English Language Proficiency Assessments for California - Writing Rubrics for ELPAC

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by Rizky

English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) writing rubrics guide educators in evaluating student responses to ELPAC writing items. The document provides the most recent rubric version, updated after the October 2017 ELPAC Practice Tests. Raters use the rubrics to score Initial and Summative ELPAC writing, while educators, students, and parents can use them to understand task expectations and scoring guidance across K–2 and grades 3–12.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Writing Rubrics for Grades K–2

Grades K–2 Letter [0–1 Rubric]

Kindergarten Word [0–2 Rubric]

Grades 1–2 Word [0–2 Rubric]

Grades 1–2 Dictated Sentence [0–2 Rubric]

Grades 1–2 Independent Sentence(s) [0–3 Rubric]

Writing Rubrics for Grades 3–12

Grades 3–12 Describe a Picture: Questions 1–4 [0–2 Rubric]

Grades 3–12 Write About an Experience [0–4 Rubric]

Grades 3–12 Write About Academic Information: Question 1 [0–2 Rubric]

Grades 3–12 Write About Academic Information: Question 2 [0–3 Rubric]

Grades 3–12 Justify an Opinion [0–4 Rubric]

English Language Proficiency Assessments for California Writing Rubrics for the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California April 20, 2018 Prepared by: Educational Testing Service 660 Rosedale Road Princeton, NJ 08541 Table of Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 2 Writing Rubrics for Grades K–2 .................................................................................... 3 2.1 Grades K–2 Letter [0–1 Rubric] ............................................................................. 4 2.2 Kindergarten Word [0–2 Rubric] ............................................................................ 5 2.3 Grades 1–2 Word [0–2 Rubric] .............................................................................. 6 2.4 Grades 1–2 Dictated Sentence [0–2 Rubric] ......................................................... 7 2.5 Grades 1–2 Independent Sentence(s) [0–3 Rubric] .............................................. 8 3 Writing Rubrics for Grades 3–12 .................................................................................. 9 3.1 Grades 3–12 Describe a Picture: Questions 1–4 [0–2 Rubric] ............................ 10 3.2 Grades 3–12 Write About an Experience [0–4 Rubric] ........................................ 11 3.3 Grades 3–12 Write About Academic Information: Question 1 [0–2 Rubric] ......... 12 3.4 Grades 3–12 Write About Academic Information: Question 2 [0–3 Rubric] ......... 13 3.5 Grades 3–12 Justify an Opinion [0–4 Rubric] ...................................................... 14 List of Tables Table 1. Writing Rubrics for Grades K–2 ........................................................................ 3 Table 2. Writing Task Types and Rubrics for Grades 3–12 ............................................ 9 Copyright © 2018 by the California Department of Education (CDE) . All rights reserved. These materials may not be edited or altered, and must remain unchanged as published by the CDE. 1 Introduction Scoring rubrics provide guidance to educators who are evaluating student responses. The Writing Rubrics for the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) are an essential part of the design of the ELPAC Writing items. This document contains the most recent version of the Writing Rubrics for the ELPAC. Note that the writing rubrics in this document were updated after the October 2017 publication of the ELPAC Practice Tests. Who can use the Writing Rubrics for the ELPAC? Raters use the Writing Rubrics for the ELPAC to assign scores to writing responses for the Initial ELPAC and the Summative ELPAC. Educators can also use the writing rubrics to assign scores to formative assessment responses that students write as part of their schoolwork. In addition, teachers, students, and parents can read the writing rubrics to understand the expectations for students who take the ELPAC. What are the Writing task types and rubrics for kindergarten through grade two (K–2) students? The following task types are administered at kindergarten and grades 1 and/or 2: 1. Label a Picture—Word, with Scaffolding 2. Write a Story Together with Scaffolding 3. Write an Informational Text Together 4. Describe a Picture The following rubrics are used to assess writing responses at grades K–2: 1. Grades K–2 Letter [0–1 Rubric] 2. Kindergarten Word [0–2 Rubric] 3. Grades 1–2 Word [0–2 Rubric] 4. Grades 1–2 Dictated Sentence [0–2 Rubric] 5. Grades 1–2 Independent Sentence (s) [0–3 Rubric] What are the Writing task types and rubrics for grades three through twelve (3–12) students? The following task types are administered at grades 3–12: 1. Describe a Picture 2. Write About an Experience 3. Write About Academic Information 4. Justify an Opinion The following rubrics are used to assess writing responses at grade

FAQs

Who can use the Writing Rubrics for the ELPAC?

Raters use them to score writing responses for the Initial and Summative ELPAC. Educators can also use them for formative assessment, and teachers, students, and parents can review them to understand expectations.

How are the writing rubrics organized across grade levels?

The document has two sections: writing rubrics for grades K–2 and writing rubrics for grades 3–12, each tied to specific ELPAC task types.

What writing task types are administered for grades K–2?

K–2 task types include labeling a picture with scaffolding, writing a story together with scaffolding, writing an informational text together, and describing a picture.

What writing task types are administered for grades 3–12?

Grades 3–12 task types include describing a picture, writing about an experience, writing about academic information, and justifying an opinion.

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by Rizky