AI Grader for Louisiana LEAP Writing
EssayGrader, a rubric-based AI essay grading platform for K-12 and higher-education teachers, grades your LEAP writing practice essays against a Louisiana LEAP rubric and returns a score and written feedback for each criterion.
Key details
According to the Louisiana Department of Education’s (LDOE) LEAP Assessment Guide for English Language Arts, Grades 3-8 (July 2026), each student in grades 3 to 8 writes one prose constructed response, and the 2027 computer-based window runs April 1 to May 12, 2027.
Detail
LEAP ELA writing
Test
LEAP, the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program
Written task
One prose constructed response (PCR) in Session 1 in grades 3 to 8; two PCRs in English I and II
Task types
Research Simulation Task (RST), Literary Analysis Task (LAT) or Narrative Writing Task (NWT); each student in grades 3 to 8 writes one
Grades
ELA in grades 3 to 8; English I and English II in high school
Rubric
Two traits, each scored on the rubric's score points: Reading Comprehension and Written Expression (Written Expression on the narrative task) and Knowledge of Language and Conventions
Session 1
75 minutes in grade 3; 90 minutes in grades 4 to 8
Next window
April 1 to May 12, 2027 (grades 3 to 8, computer-based)
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Sources: Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), LEAP Assessment Guide for English Language Arts, Grades 3-8 (July 2026); LDOE, LEAP Assessment Guide for English I and English II (July 2026).
LEAP rubrics in the grader
EssayGrader’s grader holds six Louisiana LEAP rubrics, covering grades 3 to 10 for the research, literary analysis, and narrative tasks.
1
Louisiana Grade 3 Literary Analysis Task (LAT) and Research Simulation Task (RST) Scoring Rubric
Grade 3, for teachers grading literary analysis and research essays
2
Louisiana LEAP Narrative Writing Task Rubric for Grades 4–5
Grade band 4 to 5, for teachers grading narrative-based essays
3
Louisiana LEAP Narrative Writing Task Scoring Rubric for Grade 3
Grade 3, for teachers grading narrative-based essays
4
Louisiana Literary Analysis Task (LAT) and Research Simulation Task (RST) Rubric for Grades 4–5
Grade band 4 to 5, for teachers grading literary analysis and research essays
5
Louisiana Literary Analysis Task and Research Simulation Task Scoring Rubric for Grades 6–10
Grade band 6 to 10, for teachers grading literary analysis and research essays
6
Louisiana Narrative Writing Task Scoring Rubric for Grades 6–10
Grade band 6 to 10, for teachers grading narrative-based essays
Where students earn their score points
LDOE’s rubrics score each LEAP writing response on two traits, which LDOE calls dimensions, and on its practice tests, the first trait carries most of the points.
Reading Comprehension and Written Expression
It scores comprehension of the texts, development of the topic or claim, reasoning with text-based evidence, organization and language use (style in grades 6 to 10) on the research and literary analysis tasks.
Written Expression
It replaces that trait on the narrative task and scores development with narrative elements, organization and coherence, and language use (style in grades 6 to 10).
Knowledge of Language and Conventions
It assesses command of standard English mechanics, grammar, and usage, and determines if errors hinder understanding.
How Louisiana scores LEAP writing, and what changes for high school
LDOE says its testing administrator scores student responses to writing prompts that meet the scoring criteria with an automated scoring system and professionally trained scorers (LDOE, Automated Scoring in Louisiana FAQ), and the way the writing points add up is published in LDOE’s practice test answer keys.
Is LEAP graded by AI?
Partly: LDOE says Data Recognition Corporation (DRC), its testing administrator, scores student responses to writing prompts and other constructed-response items that meet the scoring criteria with a recognized automated scoring company and professionally trained DRC scorers (LDOE, Automated Scoring in Louisiana FAQ).
According to LDOE, professionally trained scorers read and score a set of student responses. These scored responses form the training set for the automated scoring model (LDOE, Automated Scoring in Louisiana FAQ).
DRC’s trained hand-scoring staff also score student responses. They do this to check for accuracy, validity, and reliability. DRC sends daily quality control reports, which LDOE staff review and approve daily (LDOE, Automated Scoring in Louisiana FAQ).
On LDOE’s online practice tests, teachers score the written responses in DRC’s Educator Scoring application. LDOE says practice tests should not be used to place students in achievement levels and do not predict summative scores (LDOE, ELA Practice Test Guidance, October 2024).
EssayGrader is not Louisiana’s scoring engine and does not predict an official LEAP score.
How the writing points add up
On LDOE’s practice tests, the first trait carries most of the writing points: a research or literary analysis response is worth up to 19 points in grades 5 and 6, and a narrative is worth up to 12 in grade 5 and up to 15 in grade 6 (LDOE, grade 5 and grade 6 ELA practice test answer keys, October 2024).
