The rubric

Every state education agency website is evaluated against the same nine criteria, weighted to reflect their relative importance to the people the site serves. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 10, and the weighted total becomes a 0–100 score that maps to a letter grade.

Grade scale

A 90–100

B 75–89

C 60–74

D 45–59

F below 45

Criteria

Navigation & Information Architecture

Weight: 15%

Excellent (10): Intuitive top‑level menu, logical hierarchy, users reach any page ≤3 clicks, breadcrumb trails, clear labeling, robust site map.
Poor (0): Confusing menus, deep hierarchy (>5 clicks), unlabeled links, no breadcrumbs, dead ends.
Scoring guide: 0‑2: Hard to find key info; 3‑5: Some logical paths but many clicks; 6‑8: Mostly easy navigation; 9‑10: Seamless, predictive navigation.

Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA)

Weight: 15%

Excellent (10): Full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, keyboard‑only navigation, proper ARIA, colour contrast ≥4.5:1, alt text for all images, captions for video.
Poor (0): Major WCAG failures (missing alt text, poor contrast, no keyboard access, no captions).
Scoring guide: 0‑2: Numerous violations; 3‑5: Some issues; 6‑8: Minor exceptions; 9‑10: Fully compliant, tested with assistive tech.

Search Functionality

Weight: 10%

Excellent (10): Smart site‑wide search, autosuggest, filters, relevance ranking, no dead‑end results, spelling correction.
Poor (0): No search box or returns irrelevant/empty results, no filters.
Scoring guide: 0‑2: No search; 3‑5: Basic search, poor relevance; 6‑8: Good relevance, some filters; 9‑10: Contextual, fast, accurate results.

Mobile Responsive Design

Weight: 10%

Excellent (10): Mobile‑first layout, touch‑friendly controls (≥44 px), no horizontal scroll, content reflows cleanly, same functionality as desktop.
Poor (0): Layout breaks, tiny tap targets, horizontal scrolling, missing features on mobile.
Scoring guide: 0‑2: Unusable on mobile; 3‑5: Partial layout, some broken elements; 6‑8: Mostly responsive; 9‑10: Pixel‑perfect across devices.

Data Transparency & Open Data

Weight: 10%

Excellent (10): Up‑to‑date data dictionaries, downloadable datasets, clear provenance, privacy notices, interactive dashboards with export options.
Poor (0): Out‑of‑date or missing data, no download, unclear sources, no privacy info.
Scoring guide: 0‑2: No data available; 3‑5: Limited, stale data; 6‑8: Current data, limited export; 9‑10: Rich, downloadable, well documented.

Parent Resources

Weight: 10%

Excellent (10): Dedicated parent portal, grade‑specific resources, plain‑language guides, multilingual support, easy contact options.
Poor (0): Scattered or absent parent info, jargon‑heavy, no language options.
Scoring guide: 0‑2: No parent section; 3‑5: Minimal resources; 6‑8: Good set, some gaps; 9‑10: Comprehensive, tailored, multilingual.

Educator Resources

Weight: 10%

Excellent (10): Lesson‑plan libraries, professional‑development links, data tools, searchable by standards, integrated LMS access.
Poor (0): Hard‑to‑find or outdated teacher materials, no search.
Scoring guide: 0‑2: Absent; 3‑5: Sparse; 6‑8: Solid collection, minor gaps; 9‑10: Rich, current, well organized.

Visual Design & Branding

Weight: 10%

Excellent (10): Consistent branding, high‑contrast colour palette, readable typography (≥12 pt), engaging imagery, visual hierarchy aids scanning.
Poor (0): Inconsistent fonts, low contrast, cluttered, outdated branding.
Scoring guide: 0‑2: Chaotic; 3‑5: Basic but inconsistent; 6‑8: Cohesive, minor issues; 9‑10: Professional, user‑centric design.

Performance & Load Speed

Weight: 10%

Excellent (10): Page load <2 s on typical broadband, lazy loading, optimized images, minimal third‑party scripts, reliable uptime.
Poor (0): Pages >5 s, large files, frequent time‑outs.
Scoring guide: 0‑2: Very slow; 3‑5: Moderate; 6‑8: Good speed; 9‑10: Fast, optimized, high reliability.