Developing Rubrics for Classroom Use

Steven M. Baule, ED.D., PH.D. North Boone CUSD 200February 14, 2014

Super Hero RubricPerformance

FactorsAdvanced Proficient Basic Below Basic Maybe not a Super

Producing Quality Work

Leaps tall buildings in a single bound.

Must take a running start to

leap tall buildings.

Can only leap over short

buildings or medium

buildings.

Crashes into buildings when attempting to

jump over them.

Cannot recognize

buildings at all let alone jump

them.

Using Work Time Effectively

Is faster than a speeding bullet.

Is as fast as a speeding bullet.

Not quite as fast as a speeding

bullet.

Would you believe a slow

bullet?

Wounds self with bullets

when attempting to

shoot the breeze.

Accepting Responsibility

Is stronger than a locomotive.

Is stronger than a tornado.

Is stronger than a hurricane.

Shoots the Breeze.

Full of hot air.

Job KnowledgeWalks on water

consistently.Walks on water in emergencies.

Washes with water.

Drinks water. Eyes water.

Communicating Effectively

Talks with God. Talks with citizens.

Talks to him/herself.

Argues with him/herself

Loses argument with him/her

self.

Modified from Pascack Valley HS website http://pascackvrhs.schoolwires.com/Page/6832

Why Rubrics?

Give students a clear understanding of the assignment & concrete details about how to obtain a particular scoreAllow parents to understand in detail how a grade was earnedEncourage students to self-assess and reflect on their own performanceMakes assessment easier for teachers and less subjective

The DownsideRubrics do require an initial investment of your time. But once they are completed, they are easily adaptable to a variety of assignments.

Articulating the gradations of the rubric is sometime challenging.

You may notice that your students ask for rubrics for all assignments. They like knowing what is expected and how to achieve high markings.

How to Use Rubrics with Students1. Look at models: Show students examples of good and not-so-

good work. Identify the characteristics that make the good ones good and the bad ones bad.

2. List criteria: Use the discussion of models to begin a list of what counts in quality work.

3. Articulate gradations of quality: Describe the best and worst levels of quality, then fill in the middle levels based on your knowledge of common problems and the discussion of not-so-good work.

4. Practice on models: Have students use the rubrics to evaluate the models you gave them in Step 1.

5. Use self- and peer-assessment: Give students their task. As they work, stop them occasionally for self- and peer-assessment.

6. Revise: Always give students time to revise their work based on the feedback they get in Step 5.

7. Use teacher assessment: Use the same rubric students used to assess their work yourself.

Rubric for Rubric Use

From Bonnie Mullinix, Monmouth University, 2003

Characteristics of Effective Rubrics

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

Some of these can come from the Common Core Standards

Kathy Schrock’s Guide

Sample – Book Trailer Video

From Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators

Sample – 3rd Grade Writing

From Rubistar

Gradations

There should be gradations of quality based on the degree to which a standard has been met. The gradations should include specific descriptions of what constitutes "excellent", "good", "fair", and "needs improvement". Each gradation should provide descriptors for the performance level.

With the NB grading scale, four levels make the most sense, e.g., A, B, C , F

For some sections, potentially a Pass/Fail approach

Don't Feel Required…..

Excellent Good Acceptable

Needs Improveme

ntMain Criteria 1 Description of

key pointsDescription of key points

Description of key points

Description of key points

Main Criteria 2 Description of key points

Description of key points

Description of key points

Description of key points

Minor Criteria 3 Pass Fail

From Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators

Descriptions

Effective rubrics offer a lot of descriptive language. The rubric describes exactly what is expected.

By specificity, the descriptors enable student performers to verify and comprehend their scores.

ContinuityThe difference in quality from a score of 4 to 3 should be the same difference in quality from a score of 3 to 2. All descriptors should model consistent levels of continuity.

Excellent Good AcceptableNeeds

Improvement4 3 2 1

Other Ways to Say ItBeyond

ExpectationMeets

ExpectationUnder

ExpectationMissing or with Major

Errors4 3 2 1

Excellent Good AcceptableNeeds

Improvement4 3 2 1

Yes, plus Yes No, but No4 3 2 1

Pass Fail2 (P) 1 (F)

How ACSD Says It

Level 4—"Yes, I briefly summarized the plot."Level 3—"Yes, I summarized the plot, but I also included some unnecessary details or left out key information."Level 2—"No, I didn't summarize the plot, but I did include some details from the story."Level 1—"No, I didn't summarize the plot."

