HOW DO I GO ABOUT
CREATING A RUBRIC?
Specific steps for creating a rubric:
1.
2.
3.
Start with the intended learning outcome. What
characteristics of student work would give evidence for
student learning and understanding of the knowledge or
skills you are trying to assess.
Gather a large and diverse range of student work (from
previous years is fine) which illustrate the desired
understanding or proficiency
Examine the work to decide:
•
•
4.
5.
6.
Indicators- identify the important traits or dimensions of performance
Select samples of student work to illustrate each score level on the
indicators
Write a value neutral definition of each indicator
Describe the actual student work at each level in the rubric
indicators- start with proficient
Continuously refine the rubric
Step 1
• Rubrics must be created using backwards design
principles• what is the intended learning you are trying to measure? Which
Standards & benchmarks (or reporting outcomes)?
• What have you explicitly taught that the students are demonstrating?
• Separate content knowledge, skills, and understandings from ATLs
(these can be assessed, but are reported separately)
Step 2
•
Gather a large and diverse range of student work
(from previous years is fine) which illustrate the
desired understanding or proficiency
• Sort student work into stacks and write down the reasons for your
categories
• Using the 6 facets of understanding can be helpful when developing
criteria (pg 155 Understanding by Design workbook)
• Rubrics should be developed and refined after reflecting on
actual samples of student work (where possible).
• This avoids you having a rubric which doesn’t quite fit what
you’re looking at.
Step 3
• Examine the student work to decide:
•
Indicators- identify the important traits or dimensions of performance
• What are you looking for? These should be spelt out.
• They must be linked to the outcomes, S+B or enduring understadnings
•
Select samples of student work to illustrate each score level on the
indicators
• This will allow you to describe exactly what
you will be assessing
Step 4
• Write a value neutral definition for each indicator
• What are the broad indicators students need to complete?
Aligning rubrics to the grading scale
• It is advisable to use a level system which matches our
grading system. For example:
• Write 7 levels
• makes translation into report easy, but it’s really difficult to write that
many levels –NOT recommended
• Combined levels
• E.g. grades 6/7 in the level, grades 4/5 in the same level, etc.
• The difficulty with this is helping the students understand the
difference between 6 and 7 in the same indicator
• 4 levels:
• levels 1-4 can be easily translated into a grade 1-7
1
Criteria
Concern
2
3
Satisfactory
4
5
Good
6
7
Exemplary
Step 5
• Proficient level should be identified first- it is the
expected standard of what we want students to achieve
at their grade level.
• Exemplary and concern levels are identified
afterwards
• Use positive language at lower levels-
hitting levels lower than proficient is an ok
place to start for students, they should be
able to see where they can grow
Step 6
•
Continuously refine the rubric
• Highly likely that the first draft of a rubric will inadequately measure
the intended learning- it will need revision and refinement to ensure
it measures as accurately as possible
• Rubrics change with instruction- as you teach and develop a better
understanding of student learning the rubrics may change to reflect
this.
• Students can also ‘help’ determine the criteria and the indicators for
a rubric. However, they must have a very good understanding of
what the standards and benchmarks are. They must be taught how
to do this. This is not easy and takes time to do well.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE A
GOOD RUBRIC?
Checklist for a Good Rubric


Aligns rubric with the intended learning from the unit plan

Written in student friendly, positive language – the students can
easily understand the expectations at various levels


Written in first (my work is… ) or second person (your work is…)

Describes the features of the final product (not the procedures
leading to the final product)

Wherever the rubric starts use positive language- reflecting
readiness rather than lack of
Have been developed and refined after reflecting on actual
samples of student work
Levels should be determined by the task and aligned in some
manner to their final grades (ideally with an even number of levels)
Using rubrics with students
• Must be explained to students in the class when the task is assigned.
• Students should be guided to examine the rubric and what it means for the development of their
work.
• This may mean some adjustments are made to the rubric during the explanation
• Can be used with students as they work on the task to check and evaluate their
work.
• Teachers can ask students to self assess where they are on the rubric and how they can move
up the continuum
• Self assessment- students should be required to assess themselves on the rubric
prior to submitting the work.
• Goal setting- if the work is formative or has links to future tasks students should
reflect on the rubric using their self assessment and the teacher’s feedback and
use the rubric to set specific goals for improving learning (this should not be about
the number but the descriptor)
• Rubrics can also be used to write reports- if the descriptors are clear samples of
this can be cut and pasted into the report.
Further Reading
•
•
•
•
•
•
Wiggins and McTighe-Understanding by Design (2nd ed)
pp 172-190
Hampton, Murphy and Lowry- Using Rubrics to Improve
Student Writing. pp 2-7
Brookhart - How to Create and Use Rubrics for
Formative Assessment and Grading. pp 7-11
Principal’s Training Center- “Assessment Leadership in
the International School”
Bambi Betts- conversation and document review (Jan
2013)
Bill Powell and Ochan Kasuma Powell – conversation
and document review (March 2013)