AI Grader for New Jersey NJSLA Writing
EssayGrader, a rubric-based AI essay grading platform for K-12 and higher-education teachers, grades your NJSLA writing practice essays against an NJSLA-Adaptive rubric and returns a score and written feedback for each criterion.
Key details
According to the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), each student takes one extended writing task in a single 90-minute session on the NJSLA-Adaptive (NJSLA-A) ELA test, the computer-adaptive version of the NJSLA that began in spring 2026 (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A FAQ, September 23, 2026; NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Testing Times, August 12, 2026).
Detail
NJSLA-A ELA writing
Test
NJSLA-A, the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments-Adaptive; the NJGPA-A is the grade 11 graduation test
Written task
One extended writing task per student; the writing unit is not adaptive
Task types
Narrative, informative/explanatory, and opinion (grades 4 to 5) or argumentative (grades 6 to 9 and NJGPA-A); the type depends on grade
Grades
ELA writing in grades 3 to 9 on the NJSLA-A; grade 11 on the NJGPA-A
Rubrics
Two rubrics for each task, Composition and Conventions, applied holistically
Points
Composition and Conventions are each 4 points in grades 3 to 5 and 5 points in grades 6 to 9
Writing session
One session of 90 minutes
Fall 2026 window
November 30 to December 16, 2026
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Sources: NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A FAQ (updated September 23, 2026); NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Writing Rubrics; NJDOE, NJSLA-A ELA Blueprints (August 12, 2026); NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Testing Times (August 12, 2026); NJDOE, Fall 2026 Administration Key Dates.
NJSLA-A rubrics in the grader
EssayGrader’s grader holds ten current-format NJSLA-A rubrics: informative and narrative for grade 3; informative and opinion for grades 4 to 5, and argumentative, informative and narrative for grades 6 to 9, where the grade 9 argumentative and informative rubrics also cover the NJGPA-A.
1
New Jersey NJSLA ELA Grade 3 - Informative and Explanatory Rubric
Grade 3, for teachers grading informative and explanatory essays
2
New Jersey NJSLA ELA Grade 3 - Narrative Task Rubric
Grade 3, for teachers grading narrative essays
3
New Jersey NJSLA-A Grades 4-5 Informative and Explanatory Rubric
Grade band 4 to 5, for teachers grading informative and explanatory essays
4
New Jersey NJSLA-A Grades 4-5 Opinion Rubric
Grade band 4 to 5, for teachers grading opinion-based essays
5
New Jersey NJSLA ELA Grades 6-8 - Argumentative Rubric
Grade band 6 to 8, for teachers grading argumentative essays
6
New Jersey NJSLA ELA Grades 6-8 - Informative and Explanatory Rubric
Grade band 6 to 8, for teachers grading informative and explanatory essays
7
New Jersey NJSLA ELA Grades 6-8 - Narrative Rubric
Grade band 6 to 8, for teachers grading narrative-based essays
8
New Jersey NJSLA ELA Grade 9 - Narrative Task Rubric
Grade 9, for teachers grading narrative-based essays
9
New Jersey NJSLA ELA Grade 9 NJGPA-A Argumentative Rubric
Grade 9, for teachers grading argumentative essays
Also covers the NJGPA-A, the grade 11 graduation test.
10
New Jersey NJSLA ELA Grade 9 NJGPA-A Informative and Explanatory Rubric
Grade 9, for teachers grading informative and explanatory essays
Also covers the NJGPA-A, the grade 11 graduation test.
Each of these rubrics gives a level for Ideas and Focus, Organization, and Expression and Word Choice; the grade 9 NJGPA-A argumentative rubric names its third category Expression, Word Choice and Tone and also gives a level for conventions.
The grader’s New Jersey list also holds rubrics from the earlier PARCC-style test, including a grades 4 to 5 narrative rubric, so choose only from these ten. NJDOE’s current grades 4 to 5 narrative rubric and its three separate Conventions rubrics are not in the grader.
