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Rubrics and Student InstructionsClear instructions, great expectationsRoger Graves

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU NEED A RUBRIC? (N= 8)• You are getting carpal tunnel syndrome from writing the

same comments on almost every student paper.• It’s 3 A.M. The stack of papers on your desk is fast

approaching the ceiling. You’re already three weeks behind in your grading, and it’s clear that you won’t be finishing it tonight either.

• Students often complain that they cannot read the notes you labored so long to produce.

• You have finally graded all your papers and worry that the last ones were graded slightly differently from the first ones.

• You want students to develop the ability to reflect on messy dilemmas but you aren’t sure how to clearly communicate that to them.

• You give a carefully planned assignment that you never used before and to your surprise, it takes the whole class period to explain it to the students.

• You have worked very hard to explain the complex end-of-term paper; yet students are starting to regard you as an enemy out to track them with incomprehensible assignments.

• You are starting to wonder if they are right…….

If so, Rubrics set you on the path to address these concerns

Stevens & Levi, 2005

What is a rubric?

Rubrics are developed to provide the instructor with a tool for consistently scoring work based on explicitly defined performance levels for the specific criteria that are being evaluated. Students can use the provided rubric to guide their efforts and fine tune their submission so as to meet the activity requirements.

Purpose of a rubric

• For formative (midterm) or summative (end of semester/course) evaluation:• Create a common framework and language for

evaluation.• Provide clear expectations about what will be assessed

and standards that should be met.• Increase the consistency and objectivity of evaluation,

especially scoring or rating of performance and products, by providing operational definitions for the standards.

• Provide clear feedback and identify areas for improvement.

Use Rubrics can be used to grade any assignment or task:

research papers, book reviews, oral presentations, and more.• Discussion, teamwork, and cooperative learning (online

discussion boards; class participation) • Link to rubric about online courses (exemplar/resources

section)• Wiki rubric, blog rubric, twitter rubric• Portfolio’s and E-portfolio’s• Field Experience:

• Assessing teaching practices (classroom or field site observation)

• Evaluate implementation fidelity

Situations where rubrics can be applied for student evaluation: Comparison of types of student assessment (Zhang & Fiore, 2011).

Traditional Testing(e.g., standardized, multiple choice)

• Given annually, one shot• Based on a single setting• One correct response• Norm-referenced• Test/teacher-driven• "Teacher proof"• Paper/pencil• Narrow measure of skill• Separate from curriculum and

instruction• Comparisons to others• Produces anxiety

Rubric-Based Performance Assessment(e.g., performance assessment, portfolio)

• Ongoing, cumulative• Based on a variety of settings• Open-ended, multiple possibilities• Criterion-referenced• Student-driven• Teacher-mediated• Performance• Real-world, integrated application that

measures capacity for constructing and using knowledge

• Integral to curriculum and instruction• Comparisons to self and goals• Produces ability to self-assess and self-

correct

Types of rubrics

• Holistic rubric: Assessor generates a single global score for the entire work, sometimes based on a set of descriptors.

• Analytic rubric: Assessor judges the work by examining specific aspects of the work that will be evaluated independently. These aspects may be reported separately or they may be combined to create a global score (in some cases, the score is weighted based on the importance of the dimension/indicator).

(Holistic Rubric Example) Oral Report

5 Excellent: The student clearly describes the question studied and provides strong reasons for its importance. Specific information is given to support the conclusions that are drawn and described. The delivery is engaging and sentence structure is consistently correct. Eye contact is made and sustained throughout the presentation. There is strong evidence of preparation, organization, and enthusiasm for the topic. The visual aid is used to make the presentation more effective. Questions from the audience are clearly answered with specific and appropriate information. 4 Very Good: The student described the question studied and provides reasons for its importance. An adequate amount of information is given to support the conclusions that are drawn and described. The delivery and sentence structure are generally correct. There is evidence of preparation, organization, and enthusiasm for the topic. The visual aid is mentioned and used. Questions from the audience are answered clearly. 3 Good: The student describes the question studied and conclusions are stated, but supporting information is not as strong as a 4 or 5. The delivery and sentence structure are generally correct. There is some indication of preparation and organization. The visual aid is mentioned. Questions from the audience are answered. 2 Limited: The student states the question studied, but fails to fully describe it. No conclusions are given to answer the question. The delivery and sentence structure is understandable, but with some errors. Evidence of preparation and organization is lacking. The visual aid may or may not be mentioned. Questions from the audience are answered with only the most basic response. 1 Poor: The student makes a presentation without stating the question or its importance. The topic is unclear and no adequate conclusions are stated. The delivery is difficult to follow. There is no indication of preparation or organization. Questions from the audience receive only the most basic, or no, response. 0 No oral presentation is attempted.

Types of rubrics: ComparisonType Purpose Advantages Disadvantages

Holistic rubric Gives the “big picture”

Efficient and holistic Lacks specificity and does not provideextensive feedback

Analytic rubric Identifies needs, strengths, and weaknesses

Sometimes totaldoes not equal tosum of the parts.

