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We share evidence-based K-12 learning strategies that empower you to improve education.

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School Transformation Through Arts Integration at Bates Middle School

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Blogs on Rubrics

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How Can We Make Assessments Meaningful?

Heather Wolpert-GawronJuly 31, 2012

Tags Accountability, Comprehensive Assessment, Rubrics, Student Engagement, Teacher Development, All Grades

I think meaningful assessments can come in many shapes and sizes. It fact, to be thoroughly engaging and to draw the best work out of the students, assessments should come in different formats.

Tame the Beast: Tips for Designing and Using Rubrics

Andrew MillerJanuary 18, 2012

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Formative Assessment, Lesson Plans, Professional Development, Rubrics, Teacher Development

Rubrics are a beast. Grrrrrrr! They are time-consuming to construct, challenging to write and sometimes hard to use effectively. They are everywhere. There are rubrics all over the web, plus tools to create them, and as educators, it can overwhelm us. Rubrics are driven by reforms, from standards-based grading to assessment for learning. With so many competing purposes, it only makes sense that rubrics remain a beast to create and to use. Here are some (only some) tips for designing and using effective rubrics. Regardless of the reforms and structures you have in place, these can be used by all educators.

Can Rubrics Inspire?

Todd FinleyJanuary 11, 2012

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Literacy, Performance Assessment, Project-Based Learning, Rubrics, Middle (6-8), High (9-12), English Language Arts

In a Buick LaCrosse crowded with English teachers on the way to a wine bar in Raleigh, Dr. Lil Brannon explained her trouble with rubrics: "Did you ever watch kids play Dance Dance Revolution, the video game where they put their feet in the right squares drawn on a mat? That doesn't look like real dancing, does it?"

Teachers Should Analyze Student Work Together

Bob LenzOctober 26, 2009

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Project-Based Learning, Rubrics, High (9-12), English Language Arts, California

In my last post, "How to Make Writing Research Papers Relevant for Students," I described an expository writing task that all our students at Envision Schools must complete. In this post, I will highlight the task of analyzing literature.

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