From H.G. Andrade, EL, Feb 2000

ReliabilityA "good" rubric should be able to be used by various teachers and have them all arrive at similar scores.

I find this really helps when grading assignments; previously I would have to go through everything twice to make sure I hadn’t started too hard or too easy

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.

SamplesDon't forget to provide samples at various achievement levelsAfter first use, keep some exemplars

Validity –Blog posts

From Baule & Lewis and UW-WW

Example 1 - Upper

Example 2 - Lower

CCSS Sample

W.5.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Common Core Checklists

Sample CCSS Indicators

Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).

Sample Criteria based on CCSS

Provides a concluding statement that summarizes the topic in a concise manner using content appropriate vocabulary.

Provides a concluding statement related to the information presented.

Concluding statement is present but not complete.

Concluding statement is missing or contains significant errors.

Developing Rubrics from Scratch

From SchoolCenter.com

Design Process (SCORE): Specific Ideal Description: Describe what an ideal student work would look like (specific to assignment)Categorization: Group these descriptors into categories called dimensionsOutline of standards: Write the standard for each dimension, using concrete, specific, and measureable criteria. It is easiest to write this as the ideal or acceptable levelRubric levels: Decide what type of rubric is appropriate for this assignment or group of students. Explanation of grading: Include the weighting or grading scheme. Remember, each piece of the rubric doesn’t need to be weighted the same.

Modified from Pascack Hiills HS website http://pascackvrhs.schoolwires.com/Page/6832

A Guide for Designing Your Own Rubric

Describe the activity you want to assess.

Imagine receiving student work. What would the perfect product look like? What specific attributes would it have?

Categorization - Group the descriptors, if necessary, and assign a category name (facet) for each.

Outline the standards – flesh out each dimension by writing the standards for each: be measurable and specific! Look to CCSS or ISBE standards as a place to start.

Rubric levels – what type of rubric would be best? General or assignment-specific? Now pull this all together to create your rubric. Here is a table to begin, although you should modify it to adapt to your needs.

Explanation of grading – Are all of the dimensions equal in weight? Will you add up the total and use it as the grade or as a raw score, or will you scale the results, average them, etc?

FACET 4 3 2 1 Points Possible

Mechanics & Grammar 4Topic Sentence 8Concluding Sentence 8Etc…

Sample Rubric Template

Holistic Rubrics

A holistic rubric consists of a single scale with all criteria to be included in the evaluation being considered together (e.g., clarity, organization, and mechanics). With a holistic rubric the rater assigns a single score (usually on a 1 to 4 or 1 to 6 point scale) based on an overall judgment of the student work. The rater matches an entire piece of student work to a single description on the scale.

For more on types of rubrics see University of Virginia Academic Assessment or School Center’s Power of Rubrics

Sample Holistic RubricArticulating thoughts through written communication— final paper/project.

Above Average: The audience is able to easily identify the focus of the work and is engaged by its clear focus and relevant details. Information is presented logically and naturally. There are no more than two mechanical errors or misspelled words to distract the reader.

Sufficient: The audience is easily able to identify the focus of the student work which is supported by relevant ideas and supporting details. Information is presented in a logical manner that is easily followed. There is minimal interruption to the work due to misspellings and/or mechanical errors.

Developing: The audience can identify the central purpose of the student work without little difficulty and supporting ideas are present and clear. The information is presented in an orderly fashion that can be followed with little difficulty. There are some misspellings and/or mechanical errors, but they do not seriously distract from the work.

Needs Improvement: The audience cannot clearly or easily identify the central ideas or purpose of the student work. Information is presented in a disorganized fashion causing the audience to have difficulty following the author's ideas. There are many misspellings and/or mechanical errors that negatively affect the audience's ability to read the work.

From DePaul University Teaching Commons

Same in Analytical Rubric Format

From DePaul University Teaching Commons

Advantages and Disadvantages of Holistic Rubrics

AdvantagesEmphasis on what the learner is able to demonstrate, rather than what s/he cannot do.Saves time by minimizing the number of decisions raters make.Can be applied consistently by trained raters increasing reliability.

DisadvantagesDoes not provide specific feedback for improvement.When student work is at varying levels spanning the criteria points it can be difficult to select the single best description.

Criteria cannot be weighted.

Online Rubric Generators

Rubistarhttp://rubistar.4teachers.org

iRubrichttp://www.rcampus.com/indexrubric.cfm

Teacher Planethttp://www.sites4teachers.com/ (search for rubric or assessment generators)

iRubric Search Options

Questions

Thank you for your attention