Online Course Systems - Rubrics• If you use an online system (Blackboard, WEBCT, etc.), see if

they provide a template for creating and using rubrics. • Two handouts for steps in Blackboard (how to) in creating and

using an online rubric will be posted.• Use this link for a nice rubric on online courses: Chico State University. (2009). Rubric for online instruction. http://sites.newpaltz.edu/tlc/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2013/02/Chico_rubric_online_teaching.pdf

How to develop a rubric (elements)

Four (4) Part-by-Part development of a rubric

• Part 1: Task Description• Part 2: Scale• Part 3: Dimensions (Domain or attributes)• Part 4: Description of the Dimensions

(indicators)

Part 1: Task description

• Framed by the instructor and involves a “performance” of some sort by the students.

• Place the task description at the top of the grading rubric (lift from your syllabus).

• Most include a descriptive title and a task description.

Part 2: Scale

• Scale is the metric used to assign points to global categories (holistic) or specific elements (analytic) to assess how well any given task in the activity has been accomplished.

• Terms should be tactful but clear.• Some prefer nonjudgmental, non competitive language

such as “high” “middle” and/or “beginning”.• How many scales should I use? First time using a rubric you

may want to start with three and then build to 4 or 5.• Example: Excellent, Competent, Needs Work (3 scale)

Other Scaling Examples

• Exemplary, proficient, marginal, unacceptable• Below expectations, meets expectations, exceeds

expectations• Inadequate, barely adequate, good, exemplary• Ineffective, moderately effective, effective, highly

effective• Below basic, basic, proficient, advanced• Novice, developing, proficient, expert• Rarely, sometimes, often, almost always

Part 3: Dimensions• Lay out the parts of the task simply and completely.• Clarifies components and which are most important.• “Kind of” a task analysis.• Elements needed for the final product.

Part 4: Description of the dimensions (indicators)

• All-encompassing categories. • Should contain the highest level of performance per

dimension.• Specific indicators needed to meet that component or

element.

Four key stages in constructing a rubric

• Stage 1: Reflecting. What do we want the students to do? Why did we create/use this assignment? What happened last time we gave it?

• Stage 2: Listing. Focus on the particular details of the assignment and what specific learning objectives we hope to see in the completed assignment.

• Stage 3: Grouping and labeling. Organize given #1 and #2, group expectations together in what will become the rubric dimensions.

• Stage 4: Application. Apply to a format/grid.Stevens & Levi (2005).

Four (4) Part-by-Part development of a rubric

• Part 1: Task Description• Part 2: Scale• Part 3: Dimensions (Domain or attributes)• Part 4: Description of the Dimensions

(indicators)

Highly referenced text• Stevens, D., & Levia, A. (2005). Introduction to rubrics: An

assessment tool to save grading time, convey effective feedback and promote student learning. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

• Also ppt available @ http://www.introductiontorubrics.com/index.html

Sites to help in rubric makers:• RubiStar – free tool to help teachers create quality rubrics.

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/• Rcampus (personal) – Over 30,000 rubrics shared and build

one electronically https://www.rcampus.com/• teAchnology – rubric makers

http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/

Rubric Resources • Graves, R. (nd). Clear instructions, great expectations: Creating

good writing assignments. Retrieved from http://www.ualberta.ca/~graves1/assignments.pdf

• Mertler, C. (2001). Designing scoring rubrics for your classroom. Practical Assessment, Research, & Evaluation, 7(25). Retrieved from http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=25

• Moskal, B. (2003). Recommendations for developing classroom performance assessments and scoring rubrics. Practical Assessment, Research, & Evaluation, 8(14). Retrieved from http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=8&n=14

• Reynolds-Keefer, L. (2010). Rubric-referenced assessment in teacher preparation: An opportunity to learn by using. Practical Assessment, Research, & Evaluation, 15(8). Retrieved from http://pareonline.net/pdf/v15n8.pdf

Links to exemplars• CSU. (2009). Rubric for online instruction. http://

sites.newpaltz.edu/tlc/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2013/02/Chico_rubric_online_teaching.pdf• Creative Commons – Share alike site: Teach Philosophy 101 – Tests, papers, assignments.

• http://www.teachphilosophy101.org/Default.aspx?tabid=64• Spielberg, L. (2011). FINE-Flamboyan Foundation Classroom Family Engagement Rubric (HFRP,

March 2011 issue). Retrieved at http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/successful-family-engagement-in-the-classroom-what-teachers-need-to-know-and-be-able-to-do-to-engage-families-in-raising-student-achievement

• Stevens & Levi text has a web site with samples: http://www.introductiontorubrics.com/samples.html

• University of Wisconsin-Stout has some great resources on various ways to develop and use rubrics. Also provides many exemplars:• http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/assess.cfm• http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/rubrics.cfm

• Zhang, X., & Fiore, T. (2011). Measuring project performance with rubrics: Rules for development, use, and analysis. Workshop presented at the 2011 OSEP Project Director’s Conference, Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://www.osep-meeting.org/2011conf/presentations/Large_Group_Panels/Tue_AM-MeasureProjPerformanceWRubric/Zhang_7-19_AM%281%29.pdf