My first year teaching in New York City, I taught ninth grade ESL and ELA to students who were not only new to the US, but also new to school. Many of them came into the school system from Latin America and the Caribbean with very little literacy. This independent reading rubric, with concrete categories and points to earn was to the key to my sanity and to my students feeling successful in school. Simple, but effective, this rubric can be a great edition to your classroom.