In response to states' adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Turnitin will be releasing CCSS-aligned writing rubrics for grades 9-10 and 11-12. There will be a total of 6 rubrics altogether (2 each for Informative, Argumentative, and Narrative text types). These rubrics were developed for Turnitin by the English Professional Learning Council, a group of educators sponsored by and involving instructors primarily from Saddleback College and the Orange County Department of Education.

While the Council had been convened to address the writing and literacy skills gap that exists for many students transitioning from secondary to post-secondary work, the Council immediately identified with the Core's guiding goal of building college readiness. The CCSS-aligned rubrics that they thus developed has been informed not only by the standards themselves, but also by their work in developing curriculum and rubrics for post-secondary writing courses.

Turntin will release these rubrics at the end of August and make them available within GradeMark in the Rubric Library for U.S. middle and high schools as well as community colleges. You can also sign up for a webcast that features the English Professional Learning Council, where they will discuss the genesis of these rubrics and how they may be used to help students better understand and internalize college-level writing expectations.