CATEGORY	Excellent (A)	Good (B)	Satisfactory (C)	Needs Improvement (D-F)
General Requirements	All of the required content was present.	Almost all the required content was present.	At least 75% of the required content was present.	Less than 75% of the required content was present
Effort & Presentation	Evidence of substantial time; student is working at highest potential; details are thorough and factual. There are no errors in content. Student sought help in or out of class from teacher and students. Student chose a challenging topic. Revisions obvious. Layout is of professional quality. It looks like it could be, as is, inserted into a magazine or newspaper. There is a meaningful graphic on each page with a caption of explanation; interesting quotes have been highlighted and are compelling; and every inch has been used to its full potential.	Evidence of time. Student is working near highest potential; some improvement; polished presentation. Student sought help in or out of class. Revisions made. Layout is good. It looks like it could be, with some fine-tuning, inserted into a magazine or newspaper. There is a meaningful graphic on each page with a caption of explanation; interesting quotes have been highlighted to catch reader's interest; and every inch has been used to its full potential.	Adequate amount of time is evident though more attention should probably have been given. Neat presentation. Layout is basic. It looks like it could be, with a lot of re-working, inserted into a magazine or newspaper. There is a graphic on each page, but a caption of explanation may be missing; quotes have been enlarged, but attributions may be missing, or the reason they are highlighted seems illogical. There is still a lot of white space, and more could have been done to remove it.	Time was not used productively; little or no time or care; no attention paid to basics; gross errors; sloppy; little or no revision evident. This paper is not up to par with high school writing. The layout is very poor, with a lot of white space, and no attention paid to presentation.
Research	Interviews have surpassed minimum requirement. Interviewees have revealed captivating stories. Statistics from surveys have been integrated in a professional and insightful way, using quotes from the interviews to support and/or refute findings. Quotes from the surveys have also been used aptly.	Interviews have met minimum requirement or surpassed it. Interviewees have revealed stories that capture the reader's interest for the most part. Statistics from surveys have been integrated to illustrate the topic more clearly. Quotes from the interviews and surveys have been used to support and/or refute findings from polls and research.	Interviews have barely met minimum requirement and are minimal in content. Interviewees may not have revealed stories that capture the reader's interest or help make an impact on the story. Statistics from surveys have been included, but in a basic manner. For the most part, quotes from the interviews and surveys have been used to support and/or refute findings from polls and research.	Interviews and/or surveys statistics/quotes are either too short, missing, or confusing. The reader has not really learned anything from the exposé.
Articles - Interest	The articles contain facts, figures, and/or word choices that make the articles exceptionally interesting to readers.	The articles contain facts, figures, and/or word choices that make the articles interesting to readers.	The article contains some facts or figures but is marginally interesting to read.	The article does not contain facts or figures that might make it interesting to read.
Articles - Purpose	90-100% of the articles establish a clear purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic.	85-89% of the articles establish a clear purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic.	75-84% of the articles establish a clear purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic.	Less than 75% of the articles establish a clear purpose in the lead paragraph and demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic.
Articles - Supporting Details	The details in the articles are clear and pertinent 90-100% of the time.	The details in the articles are clear, effective, and vivid 80-100% of the time.	The details in the articles are clear and pertinent 75-89% of the time.	The details in more than 25% of the articles are neither clear nor pertinent.
Op-Ed	The opinion is presented clearly, is completely logical, and follows the op-ed format. The audience is persuaded!	The opinion is clear , mostly logical, and in the op-ed format. The audience is mostly persuaded.	The opinion is occasionally inaccurate or misleading, but there was a clear reason indicated. May follow op-ed format.	The opinion was typically inaccurate, misleading or libelous.
Proofreading	No spelling or grammar errors remain.	No more than a couple of spelling or grammar errors remain.	No more than 3 spelling or grammar errors remain.	Several spelling or grammar errors remain.
Layout - Headlines & Captions	All articles have headlines that capture the reader's attention and accurately describe the content. All graphics have captions that adequately describe the people and action in the graphic. Layout is visually appealing. No dead space.	All articles have headlines that accurately describe the content. All graphics have captions. Layout is visually satisfying. No dead space.	Most articles have headlines that accurately describe the content. Most graphics have captions. Layout is average/acceptable. Some dead space.	Articles do not have adequate headlines OR many graphics do not have captions. Layout is poor and/or confusing. Loads of dead space.
Graphics	Graphics are clearly related to the articles they accompany.	Graphics are clearly related to the articles they accompany.	80-100% of the graphics are clearly related to the articles they accompany.	More than 20% of the graphics are not clearly related to the articles OR no graphics were used.