Distinguished - Provides a thorough explanation of why a school violence prevention program is important for today’s school environment, including whether the focus is on high school or middle school students.

Proficient - Provides an explanation of why a school violence prevention program is important for today’s school environment, including whether the focus is on high school or middle school students. The explanation is slightly underdeveloped.

Basic - Provides a limited explanation of why a school violence prevention program is important for today’s school environment, including whether the focus is on high school or middle school students. The explanation is underdeveloped.

Below Expectations - Attempts to provide an explanation of why a school violence prevention program is important for today’s school environment; however, does not include whether the focus is on high school or middle school students and the explanation is significantly underdeveloped.

Non-Performance - The explanation of why a school violence prevention program is important for today’s school environment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.

Distinguished - Provides a thorough description of the program’s features, citing at least four specific examples of programs or intervention strategies that apply to the level, as well as aspects to avoid in designing the program.

Proficient - Provides a description of the program’s features, citing four specific examples of programs or intervention strategies that apply to the level as well as aspects to avoid in designing the program. The description is slightly underdeveloped.

Basic - Provides a partial description of the program’s features, citing three specific examples of programs or intervention strategies that apply to the level as well as aspects to avoid in designing the program. The description is underdeveloped.

Below Expectations - Attempts to provide a description of the program’s features, citing two specific examples of programs or intervention strategies that apply to the level as well as aspects to avoid in designing the program; however, the description is significantly underdeveloped.

Non-Performance - The description of the program’s features, citing at least four specific examples of programs or intervention strategies that apply to the level as well as aspects to avoid in designing the program is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.

Distinguished - Provides a thorough outline of at least five warning signs that a student might display prior to committing an act of violence.

Proficient - Provides an outline of five warning signs that a student might display prior to committing an act of violence. The outline is slightly underdeveloped.

Basic - Provides a limited outline of four warning signs that a student might display prior to committing an act of violence. The outline is underdeveloped.

Below Expectations - Attempts to provide an outline of three warning signs that a student might display prior to committing an act of violence; however, the outline is significantly underdeveloped.

Non-Performance - The outline of at least five warning signs that a student might display prior to committing an act of violence is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.

Distinguished - Provides a thorough description of strategies to prevent school bullying.

Proficient - Provides a description of strategies to prevent school bullying. The description is slightly underdeveloped.

Basic - Provides a limited description of strategies to prevent school bullying. The description is underdeveloped.

Below Expectations - Attempts to provide a description of strategies to prevent school bullying. The description is significantly underdeveloped.

Non-Performance - The description of strategies to prevent school bullying is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment 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 - Demonstrates consistent use of reliable, appropriate sources and/or evidence to support ideas that are situated within the discipline and genre of the writing.

Proficient - Demonstrates mostly consistent use of reliable sources that are appropriate to the discipline and genre of the writing. Sources offer some support to the ideas in the writing. 

Basic - Demonstrates somewhat inconsistent use of sources that are mostly reliable to the discipline and genre of the writing. Sources offer little support to the ideas in the writing.

Below Expectations - Inconsistently utilizes sources and/or evidence that may be unrelated and offer little support to the ideas in the writing. 

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 limited 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 length of the paper/presentation is equivalent to the required number of correctly formatted pages/slides. 

Proficient - The length of the paper/presentation is nearly equivalent to the required number of correctly formatted pages/slides. 

Basic - The length of the paper/presentation is equivalent to at least three quarters of the required number of correctly formatted pages/slides.

Below Expectations - The length of the paper/presentation is equivalent to at least one half of the required number of correctly formatted pages/slides.   

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 the 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 an 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.