Grade and task
First trait points
Conventions points and total
Grade 6, research or literary analysis
16 (score 0 to 4, times 4)
3 points, total 19
Grade 6, narrative
12 (score 0 to 4, times 3)
3 points, total 15
Grade 5, research or literary analysis
16 (score 0 to 4, times 4)
3 points, total 19
Grade 5, narrative
9 (score 0 to 3, times 3)
3 points, total 12
Grade 3, research or literary analysis
12 (score 0 to 3, times 4)
3 points, total 15
Grade 3, narrative
9 (score 0 to 3, times 3)
3 points, total 12
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Sources: LDOE, grade 6 and grade 5 ELA practice test answer keys (original posting October 2024); LDOE, grade 3 ELA practice test answer key (no printed date).
LDOE’s example: a 2 on Reading Comprehension and Written Expression becomes 8 points, and the conventions score is added to it (LDOE, grade 6 ELA practice test answer key, October 2024).
LDOE still hosts grade 5 student work samples from its 2013-14 practice test that use an earlier rubric, with Content scored 4, Style scored 4, and four 1-point conventions items for 12 points, so they do not match the current rubrics (LDOE, grade 5 student work samples, 2013-14 practice test).
What changes for English I and II
In 2026-27, students in English I and English II write two prose constructed responses, and from 2027-28, a comprehensive ELA exam replaces both tests (LDOE, LEAP Assessment Guide for English I and English II, July 2026).
Sessions 1 and 2 each end with a prose response. Each session lasts 90 minutes. The written knowledge and expression score is multiplied and combined with the conventions score for a final result (LDOE, LEAP Assessment Guide for English I and English II, July 2026).
Students in the high school cohort in 2026-2027 or later must pass the comprehensive ELA exam to graduate, taken in the spring of the student's second year of the cohort. LDOE says that the question types will be like those in the current English I and II items (LDOE, LEAP Assessment Guide for English I and English II, July 2026).
The three English I and II testing windows are: fall (November 30 to December 18, 2026), spring (April 1 to May 12, 2027), and summer (June 21 to 25, 2027) (LDOE, LEAP Assessment Guide for English I and English II, July 2026).
How to practice
Grade a set of practice essays in five steps and see where students lose points.
1
Pick a writing task from LDOE’s LEAP practice tests for your grade: research, literary analysis, or narrative.
2
Choose the Louisiana LEAP rubric that matches your grade band and task in the grader.
3
Upload or paste your students’ essays straight into the grader.
4
Read the score and feedback for each trait, and on a narrative, skip the reading comprehension trait
5
Work with a colleague to score two or three essays and then compare your scores as LDOE’s guidance recommends. Then, choose one trait to focus on for the next draft.
Louisiana standards (ELA)
The Louisiana Student Standards for English Language Arts are the standards the LEAP ELA assessments align to (LDOE, LEAP Assessment Guide for English Language Arts, Grades 3-8, July 2026).
EssayGrader’s paid Academic Standards feature covers all 50 U.S. state standards to measure student writing mastery.
Official LDOE sources
These are the official LDOE documents behind this page.
Assessment guides and rubrics
LEAP Assessment Guide for English Language Arts, Grades 3-8
LEAP Assessment Guide for English I and English II
LEAP rubrics, Assessment Guidance page
Frequently asked questions?
These are the questions Louisiana teachers ask most about LEAP writing scoring.
How is LEAP writing scored?
LEAP writing is scored on two traits. Each trait uses a rubric with score points. The first trait is weighted by task (LDOE, LEAP Assessment Guide for English Language Arts, Grades 3-8, July 2026; LDOE, grade 6 ELA practice test answer key, October 2024).
What is a perfect score on the LEAP writing task?
On LDOE’s grade 6 practice test, a perfect score is 19 points for a research or literary analysis response and 15 points for a narrative (LDOE, grade 6 ELA practice test answer key, October 2024). For grade 5, the answer key shows 19 and 12 for the same tasks, and for grade 3, 15 and 12 (LDOE, grade 5 and grade 3 ELA practice test answer keys).
Is LEAP graded by AI?
Partly: DRC scores writing responses that meet the scoring criteria with a recognized automated scoring company and professionally trained scorers, and LDOE staff check and approve daily quality control reports (LDOE, Automated Scoring in Louisiana FAQ). So, automated scoring is part of the process, but trained scorers are involved too.
How long is the LEAP writing session?
Session 1 includes the writing task. It lasts 75 minutes for grade 3 and 90 minutes for grades 4 to 8 (LDOE, LEAP Assessment Guide for English Language Arts, Grades 3-8, July 2026).
When is LEAP testing in 2027?
Grades 3 to 8 will have computer-based testing from April 1 to May 12, 2027. The grade 3 paper-based ELA testing is scheduled for April 7 to 9, 2027 (LDOE, LEAP Assessment Guide for English Language Arts, Grades 3-8, July 2026).
Can practice test scores predict a LEAP achievement level?
No: LDOE says that practice tests should not be used for placing students in achievement levels. They do not predict summative scores (LDOE, ELA Practice Test Guidance, October 2024). Use practice scores to decide what to teach next, not to forecast levels.
Does EssayGrader score the same way as Louisiana’s scoring engine?
No: EssayGrader is a classroom practice tool that scores practice essays against the rubric you choose. You review every score, and EssayGrader doesn’t give an official score. It provides a score and feedback for each criterion, based on one of the six Louisiana LEAP rubrics.