Why use

rubrics?
Characteristics
of good rubrics
Definition &
types of rubric
Strategies for
RUBRIC DEVELOPMENT rubric
development
SOLO taxonomy
Phenomeno-
graphic sorting
Using rubrics
with students
 SCORING RUBRIC

Definition
 A scoring tool that lays out the specific expectations for an assessment
task (Stevens & Levi, 2005)
 A set of clear explanations or criteria used to help teachers and students
focus on what is valued in a subject, topic, or activity (Russell, & Airasian,
2012).
Components of a rubric:
 Criteria/Indicator
 aspects of an assessment task which the assessor takes into account when
making their judgment
 May use different weightings for different criteria
 Level of Attainment
 often use grade level descriptors
Types of rubrics:
 Descriptive (Analytic), Holistic
 Why and when we use particular types of rubrics
 WHY USE RUBRICS?
For teachers:
• Prompt a criterion-referenced
assessment
• Provide students with detailed
and timely feedback
• Encourage critical thinking
• Facilitate communication with
others involved in scoring
• Help to refine teaching
skills/learning activities
For students:
• Clarify the teacher’s
expectations of student
performance
• Provide informative
descriptions of expected
performance
• Help to monitor and critique
own work
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RUBRICS (1)

Well defined
 Clearly describe the expected level of student performance for
each criterion in a rubric
 Avoid general evaluative words (poor, excellent, etc.)
 Use specific objective terms (correctly identifies, uses only
basic vocabulary, chooses incorrect formula… )

Context specific
 Describe what teachers expect from student for a given
performance or work product on a particular subject domain
 Viable for instruction
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RUBRICS (2)

Finite and exhaustive

 Every response must be scorable
 Too many score levels is confusing for students and causes
disagreement among teacher scores
Ordered
 Represent the different levels of learning targets as defined by
LP
Related to Common Core theme/strand
 Coherent with the cognitive complexity of the standards
 ANALYTIC (DESCRIPTIVE) RUBRICS

Components:
(1) Task Task Description:
description   Criteria Criteria Criteria Criteria Total
1 2 3 4
(2) Assessment
criteria
Level 5          
(3) Performance
levels Level 4          

Level 3          
Advantage:
Level 2          
 Provides
judgment on Level 1          
each criterion
Disadvantage:
 Time consuming
to make
 HOLISTIC RUBRICS

A single scale with all criteria to be included in the

evaluation being considered together
 Based on an overall judgment of student work
Task Description:
Advantage:   Criteria
 Saves time in Level 5 Overall description of Level 5
developing and
Level 4 Overall description of Level 4
scoring
Disadvantage: Level 3 Overall description of Level 3
 Does not provide
Level 2 Overall description of Level 2
specific feedback
for improvement Level 1 Overall description of Level 1
 WHEN TO USE RUBRICS

On performance-based tasks:

 extended response items
 projects
 presentations
 portfolios
 4 KEY STAGES IN CREATING RUBRICS

 Reflecting on the task & content

 Learning outcomes of the unit and the particular assessment
 What we want from the students, why we created this
assessment, what our expectations are
 Listing the learning outcomes & expectations
 Focus on the particular details of the task and what specific
learning objectives we expect to see in the completed task
 Grouping & labeling the outcomes & criteria
 Organize the results of reflections, group similar expectations
together to become the rubric Indicators
 Application of a rubric format
 Apply the templates & descriptions to the final form of the
rubrics
STRATEGIES FOR RUBRIC DEVELOPMENT

Relationship between the intended Learning

Progression (LP) and rubrics
 Direct use of the LP as standard reference
Use of a general strategy (i.e. modified Bloom’s
taxonomy or SOLO taxonomy)
 Assign the target outcome as mapped onto the Cognitive Rigor
Matrix as the maximum level of the rubric
 Use the SOLO taxonomy as scoring
Phenomenographic sorting
 SOLO TAXONOMY

A possible value of 0 – 4 can be used to score each

question

Possible Level Responses that …

Score
4 Extended not only include all relevant pieces of information, but also
extend the response to integrate relevant pieces of
information not in the stimulus.
3 Relational integrate all relevant pieces of information from the stimulus.
2 Multistructural respond to several relevant pieces of information from the
stimulus.
1 Unistructural respond to only one relevant piece of information from the
stimulus.
0 Pre-structural consist only of irrelevant information.

