Relevant, User-friendly Benchmarks; Reinforcing Instruction; Cultivating Success

I can’t explain it. It just wasn’t an A

paper.~ pre-rubric educators

Getting the Lay of the Land: Defining The JargonRubric a guide used to score performance assessments in

a reliable, fair, and valid manner generally composed of:

dimensions for judging student performance a scale for rating performances on each

dimension standards of excellence for specified

performance levels(SRI International)

Why Rubrics?

1. Provide students with expectations about what you will assess

2. Inform students on the standards they must meet/work towards meeting

3. Indicate to students where they are in relation to course/program goals

4. Increase your consistency in ratings or performance, products, or understanding

5. Gather data to support grades

Jargon Cont’d

Authentic Assessment meaningful, real-life learning

experiences includes:

recording evidence of the learning process applications in products and performances integrations of new knowledge reflecting on one's own progress interpreting meaning

(Herberger College of the Arts, Arizona State University)

Jargon Cont’d

Analytic Rubric: outline or list of major elements that students should include in a finished work

Highly prescriptive

Holistic Rubric: less objective than analytic; levels pre-determined and you assign

Highly subjective

Annotated Holistic Rubric: hybrid of above; defined quality levels plus commentary

Reduces ambiguity, increases efficiency, and allows students to see road to improvement (IMHO)

Validity is Key

Reliability: measures educational objectives as consistently as possible

Relevance: measures educational objectives as directly as possible

Utility: provides formative or summative results effectively - clear implications for evaluation and improvement

If the only tool you have is a hammer,

you tend to see every problem as a nail.

~ Abraham Maslow

Add Rubrics to Your Toolkit; Don’t Throw Out Other Tools

Rubrics are best used when:

Assignments are multi-faceted; combining lower and higher order skills

Your subjectivity is/could be called into question

Assessing an action or combination of actions rather than a thing

Let’s Not Reinvent the Wheel

There are current and authoritative resources that can save you immense amounts of time

Ontario College Writing Exemplars developed by the Heads of Language (HOL)

with funding from School/College/Work Initiative program of the Ontario Ministry of Education

College Diploma and Certificate Program Standards from the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and

Universities

2. Showing You the Sights

We’re taking the economy tour…

Five Questions – That’s It!

Question 1: What dimensions ensure highest quality?

Hint: Can include knowledge, skills & abilities/Content specific or life-long goals

Consideration: Students may experience difficulty with course specific mixing with life-long goals

Most Common Misstep: Learning outcomes don’t match assessment

LO = critical thinking; assessment dimensions = format, mechanics, and citation style

Some Usual Dimensions

From high school, students are familiar with categories:

Knowledge and Understanding

Thinking

Communication

Application

Some Usual Dimensions

Bloom’s Taxonomy (or Revised Bloom’s)

Knowledge

Comprehension

Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

Big 6

Task Definition Info Seeking

Strategies Location and Access Use of information Synthesis Evaluation

Or adopt a learning theory

Question 2 How many levels of achievement/performance to include?

Hint: Give yourself some wiggle room

Consideration: Letters vs. levels vs. descriptors

A, B, C, D vs. 1, 2, 3, 4 vs. unacceptable, marginal, proficient, exemplary vs. novice, apprentice, proficient, distinguished

Most Common Misstep: Using too many levels of achievement

Question 3: What is a clear description at each level?

Hint: Try to determine qualitative differences that characterize work or performance. Start with B/acceptable/proficient level

Consideration: Comparative language alone fails to highlight unique features, but using unique language may connote different meanings

Most Common Misstep: Including value laden terms that showcase judgement, but little guidance

Question 4: What rating scheme/ weighting of dimensions do I use?

Hint: Add this in a way that fits with your philosophy and course requirements

Consideration: Different assignments may measure the same dimensions in differing degrees. One rubric could serve an entire course.

Most Common Misstep: Using a weighted rating in your head, but not communicating it to the students

Question 5: What worked and what didn’t?

Hint: Do a trial run with colleague(s) rather than one, entire class

Consideration: Do you need more focus on content, format, delivery? Was one dimension weighted too heavily? Etc…

Most Common Misstep: Viewing rubric as a permanent panacea

Rubrics Recap

Decide which assignments suit a rubric

Use our 5 questions as a checklist or frame

Get help/feedback/constructive criticism whenever and wherever you can

From colleagues From students From the literature

Beginning(0-12 points)

Proficient(13-16 points)

Advanced(17-20 points)

Score

1. Determine the Extent of the Information Needed (20 points)

Creates an unfocused or unmanageable research question. Student identifies few or no relevant information tools.

Formulates a question that is focused and clear. Student identifies concepts related to the topic, and identifies some useful information tools to meet the information need.

Formulates a research question that is focused, clear, and complete and identifies key concepts. Student identifies most or all relevant information tools in various potential formats.

2. Access the Needed Information Effectively (20 points)

Uses information tools poorly and gathers information that lacks relevance, quality, and balance.

Executes an appropriate research strategy. Student solves problems by finding a variety of relevant information resources and evaluates search effectiveness.

Implements a clear and focused research strategy, uses tools effectively, and finds information that directly fulfills the information need.

3. Evaluate Information and Its Sources Critically (20 points)

Uses inadequate criteria to judge information quality. Student makes little effort to examine the information located for reliability.

Examines information using criteria such as authority, credibility, relevance, timeliness, and accuracy, and makes good judgements aboutwhat to keep and what to discard.

Compares and evaluates multiple and diverse sources and viewpoints according to specific criteria appropriate for the discipline.

4. Use Information Effectively to Accomplish a Specific Purpose (20 points)

Shows little evidence of incorporating information into their knowledge base. Student uses information poorly to accomplish a specific purpose.

Often uses appropriate information and evidence to support their claims and conclusions and to accomplish a specific purpose.

Effectively synthesizes and integrates information from a variety of sources, draws appropriate conclusions, and clearly communicates ideas to others to accomplish a specific purpose.

5. Use Information Ethically (20 points)

Inadequately cites ideas and information of others.

Cites ideas and information of others with few errors.

Consistently and accurately cites ideas and information of others.

Research Paper Grading RubricFor Research Component

Uses: 1.To set performance expectations by distributing to students when a paper is assigned.2.To evaluate the portion of a student’s paper related to research and information use.

CRITERIA/DIMENSION

LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT/PERFORMANCE

Excellent Good Needs Improvement

Load supported greater than 12 kg 6 to 12 kg less than 6 kg

Weight of bridge less than 30 grams 30 to 60 grams over 60 grams

Bridge span greater than 385 mm 360 to 385 mm less than 360 mm

Ability of matchbox car to roll across bridge

does not stop stops 1 or 2 timesstops 3 or more times or cannot roll entire length of bridge

Analytic Rubric Example