English Composition II

Advanced (100%)

Proficient (85%)

Acceptable (75%)

Needs Improvement (50%)

Non-Performance (0%)

Argument Development and Support

Provide a clear argument with sufficient support. (40%)

The argument is thoroughly developed with highly relevant and accurate details to support it, including the use of rhetorical appeals and accurately cited direct quotations and paraphrasing.

The argument is well-developed with relevant and accurate details to support it, including the use of rhetorical appeals and accurately cited direct quotations and paraphrasing.

The argument is not fully developed; while it is supported by some relevant and accurate details, including rhetorical appeals and accurately cited direct quotations and paraphrasing, some aspects of the argument are neglected.

The argument is poorly developed with irrelevant or inaccurate details that frequently distract from the argument; there is little evidence of the use of rhetorical appeals and/or direct quotations and paraphrasing. Source material included might not be cited.

The argument is not developed and/or the composition is not argumentative; details are all inaccurate/unverifiable, irrelevant, and distract from the argument OR are not supported with accurately cited source material.

Research

Incorporate sources through effective quotations (3-5), paraphrases, and summaries. (30%)

Cites 5-7 outside sources appropriately; incorporates credible sources smoothly and effectively through some direct quotation (3-5), paraphrase, or summary.

Primarily cites 5-7 outside sources appropriately; incorporates credible sources effectively through some direct quotation (3-5), paraphrase, or summary.

Generally cites outside sources appropriately but 1 or 2 sources are incorrectly cited or not credible; incorporates sources adequately through some direct quotation (1-2), paraphrase, or summary.

Cites outside sources, but 3-4 are cited improperly; incorporates sources through some direct quotation (1 or 0), paraphrase, or summary, but the integration is not smooth and/or the credibility of the sources is unclear.

Does not quote, cite, or reference sources accurately, or citation is consistently inappropriate and/or inaccurate, and/or no sources are verifiable, credible, or appropriate.

Organization

Exhibit competent organizational writing techniques. (15%)

Includes all of the required components of an argumentative research paper, including an introduction with relevant and engaging background information and an argumentative thesis, an adequate number of body paragraphs with topic sentences, a body paragraph addressing counterargument(s), and a conclusion with a concluding statement.

Includes all of the required components of an argumentative research paper, including an introduction with background information, an argumentative thesis, an adequate number of body paragraphs with topic sentences, a body paragraph addressing counterargument(s), and a conclusion with a concluding statement.

Includes nearly all of the required components of an argumentative research paper; however, one component is missing.

Includes most of the required components of an argumentative research paper, but is lacking two components; sequences ideas and paragraphs such that the connections between ideas (within and between paragraphs) are sometimes unclear and the reader may have difficulty following the progression of the argument.

Lacks several or all of the components of an argumentative research paper; sequences ideas and paragraphs such that the connections between ideas (within and between paragraphs) are often unclear and the reader has difficulty following the progression of the argument.

Style

Establish a consistent, informative and argumentative tone and make thoughtful stylistic choices. (5%)

Demonstrates thoughtful and effective word choices, avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a wide variety of sentence structures.

Demonstrates effective word choices, primarily avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a variety of sentence structures.

Demonstrates generally effective style choices, but may include occasional redundancies, imprecise language, poor word choice, and/or repetitive sentence structures.

Frequently includes poor word choices, redundancies, imprecise language, and/or repetitive sentence structures.

Consistently demonstrates poor word choices, redundancies, imprecise language, and/or repetitive sentence structures.

Conventions

Follow conventions for standard written English. (5%)

There are only a few, if any, negligible errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.

There are occasional minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.

There are some significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.

There are frequent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.

There are consistent significant errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.

Reflection

Answer reflection questions thoroughly and thoughtfully. (5%)

Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; consistently includes specific and concrete examples that provide thoughtful insight, following or exceeding response length guidelines.

Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; includes multiple specific and concrete examples that provide thoughtful insight, following response length guidelines.

Primarily demonstrates thoughtful reflection, but some responses are lacking in detail or insight; primarily follows response length guidelines.

Shows limited reflection; the majority of responses are lacking in detail or insight, with some questions left unanswered or falling short of response length guidelines.

No reflection responses are present.