Distinguished - Clearly and comprehensively describes an approach to healthy aging, including a thorough explanation of increasing life expectancy.

Proficient - Comprehensively describes an approach to healthy aging, including an explanation of increasing life expectancy. Minor details are missing.

Basic - Briefly describes an approach to healthy aging, including a limited explanation of increasing life expectancy. Relevant details are missing.

Below Expectations - Attempts to describe an approach to healthy aging; however, does not include an explanation of increasing life expectancy or significant details are missing.

Non-Performance - The description of the approach to healthy aging is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.

Distinguished - Provides exceptional and thorough analysis of the physiology and psychology of aging and thoroughly discusses the factors that influence healthy aging and life expectancy.

Proficient - Provides sufficient analysis of the physiology and psychology of aging and discusses the factors that influence healthy aging and life expectancy. The analysis or discussion is slightly underdeveloped.

Basic - Provides a limited analysis of the physiology and psychology of aging and briefly discusses the factors that influence healthy aging and life expectancy. The analysis and/or discussion are underdeveloped.

Below Expectations - Attempts to provide an analysis of the physiology and psychology of aging and discuss the factors that influence healthy aging and life expectancy; however, the analysis and discussion are significantly underdeveloped.

Non-Performance - The analysis of physiology and psychology of aging and the discussion of the factors that influence aging and life expectancy are either nonexistent or lack the components described in the assignment instructions.

Distinguished - Thoroughly assesses the aging theories and accurately identifies which theory best aligns with the chosen approach and associated components.

Proficient - Assesses the aging theories and identifies which theory best aligns with chosen approach and associated components. The appraisal is slightly underdeveloped.

Basic - Partially assesses the aging theories and vaguely identifies which theory best aligns with chosen approach and associated components. The appraisal is underdeveloped or the identification is inaccurate.

Below Expectations - Attempts to assess the aging theories and identify which theory best aligns with the chosen approach and associated components; however, the assessment is significantly underdeveloped and/or the identification is inaccurate.

Non-Performance - The assessment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.

Distinguished - Provides a clear and focused description of health promotion and disease prevention strategies for healthy aging, thoroughly illustrating and outlining how the strategy is an improvement over existing strategies.

Proficient - Provides a description of health promotion and disease prevention strategies for healthy aging, illustrating and outlining how the strategy is an improvement over existing strategies. Minor details are missing.

Basic - Provides a partial description of health promotion and disease prevention strategies for healthy aging, minimally illustrates and outlines how the strategy is an improvement over existing strategies. Relevant details are missing.

Below Expectations - Attempts to describe health promotion and disease prevention strategies for healthy aging; however, how the strategy is an improvement over existing strategies is not illustrated and outlined and/or significant details are missing.

Non-Performance - The description of health promotion and disease prevention strategies is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.

Distinguished - Thoroughly analyzes medical care and mental health services, fully explaining how they may or may not apply to one’s personal approach to healthy aging.

Proficient - Analyzes medical care and mental health services, explaining how they may or may not apply to one’s personal approach to healthy aging. The analysis or explanation is slightly underdeveloped.

Basic - Partially analyzes medical care and mental health services, minimally explaining how they may or may not apply to one’s personal approach to healthy aging. The analysis or explanation is underdeveloped.

Below Expectations - Attempts to analyze medical care and mental health services and explain how they may or may not apply to one’s personal approach to healthy aging; however, the analysis and/or explanation are significantly underdeveloped.

Non-Performance - The analysis of medical care, mental health services, the direction of aging and care, and the explanation of how they may or may not apply are either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.

Distinguished - Comprehensively analyzes the future directions of aging and the care of the older population and offers relevant recommendations for improving healthy aging, fully explaining how the recommendations would be applied in a personal approach.

Proficient - Analyzes the future directions of aging and the care of the older population and offers mostly relevant recommendations for improving healthy aging, and explaining how the recommendations would be applied in a personal approach. Minor details are missing.

Basic - Partially analyzes the future directions of aging and the care of the older population and offers somewhat relevant recommendations for improving healthy aging, minimally explaining how the recommendations would be applied in a personal approach. Relevant details are missing.

Below Expectations - Attempts to analyze the future directions of aging and the care of the older population and offer recommendations for improving healthy aging; however, how the recommendations would be applied in a personal approach is not explained and significant details are missing.

Non-Performance - The analysis of the future directions of aging and the care of the older population and the recommendations are either nonexistent or lack the components described in the instructions.

Distinguished - Uses appropriate, pertinent, and persuasive content to discover and develop sophisticated ideas within the context of the discipline, shaping the work as a whole.

Proficient - Uses appropriate and pertinent content to discover ideas within the context of the discipline, shaping the work as a whole.

Basic - Uses appropriate and pertinent content, but does not apply it toward discovering or developing ideas. Overall, content assists in shaping the written work.

Below Expectations - Uses content, though it may be unrelated or inappropriate to the topic. Content does not contribute toward the development of the written work, and may distract the reader from its purpose.

Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.

Distinguished - Renovates ideas or solutions into entirely new forms.

Proficient - Conceives ideas or solutions into a coherent whole.

Basic - Associates ideas or solutions in novel ways.

Below Expectations - Recognizes existing connections among ideas or solutions.

Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.

Distinguished -Adapts and employs, independently, skills, abilities, theories, or methodologies gained in one situation to new situations. Solves difficult problems or explores complex issues in original ways.

Proficient - Utilizes skills, abilities, theories, or methodologies gained in one situation to new situations, contributing to an understanding of problems or issues.

Basic - Attempts to utilize, in a basic way, skills, abilities, theories, or methodologies gained in one situation, in a new situation.

Below Expectations - Attempts to utilize, in a basic way, skills, abilities, theories, or methodologies gained in one situation in a new situation. Such attempts may be ineffective.

Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.

Distinguished - Displays meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains no errors, and is very easy to understand.

Proficient - Displays comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains only a few minor errors, and is mostly easy to understand.

Basic - Displays basic comprehension of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains a few errors, which may slightly distract the reader.

Below Expectations - Fails to display basic comprehension of syntax or mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains major errors, which distract the reader.

Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.

Distinguished - Accurately uses APA formatting consistently throughout the paper, title page, and reference page.

Proficient - Exhibits APA formatting throughout the paper. However, layout contains a few minor errors.

Basic - Exhibits basic knowledge of APA formatting throughout the paper. However, layout does not meet all APA requirements.

Below Expectations - Fails to exhibit basic knowledge of APA formatting. There are frequent errors, making the layout difficult to distinguish as APA.

Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.

Distinguished - The paper meets the specific page requirement stipulated in the assignment description.

Proficient - The paper closely meets the page requirement stipulated in the assignment description.

Basic - The paper meets over half of the page requirement stipulated in the assignment description.

Below Expectations - A fraction of the page requirement is completed.

Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.

Distinguished - Uses more than the required number of scholarly sources, providing compelling evidence to support ideas. All sources on the reference page are used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.

Proficient - Uses required number of scholarly sources to support ideas. All sources on the reference page are used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.

Basic - Uses less than the required number of sources to support ideas. Some sources may not be scholarly. Most sources on the reference page are used within the body of the assignment. Citations may not be formatted correctly.

Below Expectations - Uses inadequate number of sources that provide little or no support for ideas. Sources used may not be scholarly. Most sources on the reference page are not used within the body of the assignment. Citations are not formatted correctly.

Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.