NJSLA-A Grades 4–5 Narrative Rubric
The NJ NJSLA-A Grades 4–5 Narrative Rubric scored out of 12 points across 3 criteria, for narrative writing at grades 4-5. Published by New Jersey Department of Education.
2 pages, US Letter, black and white. Free, no account, no email. Includes every performance level and a blank scoring sheet.
How it is scored
- Ideas and Focus4 pts · 4 levels
- Organization4 pts · 4 levels
- Expression and Word Choice4 pts · 4 levels
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The full rubric
Ideas and Focus · 4 points
4 points
Focused response, clear understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: an established situation that clearly introduces a narrator and/or characters; dialogue and description that clearly develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
3 points
Mostly focused response, general understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: an established situation that generally introduces a narrator and/or characters; dialogue and description that generally develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
2 points
Basic response, some understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: a situation that introduces a narrator and/or characters; dialogue or description that somewhat develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
1 point
Minimally written response, minimal understanding of task and purpose. Characteristics: a minimal situation or a narrator and/or characters; minimal, missing, or unclear dialogue and description.
Organization · 4 points
4 points
Focused response. Characteristics: a clearly organized event sequence that unfolds naturally; a conclusion that clearly follows from the experiences or events.
3 points
Mostly focused response. Characteristics: a generally organized event sequence that unfolds naturally; a conclusion that generally follows from the experiences or events.
2 points
Basic response. Characteristics: a basic or partial event sequence; a basic or attempted conclusion.
1 point
Minimally written response. Characteristics: a minimal or unclear event sequence; a missing or unclear conclusion or sense of closure.
Expression and Word Choice · 4 points
4 points
Focused response. Characteristics: varied transitional words and phrases that clearly manage the sequence of events; concrete words, phrases, and sensory details that precisely convey experiences and events.
3 points
Mostly focused response. Characteristics: transitional words or phrases that generally manage the sequence of events; concrete words, phrases, and details that generally convey experiences and events.
2 points
Basic response. Characteristics: transitional words that partially link the sequence of events; words, phrases, or details that somewhat describe experiences and events.
1 point
Minimally written response. Characteristics: minimal, missing, or unclear use of transitional words to link events; minimal or unclear descriptions of experiences and events.
This rubric applied to a real essay
Below is a sample essay scored against the rubric above, shown the way it looks inside the grader. The marks, the scores and every comment are the grader’s own output, not written by hand for this page. It scored 8 out of 12.
The essay is written for this page, at roughly a B grade so both the strengths and the weaknesses are worth seeing. It is not a real student’s work.
The prompt
Write a story about a time you had to be brave. Use details to show what happened and how you felt.
The pool smelled like sunscreen and hot cement.1 I was standing on the low diving board and my toes were curled over the edge so hard they hurt2.
Everybody in my swim class had already jumped. My friend Priya went first and she did a cannonball and came up laughing with her hair stuck to her face. Then some other kids went. Then it was my turn.3
I was scared. I did not want to do it. My stomach felt bad.4 I stood there for a long time.
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How it scored, criterion by criterion
The essay is clearly focused on the assigned task — a moment of bravery — and the narrator and situation are established from the first sentence. There are genuine sensory details (the smell of sunscreen and hot cement, toes curled over the edge) and a secondary character (Priya) who is briefly but effectively sketched. However, the middle of the story relies heavily on flat, telling statements ('I was scared. I did not want to do it. My stomach felt bad.') rather than showing through description or dialogue, and the resolution is rushed, keeping this at a 3 rather than a 4.
The event sequence is clear and unfolds in a logical, natural order: arrival at the board, watching others jump, hesitation, decision, jump, and reaction. The conclusion ('I felt happy that I did it') does follow from the events. The sequence is generally well-organized for this grade band, though the conclusion pivots abruptly into a stated moral ('being brave is important') rather than growing organically from the story's details, which prevents it from reaching the top level.
The essay opens with two strong sensory details, but word choice across the middle and end of the piece is largely plain and repetitive ('I was scared,' 'My stomach felt bad,' 'I felt happy'). Transitions are mostly simple and repetitive ('Then,' 'Then,' 'Then,' 'But then,' 'So'), which partially links events but lacks the variety the rubric's higher levels require. There are no concrete sensory details in the second half of the story, and the closing moral is stated rather than conveyed through precise language.
What the student was told to fix
- Replace flat telling statements ('I was scared,' 'My stomach felt bad') with physical, sensory showing details
- Vary transitions beyond repeated 'then' — use 'next,' 'finally,' 'before I knew it,' etc.
- Expand the jump itself and the moment after — slow down the climax with at least one or two more concrete details
- Replace the stated moral at the end with a specific image or feeling that lets the reader draw the conclusion
Graded on 2026-08-12. A teacher can change any score before it goes back to the student.
Source
New Jersey Department of Education. Official document. Rubrics are revised periodically, so check the source before using this for a graded assessment.
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