plain language (see page 2 for an example).
  • Model scoring writing using the rubric; underling key words and phrases in the writing that matches the rubric descriptors.
  • Show students exemplars of writing that meets the criteria for each of the sections.
  • Encourage students to self-assess using the rubric, highlighting sections of their writing that match the rubric components.
  • Require students to revise and edit Prose Constructed Responses that fall short of the standard.  Model and guide this first!

46 thoughts on “PARCC Kid-Friendly Rubrics

  1. Matt

    I really like your “kid friendly” rubric. I’m the LA dept chair for my building and we have been looking/creating our own to use building wide. PARCC has revised the the rubric for 4-5 and now only contains 3 pts. in the Knowledge and Conventions section. Are you going to update your creations to reflect this change?

    Reply
    1. Beth Anne Burke Post author

      Hi Matt,
      Great question. The short answer is yes, I plan to revise. However, I still like using the expanded version which breaks writing down into further categories. This is good for instruction–so you can let students know exactly what they need to improve their writing. The revised rubrics will be posted soon!
      Thanks,
      Beth Burke

      Reply
    1. Beth Anne Burke Post author

      Sorry, I haven’t developed any yet. I just finished the elementary ones! I can send you the word doc if you want to edit them for middle school.

      Reply
      1. Bruce Henecker

        Please provide a link to the Word version of these rubrics. These are wonderful tools and I can only imagine how much effort went into their creation.

        Reply
          1. Beth Anne Burke Post author

            Hi Beth,
            Sorry, I haven’t created a middle school version yet; I work with elementary grades. I’ll send you the word document so you can adjust on your own.

            I’m going to post the word document as well for folks to use.

  2. Bruce Henecker

    Why is “Knowledge of Language and Conventions” scored consistently as 4 points the other areas as 3 points? Shouldn’t, for example, “Reading Comprehension of Key Ideas and Details” be worth 4 points?

    Reply
    1. Beth Anne Burke Post author

      Hi Bruce,
      In the previous version of the PARCC writing rubrics, 4 points was assigned to Conventions, and 3 each to Comprehension, Writing Content, and Vocabulary. In the version that was updated in the summer of 2014, each is now given 3 points. I think my newest version of the rubric has made this adjustment.

      Reply
  3. Julie Heltsley

    These rubrics are a fantastic resource, Beth! Thank you for putting them together. I am a Right Start Advisor for AACPS and will spread the word about your site. Its wonderful! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Katie Agresta

    Will you send me the word version of these rubrics? I love them and would like to share them with the writing teachers.

    Reply
  5. Julie

    Hi Beth Ann. Thanks so much for your work on the rubrics. Can you send me a word version so I can adjust for our 6-8 grade? Thanks.

    Reply
  6. Trisha

    This is fantastic. We are working with teachers today on the writing. I would love the word document if possible. Thank you so much for providing this.

    Reply
    1. Ed Garrison

      Thank you very much, Beth.
      Your ELA materials are some of the best materials that I have seen.
      I am incorporating your blogs, power points, and handouts into my district’s ELA program. They are concise but full of very important information. I know that my teachers will find them extremely useful!
      Recently, there has been a lot of information for the upper grades on PARCC; however, you have addressed the needs of the elementary school teacher who is struggling to teach ELA and meet the demands of PARCC.
      I look forward to sharing”The Write Fix” with my colleagues in northern New Jersey.

      Reply
  7. Fiona

    Hi, I am a teacher of 4th and 5th Grade ESL students who will be taking the PARCC for the first time in LA. May you please send me the word document of your rubric. I think it would be an awesome resource.

    Fiona

    Reply
  8. Donna LeBlanc

    I am new to this forum and teach 3rd grade in MD. We are taking PARCC in March and happen to be the only county of 23 that has to use paper/pencil due to inefficient technology.

    Beth, these comments give me hope. Can you please add me to the list of teachers you are sending your “Kid-Friendly” rubrics to?

    Thank you so much,
    Donna

    Reply
  9. Chris

    Can you please send the word version of the kid friendly rubrics so that I can share with the teachers at my school. Thanks so much!

    Reply
  10. Kim

    Have you developed a student-friendly rubric for grades 6-8 yet? If so, can you email me the Word version? Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Beth Anne Burke Post author

      Hi, sorry, not yet. I work with elementary grades. If anyone does revise mine for middle school, send it and I’ll post it!

      Reply
  11. Kate T

    Hi, I noticed that the link you included to the official PARCC rubrics is now a dead end. I haven’t been able to find any up-to-date rubrics anywhere online that are actually from PARCC. I was wondering if you might know what’s going on with PARCC and whether they have changed the rubrics from the ones you used in 2014 to make these versions? Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Beth Anne Burke Post author

      Wow, I can’t find them either! I don’t know what is going on but I will post when I have found something.

      Reply
  12. Kate

    Hi Beth,

    Can you please email me the kid friend word doc of 4-5 rubric? Love that it is kid friend language! Thanks so much

    Reply
  13. Molly

    They are located under educator resources and then test specifications. They seemed to have changed the rubric and they collapsed reading comprehension and written expression!

    Reply
  14. jennifer jenkins

    Can you please send me the word docs of your kid friendly rubrics? Also…..I see PARCC updated their rubrics for July 2015. Have your kid friendlly ones been updated by chance? Thanks so much for sharing.

    Reply

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