* Modified from Wilson (2005, p.

75)
 PHENOMENOGRAPHIC SORTING

1. Sort student responses into performance level piles

(excellent, good, …, and poor), or in terms of the
levels of understanding of the responses
2. Describe similarities within a pile and differences
between
 These similarities and differences can inform the different
level of rubrics
3. Do sorting in pairs
 To reconfirm matches & mismatches
 Allow dialogue to maximize the effectiveness of rubric
development
 USING RUBRICS WITH STUDENTS

Explain what the test will emphasize

 Emphasis and expectations will be delineated in the
assessment criteria in the rubrics
Inform students how the assessment will be scored
 Explain what each of the assessment criteria defined in the
rubrics means
Explain how the results will be used
 Explain the importance of the test scores in the student’s
learning progression
 HOW TO USE RUBRICS WITH STUDENTS

Make sure that the wording of the rubrics is

understandable to students (simplify wording for
lower grades).
Works best with holistic rubrics (or with a combined
version of analytic descriptions).
Provide rubrics to students in advance of the
administration of the assessment.
Alternatively, students can be provided with a
general rubric and a small number of papers (names
removed). Students can score the papers in small
groups; groups are required to come to consensus on
the grade to be assigned.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Ni tko , A . J., & Br o o k hart, S . ( 2 0 0 7 ) . Ed u cati o nal asse ssme nt o f stud e nts. Up per
S a ddl e Ri ver , NJ: Pe arso n Ed uca ti o n, I nc.
 M cM i l l an , J. H. ( 2 0 0 7 ) . Class ro o m asse ss me n t . P rin ciple s an d pract ice fo r e ffe ct iv e
s tan dard-b ase d in st ru ct io n ( 4 th e d .) . Bo sto n: P ea rso n - A l l y n & Baco n .
 O re go n De p a rtm en t o f Ed uc ati o n. ( 2 0 1 4 , June ) . Asse ssm ent gu i danc e.
 P o ph am, W . J. ( 2 0 1 4 ) . C ri te ri o n-re f e re nc e d me asu re me nt: A hal f -ce ntur y wa ste d?
P ap er p re se nte d at the A nnu al M e eti n g o f Nati o n al C o un ci l o n M eas ure me nt i n
Ed uca ti o n , Ph i l ad e p hi a , PA .
 P o ph am, W . J. ( 2 0 1 4 ) . Clas sro o m ass es smen t: Wh at t e ach e rs n e eds t o kn o w . S an
F ranc i sco , C A: P e arso n
 Russe l l , M . K ., & A i ra si an, P . W. ( 2 0 1 2 ) . Class ro o m asse ss me n t : Co n ce pt s an d
applicat io n s . Ne w Yo rk , NY : Mc Graw -Hi l l .
 S te ve ns, D. & L e vi , A. ( 2 0 0 5 ) . In t r o du ct io n t o r u b rics. A s as se ssme n t t o ol to sav e
g radin g t ime , con v ey e ff e ct iv e f e edb ack, a n d pro mo te s t u den t le arn in g . S te rl i ng:
S ty l us Pub l i shi ng , L L C
 W i ha rd i ni , D . ( 2 0 1 0 ) . A sse ssme nt d eve l o p m en t I I . U np ub l i sh e d ma nuscri pt.
Re se arch and D e ve l o p men t D e p artme nt, Bi nus Busi ne ss S c ho o l , Jakarta , Indo n e si a.
 W i l so n, M. ( 2 0 0 5 ) . C o n structi ng me as ure s: A n i tem re sp o nse m o de l i ng appro ach.
M ah wah, NJ: L awre nc e Erl b au m A sso ci a te s.
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