Seminar #4

Assessment& Rubrics

Chris Brands

Assessment Beliefs• Good assessment improves student

learning, not just monitors it.

• Good assessment values the process as well as the product of learning.

• Good assessment reveals the criteria by which student performance is judged. These criteria are understood in advance, are explicit, and are appropriate to the task.

“If assessment is authentic, ongoing, and integrated with

classroom instruction, then it is easy to see that it will take many

different forms”

-Stiggins

Performance-Based Assessment

• Assessment tasks that require a student to construct a response, create a product, or demonstrate applications of knowledge

• Performance is often related to a continuum of agree-upon standards of proficiency or excellence.

Have you ever heard that a little hard work up front saves time in

the end?

Why Use Rubrics?

• Rubrics can be an integral part of the teaching and learning process

– Give students a basis for self-assessment– Promote independent learning– Eliminate vague assessment criteria and

overly subjective performance behavior

• Both a formative and a summative assessment– Formative assessment because it defines

criteria for student performance in advance (Instructional)

– Summative assessment because it will be the basis for determining a grade for the project (Evaluation)

Characteristicsof a Rubric

• It articulates gradations of quality for each criterion, from excellent to poor.

• As such, they support the mandate for authentic (“real world”) assessment stated in national standards across the curriculum.

Teachers Use Rubrics to…

• Answer the question “Why did you give me a D?”

• Define expectations for learners and for themselves by clearly showing students how their work will be evaluated

• Link assignments clearly to curricular goals

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AND• Rubrics reduce the amount of time

teachers spend evaluating student work.

• Teachers tend to find that by the time a piece has been student-assessed according to a rubric, they have little left to say about it.

• Teachers can then often simply check an item in the rubric, rather than struggling to explain the flaw or strength they have noticed, and trying to figure out what to suggest in terms of improvements.

• Rubrics provide students with more informative feedback about their strengths and areas in need of improvement.

Students UseRubrics to…

• Answer the question “Why did I get a D?”

• Take more responsibility for their learning

• Increase independence

• Lower anxiety about assignments and projects

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More Advantages of using Rubrics in Assessment:

• They allow assessment to be more objective and consistent.

• They focus the teacher to clarify the criteria in specific terms.

• They clearly show the student how their work will be evaluated and what is expected.

• Provide useful feedback regarding the effectiveness of the instruction.

• Provide benchmarks against which to measure and document progress.

Constructing a Rubric:• Know the goals for instruction• Know the specific skills that you want students to

develop throughout the activity/assignment.• What are the learning outcomes?• Decide on the structure of the rubric; holistic or

analytical -- what fits best for the task?• Determine the levels of performance• Are there levels of performance specific to each

criteria?• Share the rubric with your students• Students should have an opportunity to see,

discuss, or even design the rubric prior to the performance, project, activity, assignment, etc.

CriteriaBelow Average

1 PointGood

3 Points

Excellent5 Points

Number of chips

Texture

Color

Size

Cookie Rubric

Below Average Good Excellent

Number of chips Too few chips

Chips in 75% of bites

Chip in every bite

Texture Like a dog biscuit Chewy middle, crispy edges

Chewy

Color Burned Too brown or too light

Golden brown

Size Smaller than 2 inches in diameter

Smaller than three inches, but larger

than 2

Larger than 3 inches in diameter

Cookie Rubric

• When teachers begin designing assessments as part of their lesson planning, the process forces them to think carefully about what they’re going to teach, and what they expect students to learn.

• Prepare rubrics as guides students can use to build on current knowledge.

• Consider rubrics as part of your planning time, not as an additional time commitment to your preparation.

Rubrics & Lesson Planning

Rubrics are basically a simplified way to gradea complicated assignment.

The Lesson Plan Assignment

• Hand out explaining the lesson plan assignment due Wednesday 3/10