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Rubrics Overview

Assessment

 

Outcome-based assessment is authentic and grounded in the real world. Learning needs to be connected to the lives of students through relevant tasks which focus on students' ability to use their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways. Based on authentic learning outcomes, through real-life learning tasks, outcome-based assessments are designed to assess student performance through a product, such as a completed project or work that demonstrates levels of task achievement.

 

Using rubrics is one way that teachers can evaluate or assess student performance or proficiency in any given task as it relates to a final product or learning outcome. Thus, rubrics can provide valuable information about the degree to which a student has achieved a defined learning outcome based on specific criteria that defined the framework for evaluation.

 

Assessment includes many different tools and processes, e.g:  

·         tests and quizzes with constructed-response (performance-based) items and selected-response items (true/false, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice)
·         reflective assessments, such as journals, logs, listen–think–pair–share activities, interviews, self-evaluation activities, and peer response groups
·         academic prompts that clearly specify performance task elements, such as format, audience, topic and purpose
·         culminating assessment projects that allow for student choice and independent application.
 
Assessment should:

·         be directly connected to curriculum expectations and to instructional strategies

·         include various forms, such as observations, anecdotal notes, rating scales, performance tasks, student self-assessment, teacher questioning, presentations and learning logs

·         be designed to collect data about what students know and are able to do, what they need to learn, and what they have achieved and about the effectiveness of the learning experience

·         demonstrate a range of student abilities, skills and knowledge

·         involve sharing the intended outcomes and assessment criteria with students prior to an assessment activity

·         assess before, during and after instruction

·         provide frequent and descriptive feedback to students

·         ensure that students can describe their progress and achievement.

 

 

 

What are rubrics?

 

At its most basic a rubric is a scoring tool that divides an assignment into its component parts and objectives, and provides a detailed description of what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable levels of performance for each part. Rubrics can be used to grade any assignment or task: research papers, book reviews, participation in discussions, laboratory work, portfolios, oral presentations, group work, and more.

 

Rubrics help evaluate student performance on any given task or set of tasks that ultimately leads to a final product, or learning outcome. Rubrics use specific criteria as a basis for evaluating or assessing student performances as indicated in narrative descriptions that are separated into levels of possible performance related to a given task. Starting with the highest level and progressing to the lowest, these levels of performance are used to assess the defined set of tasks as they relate to a final product or behavior. Each level describes degrees of proficiency and each level is assigned a value that rates the degree of proficiency or student performance. Rating scales are used; they can be numerical, qualitative, or a combination of numerical and qualitative.

Rating scales can be either holistic or analytical.

 

Whether holistic scales or analytical scales are used, the important factors in developing effective rubrics is the use of clear criteria that will be used to rate a student's work and that the performance being evaluated is directly observable. More importantly, students should be informed as to what criteria they are being held accountable.

 

Interactive rubrics, involving assessors and the assessed in defining the criteria for an assignment or objective, can be effective, not only in involving students more actively in their learning, but in establishing consistent standards of assessment at the program, department and campus level.

 

 

You need rubrics if:
  • You find yourself repeating the same comments on most student papers, tests and lab assignments.
  • You worry that you're grading the latest task/assignments differently from the first.
  • You're concerned about communicating the complexity of a semester-long assignment or multi-phase project.
  • You question the consistency of your and your colleagues' grading scales.
  • Grading is taking up far too much of your valuable time (Research shows that once created, rubrics save professors' time while conveying meaningful and timely feedback for students, and promoting self-regulated and independent learning.)
  • Students do not get sufficient feedback on their performance.
  • Students are not clear how you arrive at their grades.
  • Students dispute their grades.

