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Important Characteristics of Rubrics

A well-done rubric is both an instructional tool and an assessment mechanism. Here is a list of
characteristics to strive for to create a purposeful rubric.

Criteria

An effective rubric must possess a specific list of criteria, so students know exactly what the teacher is
expecting.

Gradations

There should be gradations of quality based on the degree to which a standard has been met (basically a
scale). The gradations should include specific descriptions of what constitutes "excellent", "good", "fair",
and "needs improvement". Each gradation should provide descriptors for the performance level.
Typically there are 4-6 gradation levels on a rubric.

Descriptions

Effective rubrics offer a lot of descriptive language. The rubric describes exactly what makes an
assignment quality. By specificity, the descriptors enable student performers to verify and comprehend
their scores.

Continuity

The difference in quality from a score point of 5 to 4 should be the same difference in quality from a
score point of 3 to 2. All descriptors should model and reflect the consistent levels of continuity.

Reliability

A "good" rubric should be able to be used by various teachers and have them all arrive at similar scores
(for a given assignment). Reliability also can refer to time (for example, if you are scoring your 100th
essay - the rubric allows you to judge the 100th essay with the same criteria that you judged the 1st
essay).

Validity

A rubric possessing validity, scores what is central to the performance and assignment, not what is easy
for the eye to see and simple for the teacher to grade.
Models

Don't forget to model exemplars of products at various achievement levels (be sure to keep the models
anonymous).

What Are Rubrics

Students have been known to refer to rubrics as "those things with the little boxes", while teachers
know rubrics as a set of scoring guidelines that evaluate students' work and provide a clear teaching
directive. Rubrics are a powerful, authentic tool used to assess students' work. This scoring tool lists
specific criteria for a project or piece of work. The criterion helps students to have a concrete
understanding and visualization of "what counts". Each standard or criteria also includes a gradation
scale of quality. The rating scale could be numerical, qualitative, or a combination of both. Rubrics seek
to evaluate assignments based on the sum of a full range of criteria rather than a single numerical score.

Rubrics aren't an assessment alone - but also a teaching and learning tool. They convey the teacher's
expectations and they provide students with a concrete print out or electronic file showing what they
need to do for the specific project. Typically a teacher provides the rubric to students before an
assignment begins, so students can use the rubric as a working guide to success. They explicitly describe
what concepts and characteristics take priority over others within the assignment. After an assignment
is assessed, rubrics enable students to understand why they received a score based on the criteria
provided on the rubric. Rubrics can be used in any subject area - math, biology, physical education,
economics, geography, writing, and all other areas of the curriculum. Rubrics can also be adapted and
used with students of all ages. Rubrics may be used by a teacher to assess a student, a student to assess
a peer, or a student to self-assess their own work.

Types of Rubrics
Formats of a rubric may include analytical and holistic. Some rubrics may also be weighted.

Analytical Rubrics

Break down the various objectives of the final product into specified components

Evaluate individual components independently

Possess extra details that allow multiple grades to emphasize the same criteria

Holistic Rubrics

Assess students' work globally "as a whole"

Often use anchor points that assign value to specific descriptions or performances which contribute to
the whole
Have fewer details to analyze, and are easier to integrate into the schema of younger students

Do not provide detailed information about students' performance in specified areas within the
assignment

Weighted Rubrics

Typically, are a form of an analytical rubric

Judge certain concepts more heavily than others

For example, if a teacher stresses the plot of a story, he or she might consider weighing the plot
segment of the rubric more heavily than the setting, character, or mechanics.

Focus attention on specific aspects of an assignment

More on Types of Rubrics

No one type of rubric is "better". The choice depends on the type of assignment, age of students, and
preference of the teacher. The most important factor is simply that the criteria are clear. A rubric's
strength lies in its specificity.

Individual students may fall between levels (attaining some but not all standards in a specified level).
Some teachers find that using a plus or minus sign helps to bridge this gap, thereby creating more levels
between the various gradations (for example, between beginning and proficient).

Why Use Rubrics?

Teachers use rubrics to support learning. They make assessing the students' work efficient, consistent,
objective, and quick. Teachers evaluating an assignment know implicitly what makes that assignment
excellent, mediocre, or in need of improvement. Rubrics enable teachers to evaluate students'
performance in situations that more closely replicate real life than an isolated test. Rubrics also help
teachers to focus their own attention to the key concepts and standards that the students must obtain.
By developing a working guide (rubric) for students to use as a tool throughout the assignment, teachers
provide the scaffolding necessary to improve the quality of their students' work and to increase the
knowledge that the students acquire. Teachers have the flexibility to reuse the same rubric for various
class assignments. Rubrics allow teachers to accommodate and differentiate for heterogeneous classes
by offering a range of quality levels (they can be used with gifted and learning support students).

Rubrics provide students with a clear understanding of what is expected of them. Students have
concrete directions about what makes a good science project, a good persuasive writing piece, etc..
Many studies have proven that rubrics improve students' end products and thus increase the students'
overall learning. Rubrics provide students with valuable information about the degree of which a specific
learning outcome has been achieved. They provide students with concrete feedback that displays areas
of strength and areas in need of improvement. Students can use this feedback as a tool to further
develop their abilities.

Rubrics encourage students to think about their own thinking and possibly about their own criteria for
what is "good.": to analyze their own work and process to see how it matches up with the standard
explained in the rubric. By using rubrics, teachers give students experience in their higher-level thinking
processes.

Parents appreciate the use of rubrics because they allow teachers to justify why a certain grade was
assigned to his/her child. Rubrics are easy to understand at a quick glance. They provide parents with a
digestible, concise, and well-structured assessment. Parents appreciate the detailed feedback that a
rubric provides.