Many English teachers teach Les Misérables to more than one course level. An honors class may read the full unabridged novel while a standard class works from selected volumes or a shorter edition. The writing tasks and rubrics should reflect that difference.

The temptation is to create two completely separate rubrics. That doubles the design work and can make the standard version feel like a lesser assignment. A better approach is one shared framework with adjusted expectations.

The core skills of a literary analysis do not change by level. Every student needs a claim, evidence, and analysis. What changes is the complexity of the claim, the range of evidence, and the independence expected.

Being explicit about these differences matters for fairness. Students in the standard class should know that a strong paper in their course earns strong marks, not a penalty for not meeting honors expectations. Clarity protects both groups.

Adjusting the Descriptors, Not the Criteria

Keep the same categories for both levels, such as thesis, evidence, analysis, and organization. Then adjust the language of each performance level to match what is realistic. An honors thesis might be expected to address a tension, while a standard one might be expected to take a clear position.

• Thesis: clear position for standard, position that addresses complexity for honors
• Evidence: several relevant moments for standard, varied moments across volumes for honors
• Analysis: explains how evidence supports the claim, extended to broader implications in honors
• Independence: more scaffolding for standard, self-directed argument for honors
• Sources: optional for standard, expected engagement with criticism in honors

Scaffolding Standard-Level Work

Students in a standard class often benefit from sentence frames, outlines, and model paragraphs. These supports show what a strong response looks like without doing the work for them. As the unit progresses, you can reduce the scaffolding.

Keep the intellectual demand real. A common mistake is to simplify the task so much that students never practice analysis. Support helps them reach the standard rather than removing it.

Stretching Honors Students

Honors students may be strong writers who default to safe arguments. Push them toward complication, counterargument, and originality. A comment asking what the best objection to their thesis would be can turn a good paper into a great one.

Avoid measuring rigor by length alone. A longer paper is not necessarily a deeper one. Reward precision and insight rather than word count.

Managing Multiple Rubric Versions

Running two rubric versions raises the risk of confusion and inconsistency. GraideMind lets teachers set up separate rubrics and apply each to the right class, keeping feedback aligned with the expectations students were given. That reduces the chance of mixing standards when grading across sections.

A well-organized setup also makes it easier to reuse and refine rubrics year after year. Small adjustments based on how students performed can be saved for next time. Over several cycles, differentiation becomes routine instead of a scramble.