 

 

How to develop a rubric

 

1.    First, teachers need to define the learning outcome or objective that students are expected to achieve. From that point, begin to work backwards defining possible criteria or performance levels that students would possibly demonstrate. This levels would range from the possible highest performance to the lowest performance that can be expected from students on any given task and would provide descriptions of performances for each level. Each level should be directly observable.
2.    To determine how to describe each level, use "anchor products" that represent various performances that can be evaluated as high quality, average, and low. Have at least three samples of each level to make such judgements. Use these samples to evaluate all of the students’ products.
3.    Scores (either numerical or qualitative, or a combination of both) can then be assigned for each level from highest to lowest, or vice versa.
4.    Once each level is determined with rating scales assigned, share the descriptions with the students and ask for feedback so that each level is clearly understood by students. It is imperative that students clearly understand how they are being evaluated and what each level represents in relation to scores assigned. This really helps students to understand the standards that they are being held accountable to achieve. It is also a great tool for helping students self diagnose strengths and weaknesses so that they become part of the "planning for instruction" process.
5.    Provide examples of students work (kept anonymous) that illustrate each performance level. Using a rubric, explain to students what each performance level means in relation to the rubric and the rating scales used to evaluate the performances. Show students how each example meets the criteria listed for each level of performance. Give students the opportunity to rate some samples of works that would be scored using a rubric.
6.    The scoring system should be objective and consistent. The tasks should be appropriate to students' abilities to avoid or minimize scoring error. Be practical when designing the scoring system. No more than six dimensions should be used for a single final product. For rubrics that define a "set of tasks" to be performed, there should be no more than ten dimensions. Descriptions within each dimension should also be clear enough for students to focus on what is expected. Fewer dimensions are better than more in most cases when developing rubrics.

 

  

Criteria for designing rubrics

 

The following analytic rating scale provides a guide to ensure that important elements are included in rubrics. It also provides an indicator of the extent to which each element is present.
 

Do the rubric descriptors:
Fully
Partly
Rarely, if ever
a. state criteria in specific terms using action verbs
 
 
 
b. address expected learner outcomes
 
 
 
c. describe what students are to know and do
 
 
 
d. address the same criteria, in the same order and number at each level
 
 
 
e. describe measurable qualities of a performance or product (not quantities)
 
 
 
f. use age-appropriate, helpful, understandable and succinct language
 
 
 
g. use parallel language at each level
 
 
 
h. clearly distinguish one performance or product level from the others?
 
 
 

 

Criteria for designing performance assessment tasks
[1]
The following analytic rating scale provides a guide to ensure that important elements are included in performance assessments. It also provides an indicator of the extent to which each element is present.

To what extent does the performance assessment:
Fully
Partially
Not at all
a. establish clear criteria for assessing student learning related to specified learner outcomes—these criteria form the basis for evaluating and communicating student learning—involving students in developing criteria is encouraged
 
 
 
b. assess student performance on high priority and relevant outcomes—what is important for a student to know and be able to do is based on student learning needs and interests together with the priorities of the community, school and jurisdiction
 
 
 
c. establish a meaningful, real-life context (based on issues, problems, themes and/or student interests)
 
 
 
d. require the application of a range of thinking skills or processes
 
 
 
e. contain age- and grade-appropriate activities that are sufficiently challenging
 
 
 
f. provide students with a meaningful/real-life role
 
 
 
g. call for products or performances directed to a specific audience
 
 
 
h. allow for more than one right answer
 
 
 
i.   elicit responses that reveal levels of performance rather than simply correct or incorrect answers
 
 
 
j.   provide for students of varying ability levels to successfully complete tasks
 
 
 
k. provide for purposeful integration of subject areas
 
 
 
l.   provide clear directions for students
 
 
 
m. engage students so their interest and enthusiasm will be sustained
 
 
 
n. merit the time and energy required to complete it
 
 
 
o. provide an evaluation rubric matched with the criteria
 
 
 
p. provide students with the criteria and opportunities to reflect on, self-evaluate andimprove their performance?
 
 
 


[1].  Adapted with permission from the Maryland Assessment Consortium, “Performance Task Rubric” (Linthicum, MD: Maryland Assessment Consortium, 1994).

 

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