Where students earn their score points
NJDOE scores each NJSLA-A writing response with two rubrics, Composition and Conventions, and applies them holistically as a best fit, not as a checklist (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Writing Rubrics).
Composition
Ideas and Focus
It shows a student’s ability to present and develop clear and relevant information about a topic.
Composition
Organization
It describes how a student structures and arranges ideas and information so the ideas are clear and connected.
Composition
Expression and Word Choice
It describes how a student selects words and phrases to communicate meaning as clearly and effectively as possible.
Conventions
It assesses grade-level conventions skills, including grammar, punctuation and spelling.
Which task each grade gets, and how New Jersey scores NJSLA writing
Each student writes one task, and NJDOE says the task type changes with grade and is scored by a holistic rubric with two dimensions, Composition and Conventions (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A FAQ, September 23, 2026).
Which writing task does each grade get?
A grade 3 student may get a narrative or informative/explanatory task; opinion joins them in grades 4 to 5, and argumentative takes opinion’s place in grades 6 to 9 (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Writing Rubrics).
Grade
Writing task types a student may get
3
Narrative, informative/explanatory
4 and 5
Narrative, informative/explanatory, opinion
6, 7, 8 and 9
Narrative, informative/explanatory, argumentative
NJGPA-A (grade 11)
Informative/explanatory, argumentative
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In opinion and argumentative tasks, students read texts that present different views. They then respond with reasons, information, and evidence from these texts. For informative/explanatory tasks, students look at an informational topic and develop it using facts, definitions, and concrete details, along with text evidence. In narrative tasks, students are given a short story starter or scenario, which may come with an image.
NJDOE’s rubric document lists only these three task types and names no Literary Analysis Task or Research Simulation Task.
Source: NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Writing Rubrics.
What is reported about who scores NJSLA-A writing?
NJDOE’s FAQ says the writing test is scored with a holistic rubric with two dimensions, Composition and Conventions, and NJ.com reported in March 2026 that an automated scoring system would score the essays, with human scorers reviewing flagged responses (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A FAQ, September 23, 2026; NJ.com, March 9, 2026).
NJDOE’s own FAQ and rubric document cover the holistic rubric and the NJGPA-A human review rule, but they don’t say who scores the other responses. The second and third paragraphs below come from NJ.com, not NJDOE.
NJDOE’s FAQ says that on the NJGPA-A, if a student is within two scale score points of the 450 cut score and got the lowest possible score on both writing rubrics, an additional human scorer reviews their writing (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A FAQ, September 23, 2026).
According to NJ.com (March 9, 2026), an NJDOE spokesperson stated that an AI system will score essays and written answers in the English language arts test. However, some human scorers will still be involved. Any “unusual” or “borderline” responses are “flagged for human review”. The spokesperson also noted that the automated scoring system is not generative AI.
The same article from NJ.com (March 9, 2026) reports that Cambium’s proposal assumes “25% of the overall responses will be routed for trained handscoring.” The spokesperson also noted that in 2025, about 90% of student essays on the NJSLA and state high school exit exams were scored only by an automated scoring system.
EssayGrader is not New Jersey’s scoring engine and does not predict an official NJSLA-A score.
When results arrive, and how writing is reported
Results for the spring 2026 NJSLA-A are due in fall 2026, later than in past years, because the new test needed new performance standards (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A FAQ, September 23, 2026).
NJDOE plans to release reports to districts for the Fall Block 2026 NJSLA-A on January 20, 2027, and for the Spring 2027 NJSLA-A on June 30, 2027 (NJDOE, FAQ).
In the score report, the writing section shows the Composition rubric score beside a “just proficient mean.” NJDOE’s blueprints explain this mean as the average score for students who scored at the proficient level cut score. As for the Conventions rubric score, it is in the Language reporting category (NJDOE, NJSLA-A ELA Blueprints, August 12, 2026).
