RUBRICS 101 - SIX STEPS FOR CREATING ANALYTIC RUBRICS
STEP 01 - Determine the purpose and type of rubric.
There are two parts to the first step but they go hand in hand.
Define your purpose.
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Think about the goals for your rubric.
Will you use the rubric for grading or for feedback?
Will the rubric be used for a complex project or for a simpler learning task?
Choose your rubric type.
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Decide if you will use an analytic rubric and give student an in-depth, detailed score.
Perhaps you will you use a holistic rubric and give students a broad, overall sense of
their performance.
Look for examples or models to help you brainstorm ideas.
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There are several shared throughout this course.
You may also find a rubric that was created for a similar assignment to the one you need
to evaluate. In such cases, you might consider modifying an existing rubric. Just be sure
to ask for permission from the person who developed the rubric.
STEP 02 – Write the task (assignment) description for the rubric.
Reflect on your course assignment.
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Write the task description for the rubric you are creating.
Consider what it is you expect from your students.
Why did you create the assignment?
Does the assignment align with course or program outcomes?
Elements in an excellent task description. (According to Stevens & Levi, 2009, p. 197)
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Descriptive title: Be specific. Do not call the assignment “Term Paper.” Instead, use
“Argumentative Essay” or something descriptive.
Purpose: Write what you want students to do and let them know how the assignment
aligns with the course outcomes.
Definitions: Define any key terms that students may not be familiar with yet.
Support: Describe how you will help students be successful. Will you allow drafts?
Should they visit the writing center?
Scope: Include the high-level details (instructions) for the assignment, such as length,
how it will be graded, due date, format, etc.
STEP 03 – Identify performance criteria.
Brainstorm a list of everything you look for in the assignment.
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You should begin with a list of all possible criteria and then shorten the list by deciding
which are the most significant tasks, abilities, or skills that need to be demonstrated by
your students for the assignment.
You might find that your list can be split up into groupings or themes. For example,
several items might pertain to the “presentation” of the assignment while several others
might be related to “organization.” Consider the themes of the groups as potential criteria
for the rubric.
Be clear in your description of the criteria and be careful not to use ambiguous words or
phrases.
Consider these questions as you decide on criteria. (from Suskie, p. 149)
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Why are we giving students this assignment?
What are its key learning goals or outcomes?
What do we want students to learn by completing it?
What are the skills we want students to demonstrate in this assignment?
What are the characteristics of good student work? What are the characteristics of good
writing, a good presentation, a good lab report, or good student teaching?
What specific characteristics do we want to see in completed assignments?
STEP 04 – Develop a rating scale.
Design the rating or scoring scale for all criteria in the rubric.
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The number of rating scale points should reflect the purpose of your rubric so carefully
consider how you will weight each category. It is ok to use one scale and assign different
total point values for each criterion. This is how you apply the weights.
Make sure you can easily define the difference between each of the levels (this will be
explained more in the next step).
Include at least three levels in your scale, but usually no more than five levels are
necessary.
Give each rating a name instead of just a number.
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Exemplary, Accomplished, Developing, Beginning, Insufficient
Exceeds standard, meets standard, approaching standard, below standard
Excellent, very good, adequate, needs attention
Excellent, good, fair, poor
Complete evidence, partial evidence, minimal evidence, no evidence
Letter grades (A, B, C, D, F)
STEP 05 – Describe the performance levels for each criterion.
Make sure all criteria can be observed and measured when evaluating student
submissions.
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Write descriptors if creating an analytic rubric (most common). Try creating a rating scale
rubric first and try it out with some sample assignments. You will probably find that the
rating scale rubric is lacking the clarity needed for consistent and valuable grading.
Descriptors should be written in consistent and parallel language across the scale and
be clearly distinguishable across the scale by indicating amount, frequency or intensity.
Write the descriptors for the lowest and highest performance first and then fill in the
middle range levels.
When designing a rubric in Canvas you do not need to include the same number of
levels or the same scale, however it is best to begin with the same scale for the entire
rubric is this is your first one for consistency.
STEP 06 – Ensure the rubric is of sound quality.
Test your rubric.
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Pilot your rubric by using it to evaluate some samples of student work from past
semesters and revise as needed.
Get peer feedback.
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Share the rubric with a peer to check for clarity and reliability. If you know another faculty
member who teaches the same course, you might consider asking that person to use
the rubric to evaluate some of his or her own students’ assignments. This will enable you
to establish some inter-rater reliability, which will be explained further in the next
presentation.
REFERENCES
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Judging the quality of your rubric. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2014, from
http://www.ucdenver.edu/faculty_staff/faculty/center-for-facultydevelopment/Documents/Tutorials/Rubrics/4_quality/3_reliability.htm
Rubrics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2014, from
http://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/Tools/Rubric.
Stevens, D., & Levi, A. (2013). Introduction to rubrics: An assessment tool to save
grading time, convey effective feedback, and promote student learning. Sterling: Stylus.
Suskie, L. (2009). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide. (2nd ed.). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.