A Fresh Look at Rubrics

Classroom Formative Assessment for the 21st Century Classroom

April 6, 2009

TargetUnderstand the function and utility of rubrics

a) Teacher-friendly rubric creation that’s also student-friendly

b) Feedback v. grading

c) Connection to the Seven Strategies

The indispensable conditions for improvement are that the student comes to hold a concept of quality roughly similar to that held by the teacher, is able to monitor continuously the quality of what is being produced during the act of production itself, and has a repertoire of alternative moves or strategies from which to draw at any given point.

Sadler, 1989

Far exceeds job

requirements

Exceeds job requirements

Meets job requirement

s

Needs some improvement

Does not meet

minimum requirement

s

Leaps tall buildings with a single bound

Must take a running start to leap over buildings

Can leap over short buildings only

Crashes into building when attempting to leap over it

Cannot recognize buildings at all

Faster than a speeding bullet

As fast as a speeding bullet

Not quite as fast as a speeding bullet

Would you believe a slow bullet?

Shoots self in foot with bullet

Stronger than a locomotive

Stronger than a bull elephant

Stronger than a bull

Shoots the bull Smells like a bull

Walks on water Walks on water in emergencies

Washes with water

Drinks water Passes water in emergencies

Talks with God Talks with Angels

Talks to self Argues with self

Loses arguments with self

Self-Assessment Rubrics

They are general, rather than task specific

They use descriptive language that helps students see what they are doing right as well as what needs work

They are analytic rather than holistic in structure, if they are intended to address a complex or multidimensional learning target

Provide students with a clear and understandable vision of the learning target

Use examples and models of strong and weak work

Offer regular descriptive feedback

Teach students to self-assess and set goals

Design lessons to focus on one learning target or aspect of quality at a time

Teach students focused revision

Engage students in self-reflection and let them keep track of and share their learning

Strategy How a rubric can helpProvide students with a clear and understandable vision of the learning target

The process of co-creating the rubric helps students clarify the intended learning and the purpose of the assignment

Use examples and models of strong and weak work

Students can use the rubric to identify what makes one example strong and another weak, thereby refining their definition of quality for a given assignment

Offer regular descriptive feedback

The rubric provides language to use when articulating feedback. Especially useful for self- and peer-evaluation

Teach students to self-assess and set goals

The rubric acts as a guide for what to pay attention to when students evaluate the quality of their work

Design lessons to focus on one learning target or aspect of quality at a time

Use the rubric to define what it is you’re working on. For example, in math, you can tell students that you’re just going to focus on their explanation of their reasoning

Teach students focused revision Students can work alone or together using the rubric to figure out how they need to revise their work and come up with a plan

Engage students in self-reflection and let them keep track of and share their learning

The same rubric can be used over time with different assignments to help students chart and reflect on their progress