How Do Rubrics Help?

Rubrics are multidimensional sets of scoring guidelines that can be used to provide consistency in evaluating student work. They spell out scoring criteria so that multiple teachers, using the same rubric for a student's essay, for example, would arrive at the same score or grade. Rubrics are used from the initiation to the completion of a student project. They provide a measurement system for specific tasks and are tailored to each project, so as the projects become more complex, so do the rubrics.

How can rubrics help? Rubrics

• let students know what is expected of them.
• demystify grades by clearly stating, in age-appropriate vocabulary, the expectations for a project.
• help students see that learning is about gaining specific skills (both in academic subjects and in problem-solving and life skills).
• give students the opportunity to do self-assessment to reflect on the learning process.
• help a teacher authentically monitor a student's learning process and develop and revise a lesson plan.
• provide a way for a student and a teacher to measure the quality of a body of work. When a student's assessment of his or her work and a teacher's assessment don't agree, they can schedule a conference to let the student explain his or her understanding of the content and justify the method of presentation.

Types of Rubrics

Team Rubric

A team rubric is a guideline that lets each team member know what is expected of him or her. For example, a team rubric

• contains detailed descriptions for tasks that will be done while the students are working as a team.
• states acceptable degrees of behavior.
• defines the consequences for a team member who is not participating.
• lists actions or tasks required of each team member for the completion of a successful project, such as the following:
  • Did the person participate in the planning process?
  • How involved was each member?
  • Was the team member's work to the best of his or her ability?
  • Shows the quantitative value of the behaviors or actions.

"For as long as assessment is viewed as something we do 'after' teaching and learning are over, we will fail to greatly improve student performance, regardless of how well or how poorly students are currently taught or motivated."

--Grant Wiggins, EdD., president and director of programs, Relearning by Design, Ewing, New Jersey

Project Rubric

A project rubric lists the requirements for the completion of a project-based-learning lesson. It is usually some sort of presentation: a word-processed document, a poster, a model, a multimedia presentation, or a combination of presentations.

The teacher can create a project rubric, or students can collaborate, helping set goals for the project and suggest how their work should be evaluated. Together, the teacher and the students can answer the following questions:

• What is the quality of the work?
• How do you know the content is accurate?
• How well was the presentation delivered?
• How well was the presentation designed?
• What was the main idea?

Sample Rubrics

Look at these rubrics from several Web sites, which show team rubrics and project rubrics for various subjects and grade levels.

• Collaboration Rubric [1]
• Revised Primary Science Rubric [2]
• Evaluation for Group Music Project [3]
• Report Rubric [4]
• Math Rubrics [5]
• Great Math Problem-Solving Rubrics Hotlist [6]

After you've reviewed the sites, discuss the following:

• What do you think of the different styles?
• Do they meet your expectations of rubrics for the designated grade levels? Why, or why not?
• Which one most closely suits your vision of what you will need? Why?

For additional rubric ideas, visit the Assessment & Rubric Information [7] page in Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators [8] at DiscoverySchool.com [9].

Getting Started:

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This teaching module is organized into five chapters:

• Assessment Overview [12]
• Why Is Assessment Important [13]?
• What are Some Types of Assessment [14]?
• How Do Rubrics Help [15]?
• Assessment Resources [16]

To navigate through this module, see the local navigation on each page at the top right.