Assessment Rubric
for Critical Thinking
Scenario Writing for Faculty Champions
Faculty Champion Meeting
March 2011
2011
Class Without CT
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
 Didactic instruction where students are
presented with factual information from a
text book
 Assessment is primarily multiple choice
items where students are expected to
regurgitate factual information
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
2
Class With CT
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
 Interactive learning environment where
students not only learn facts but the
relationship between the facts and the
application of that information
 Authentic assessment where students are
able to model the applications of the
discipline through simulations, projects,
etc.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
3
Authentic Assessments
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
 Authentic assessments serve dual purposes of
 encouraging students to think critically and
 providing assessment data for measuring improved
student learning.
 These assessment techniques fall into three
general categories:
 criterion-referenced rubrics,
 student reports (reflection or self-assessments), and
 student portfolios.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
4
Authentic Assessments
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
 A global rubric template developed to provide
a snapshot view of how student learning is
being affected by the critical thinking initiative.
 Designed to be flexible enough to address a
number of student project modalities including
written and oral communications.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
5
Assessment Rubric for CT
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
 Will evaluate the student’s use of critical
thinking skills in the development of the paper
as opposed to specifically evaluating the
quality of student’s writing skills.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
6
Assessment Rubric for
Critical Thinking
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
ARC was designed by the QEP staff and the
Faculty Champions to…
 Enhance the QEP
 Align with the College’s definition of critical
thinking
 Be flexible for use in multi-disciplines
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
7
SPC CT Definition
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
“Critical thinking is the active and
systematic process of communication,
problem-solving, evaluation, analysis,
synthesis, and reflection, both
individually and in community, to foster
understanding, support sound decisionmaking, and guide action.”
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
8
Assessment Rubric for CT
Performance
Exemplary
Proficient
Assessment
Rubric
for Critical Thinking
Element
(4)
(3)
Developing
(2)
Emerging
(1)
Not Present
(0)
I. Communication
Define problem in
your own words.
Identifies the main idea or
problem with numerous
supporting details and
examples which are
organized logically and
coherently.
Identifies the main
idea or problem with
some supporting
details and examples
in an organized
manner.
Identifies the main
idea or problem with
few details or
examples in a
somewhat organized
manner.
Identifies the main idea
or problem poorly with
few or no details or
states the main idea or
problem verbatim from
the text.
Does not
identify the
main idea or
problem.
II. Analysis
Compare & contrast
the available
solutions.
Uses specific inductive or
deductive reasoning to
make inferences
regarding premises;
addresses implications
and consequences;
identifies facts and
relevant information
correctly.
Uses logical
reasoning to make
inferences regarding
solutions; addresses
implications and
consequences;
Identifies facts and
relevant information
correctly.
Uses superficial
reasoning to make
inferences regarding
solutions; Shows
some confusion
regarding facts,
opinions, and
relevant, evidence,
data, or information.
Makes unexplained,
unsupported, or
unreasonable inferences
regarding solutions;
makes multiple errors in
distinguishing fact from
fiction or in selecting
relevant evidence.
Does not
analyze
multiple
solutions.
III. Problem Solving
Select & defend your
final solution.
Thoroughly identifies and
addresses key aspects of
the problem and
insightfully uses facts and
relevant evidence from
analysis to support and
defend potentially valid
solutions.
Identifies and
addresses key aspects
of the problem and
uses facts and
relevant evidence
from analysis to
develop potentially
valid conclusions or
solutions.
Identifies and
addresses some
aspects of the
problem; develops
possible conclusions
or solutions using
some inappropriate
opinions and
irrelevant information
from analysis.
Identifies and addresses
only one aspect of the
problem but develops
untestable hypothesis;
or develops invalid
conclusions or solutions
based on opinion or
irrelevant information.
Does not select
and defend a
solution.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
9
Assessment Rubric for CT
Performance
Exemplary
Proficient
Assessment
Rubric
for Critical Thinking
Element
(4)
(3)
Developing
(2)
Emerging
(1)
Not Present
(0)
IV. Evaluation
Identify weaknesses in
your final solution.