During a presentation about the NJGPA-A on August 5, 2026, NJDOE mentioned changing from two extended writing tasks to one writing task in the ELA assessment (NJDOE, State Board of Education presentation, NJGPA-A Standard Setting Summary and Cut Scores).
How to practice
Grade a set of practice essays in five steps and see where students lose points.
1
Pick a task type from the table above. Write a prompt that matches NJDOE’s description for that type. You can use a single 90-minute session to align with the test.
2
From the ten rubrics listed above, choose one that fits your grade band and task. For grades 4 to 5 narrative, which doesn’t have a current rubric, create a custom rubric based on NJDOE’s grades 4 to 5 narrative rubric.
3
Upload or paste your students’ essays to begin grading.
4
Read the level of each category, and decide the one Composition score that you would give the response since NJDOE gives one score. Use a custom rubric for Conventions based on NJDOE’s Conventions rubric for your grade band, as the grader doesn’t include a separate Conventions rubric.
5
Score two or three essays with a colleague. Compare your scores before deciding on one category to improve in the next draft.
This page is not a practice test: NJDOE’s guide to the online practice tests says they help students get comfortable with the testing platform and aren’t meant for studying (NJDOE, NJSLA-A practice tests guide).
New Jersey standards (NJSLS-ELA)
NJDOE aligns the NJSLA-A writing rubrics to the language of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for English Language Arts (NJSLS-ELA), using the 2023 standards for the writing (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Writing Rubrics).
EssayGrader’s paid Academic Standards feature covers all 50 U.S. state standards to measure student writing mastery.
Official NJDOE sources
These are the NJDOE documents and one news report behind this page.
FAQ
These are the questions New Jersey teachers ask most about NJSLA writing scoring.
How is NJSLA writing scored?
NJSLA writing is scored using two rubrics: Composition and Conventions. Each is applied holistically as a best fit (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A FAQ, September 23, 2026; NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Writing Rubrics). That means a response gets the score that describes it best overall, even if it doesn’t match every point (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Writing Rubrics).
How many points is the NJSLA writing rubric?
Composition and Conventions are each worth 4 points in grades 3 to 5 and 5 points in grades 6 to 9 (NJDOE, NJSLA-A ELA Blueprints, August 12, 2026). Each rubric gets its own score (NJDOE, NJSLA-A ELA Blueprints, August 12, 2026).
What writing task does my grade get?
Grade 3 gets a narrative or informative/explanatory task, and grades 4 to 5 can also get opinion. In grades 6 to 9, argumentative takes opinion’s place, and the NJGPA-A has informative/explanatory or argumentative (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Writing Rubrics).
Does the NJSLA still have Literary Analysis and Research Simulation tasks?
The NJDOE’s rubric document only includes narrative, informative/explanatory, and opinion or argumentative tasks. It does not mention a Literary Analysis Task or a Research Simulation Task (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Writing Rubrics). So, check older practice materials against this document before reusing them.
How long is the NJSLA writing session?
One session lasts 90 minutes, and the writing unit is not adaptive (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A Testing Times, August 12, 2026; NJDOE, FAQ, September 23, 2026).
Is NJSLA writing graded by AI?
According to NJ.com (March 9, 2026), an NJDOE spokesperson said that an AI system will score the essays. It will flag “unusual” or “borderline” responses for human review. The article also mentions that some human scorers will still be involved. Importantly, the system is not generative AI (NJ.com, March 9, 2026).
When do NJSLA-A results arrive?
Spring 2026 results are expected in fall 2026. Districts will receive Fall Block 2026 NJSLA-A reports on January 20, 2027. Spring 2027 NJSLA-A reports will be out on June 30, 2027 (NJDOE, NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A FAQ, September 23, 2026). You can use practice scores to inform your teaching before these reports arrive.
Does EssayGrader score the same way as New Jersey’s scoring engine?
No: EssayGrader is a classroom practice tool that scores practice essays against the rubric you choose; you review every score, and it does not predict an official score.