How Do Rubrics Help?

"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, 1998

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 specific measurement system for specific tasks and are tailored for each project. As the projects become more complex, so do the rubrics.

Credit: GLEF

Rubrics help students understand what is expected from them. They demystify grades by clearly stating, in age-appropriate vocabulary, the expectations for a project. Rubrics help students see that learning is about gaining specific skills (both in academic subjects and in problem-solving and life skills). They also give students the opportunity to do self-assessment -- to reflect on the learning process.

Rubrics help a teacher monitor the student's learning process in an authentic way and also help a teacher develop and/or revise a lesson plan. Rubrics provide a way for the student and the teacher to measure the quality of a body of work. When the student's assessment of his/her work and the teacher's assessment don't agree, it's a perfect time for a student-teacher conference. Conferences let the student explain, in more detail, his/her understanding of the content and justify the method of presentation.

Types of Rubrics

Team Rubric


• A team rubric lets each team member know what is expected of him/her. It is a guideline. It contains detailed descriptions for tasks that will be done while the students are working as a team. It states degrees of behavior that are acceptable. It defines what will happen to a team member who is not participating.
  
  
• A team rubric lists actions or tasks required of each team member for the completion of a successful project:
  
  
  • 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?
    
    
• Each category shows the quantitative value of the behaviors or actions.

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 it can be a joint process. When it is done as a joint process, students participate in developing rubrics and setting the goals for the project. They can give their input as to how their work should be evaluated. Together, the teacher and the students can determine the appropriate answers to questions such as:
  
  
  • 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 different Web sites. They show team rubrics and project rubrics for various subjects and grade levels.


• Collaboration Rubric
  
  
• Project Assessment - Vermont Standards
  
  
• Revised Primary Science Rubric
  
  
• Evaluation for Group Music Project
  
  
• Report Rubric
  
  
• Math Rubric
  
  
• Great Math Problem-Solving Rubrics Hotlist

Discuss


• 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?

Visit Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators "Assessment & Rubric Information" Web site. You will find many additional rubric ideas.

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