Insightfully interprets
data or information;
identifies obvious as well
as hidden assumptions,
establishes credibility of
sources on points other
than authority alone,
avoids fallacies in
reasoning; distinguishes
appropriate arguments
from extraneous
elements; provides
sufficient logical support.
Accurately interprets
data or information;
identifies obvious
assumptions,
establishes credibility
of sources on points
other than authority
alone, avoids fallacies
in reasoning;
distinguishes
appropriate arguments
from extraneous
elements; provides
sufficient logical
support.
Makes some errors in
data or information
interpretation; makes
arguments using weak
evidence; provides
superficial support for
conclusions or
solutions.
Interprets data or
information
incorrectly;
Supports conclusions
or solutions without
evidence or logic;
uses data,
information, or
evidence skewed by
invalid assumptions;
uses poor sources of
information; uses
fallacious arguments.
Does not evaluate
data, information,
or evidence
related to final
solution.
V. Synthesis
Suggest ways to
improve/strengthen
your final solution.
Insightfully relates
concepts and ideas from
multiple sources; uses
new information to
enhance final solution;
recognizes missing
information; correctly
identifies potential effects
of new information.
Accurately relates
concepts and ideas
from multiple
sources; uses new
information to
enhance final
solution; correctly
identifies potential
effects of new
information.
Inaccurately or
incompletely relates
concepts and ideas
from multiple
sources; shallow
determination of
effect of new
information on final
solution.
Poorly integrates
information from
more than one source
to support final
solution; Incorrectly
predicts the effect of
new information on
final solution.
Does not identify
new information
for final solution.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
10
Assessment Rubric for CT
Performance
Exemplary
Proficient
Assessment
Rubric
for Critical Thinking
Element
(4)
(3)
VI. Reflection
Reflect on your own
thought process.
“What did you learn
from this process?”
“What would you do
differently next time to
improve?”
March 18, 2011
Identifies strengths and
weaknesses in own
thinking: recognizes
personal assumptions,
values and perspectives,
compares to others’, and
evaluates them in the
context of alternate points
of view.
Identifies strengths
and weaknesses in
own thinking:
recognizes personal
assumptions, values
and perspectives,
compares to others’,
with some
comparisons of
alternate points of
view.
Developing
(2)
Emerging
(1)
Identifies some
personal assumptions,
values, and
perspectives;
recognizes some
assumptions, values
and perspectives of
others; shallow
comparisons of
alternate points of
view.
Identifies some
personal assumptions,
values, and
perspectives;
does not consider
alternate points of
view.
Faculty Champion Meeting
Not Present
(0)
Does not reflect
on own thinking.
11
ARC Assignment Profile
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
 ARC Assignment Profile is designed to provide
consistency and accuracy in the evaluation of
the ARC at the institutional level as well as
provide guidelines for the use of the assessment
at the course level.
 The ARC is essentially a ‘tool’ to evaluate critical
thinking. For a tool to be effective it must be
used in the correct situation or ‘job.’
 The purpose of the ARC Assignment Profile is to
outline the most appropriate course assignment.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
12
ARC Assignment Profile
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
1. Participating faculty should have one
assignment during the course that can
be evaluated using the ARC scoring
rubric. The course assignment could be
a graded homework assignment or a
major assessment for the course.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
13
ARC Assignment Profile
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
2. The course assignment for the ARC
should include all of the elements of the
rubric and should be aligned with the
task outlined for each element.
Assignments that only evaluate some of
the elements or are not aligned with the
specific ARC tasks will be considered
incomplete and not used in the
institutional analysis.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
14
ARC Assignment Profile
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
3. Faculty may add additional discipline
specific rubric elements (such as
grammar
and
punctuation
in
a
composition class), but must maintain
the ARC elements as listed.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
15
ARC Assignment Profile
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
4.
Students should be provided a copy of the assignment rubric
(ARC and any additional discipline specific elements). The
specific elements and tasks include:






Communication: Define the problem in your own words.
Analysis: Compare & contrast the available solutions within the
scenario.
Problem Solving: Select one of the available solutions and defend it
as your final solution.
Evaluation: Identify the weaknesses of your final solution.
Synthesis: Suggest ways to improve/strengthen your final solution
(may use information not contained within the scenario).
Reflection: Reflect on your own thought process after completing the
assignment.


March 18, 2011
“What did you learn from this process?”
“What would you do differently next time to improve?”
Faculty Champion Meeting
16
ARC Assignment Profile
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
5. The evaluating scenario (selected or
created) should be stated in such a
manner to allow the student to address
each of the tasks. The QEP team is
willing to assist with the creation of the
scenario or identify possible sources of
existing scenario that could be used.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
17
Sample Scenario (Deer)
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
Three teenagers were seriously injured in a car
accident when swerving to avoid a deer on a two-lane
road near a small, rural town in Florida. The residents
of the town have seen more and more deer enter the
town’s populated areas over recent years. Local law
enforcement has been called numerous times this year
to remove the animals from backyards and
neighborhood streets, and one deer even caused
considerable damage as it entered a restaurant in
town. The mayor has been charged by the city leaders
to keep the town residents safe.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
18
Sample Scenario (Deer)
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
Local crops have even been damaged by the animals.
some long time residents have requested that the
hunting season and catch limits be extended in order
to reduce the deer population. One city leader even
proposed that the city purchase electronic devices to
deter the deer from entering populated areas. Health
concerns have recently been elevated as three deer
carcasses were found at the edge of town and local
law enforcement suspect that the animals had been
poisoned.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
19
ARC Assignment Profile
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
Competency
Communication
Analysis
Problem Solving
Evaluation
Task
Detail
Define
Problem
Define the problem in your own words.
Compare & Contrast
Solutions
Select & Defend
Final Solution
Identify Weaknesses
Final Solution
March 18, 2011
Select one of the available solutions and
defend it as your final solution.
Identify the weaknesses of your final solution.
Suggest Improvements
Final Solution
Suggest ways to improve/strengthen your
final solution (may use information not
contained within the scenario).
Reflect on
Thought Process
Reflect on your own thought process after
completing the assignment.
Synthesis
Reflection
Compare & contrast the available solutions
within the scenario.
Faculty Champion Meeting
20
Sample Scenario (Deer)
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
Possible Solutions:
1. Some long time residents have requested that the
hunting season and catch limits be extended in
order to reduce the deer population.
2. One city leader even proposed that the city
purchase electronic devices to deter the deer from
entering populated areas.
3. Health concerns have recently been elevated as
three deer carcasses were found at the edge of
town and local law enforcement suspect that the
animals had been poisoned.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
21
Scenario Elements
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
 Ideally, the scenario should be related to
the discipline.
 Scenarios must contain a problem.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
22
Sample Scenario (Deer)
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
Three teenagers were seriously injured in a car
accident when swerving to avoid a deer on a two-lane
road near a small, rural town in Florida. The residents
of the town have seen more and more deer enter
the town’s populated areas over recent years. Local
law enforcement has been called numerous times this
year to remove the animals from backyards and
neighborhood streets, and one deer even caused
considerable damage as it entered a restaurant in
town. The mayor has been charged by the city leaders
to keep the town residents safe.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
23
Scenario Elements
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
 Scenarios must contain a minimum of
three possible options for the student to
identify.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
24
Sample Scenario (Deer)
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
Local crops have even been damaged by the animals.
some long time residents have requested that the
hunting season and catch limits be extended in
order to reduce the deer population. One city leader
even proposed that the city purchase electronic
devices to deter the deer from entering populated
areas. Health concerns have recently been elevated
as three deer carcasses were found at the edge of
town and local law enforcement suspect that the
animals had been poisoned.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
25
Scenario Elements
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking
 Scenarios should not be too elaborate and
involved. The intent is for students to
demonstrate their critical thinking and
problem solving skills.
 Students must be provided a copy of the
rubric with the assignment
 Students should grade their own
assignments as part of the reflection
process.
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
26
Improving Scoring
Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking



Anonymous papers
Anchor papers defining levels of
proficiency for reference
Use of multiple scorers
March 18, 2011
Faculty Champion Meeting
27
Assessment Rubric
for Critical Thinking
Scenario Writing for Faculty Champions
Faculty Champion Meeting
March 2011
2011