Rubrics in the SLO Cycle

1. Rubrics in the SLO Cycle Karen Carlisi Languages / WAC (With support from Wei-I Wang IPRO) x7153 Kecarlisi@pasadena.edu

2. Measuring Student Learning: The Basics Step 1: State a course outcome (SLO statement) Step 2: Include a measurable expectation (Rubric) Step 3: Choose a form of assessment appropriate for your class (Form of assessment) All 3 basic steps interact with one another.

3. Sample Critical Thinking SLO • When given a reading task, the student will accurately and effectively synthesize ideas and/or information to complete a writing task.

4. Rubrics for Critical Thinking SLO 4-Uses a creative and unique approach to accurately and concisely synthesize ideas and/or information from a reading task to clearly support a writing task. 3-Accurately and concisely synthesizes ideas and/or information from a reading task to support a writing task. 2-Synthesizes the ideas and/or information imprecisely, insufficiently, or awkwardly so as to detract from the effectiveness of the support. 1-Makes significant errors in synthesizing the ideas and/or information for the task, significantly weakening support for the main point.

5. Rubrics: Measuring Student Learning Outcomes • Explains the criteria against which the work will be measured • Two Major Types • Holistic - one global, holistic rating for a product or behavior • Analytic - separate, holistic ratings for specified characteristics (or subcategories or traits) of a product or behavior

6. Strengths of Rubrics for Assessment • Complex student works or behaviors can be examined efficiently. • Developing a rubric helps to precisely define faculty expectations. • Well-trained reviewers apply the same criteria and standards, so rubrics are useful for assessments involving multiple reviewers. • Summaries of results can reveal patterns of student strengths and areas of concern. • Saves you from having to explain criteria to students, after work is handed in, to justify grades being contested. • Forms the basis for departmental or institutional assessment. • Rubrics are criterion-referenced, rather than norm-referenced. Taken from http://www.calstate.edu/acadaff/sloa/links/using_rubrics.shtml

7. Strengths of Rubrics for Teaching and Learning • Helps you explain to students what you expect. • Shows you what you teach. • Identifies essential relationships between discipline information and processes. • Helps students participate in their own learning, because they know what they are aiming for. • Helps students evaluate their own and each other’s work. • Helps teachers of sequenced courses communicate with each other about standards and criteria. Adapted from Walvoord &Anderson(1998) Effective Grading. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

8. Developing a Rubric • Identify the traits that you are assessing (e.g. critical thinking). Should be in the SLO statement. • Identify the characteristics of what you are assessing or the subcategories (e.g. appropriate use of evidence, recognition of logical fallacies, etc). • Decide on a scale. Use a scale that you are comfortable with. The larger the scale, the more anchors you will need. • Describe the best and worst acceptable products using the characteristics you assess. These are your top and lowest acceptable categories. • Develop descriptions of intermediate-level products and anchor them to intermediate categories. At least every other point must be anchored. • Must be clear so that students can understand them. • TEST THE RUBRIC!!! Parts taken from http://www.calstate.edu/acadaff/sloa/links/using_rubrics.shtml

9. Use Descriptive language • Descriptive: 3-accurately and concisely synthesizes • Comparative: 3-not as accurate a synthesis as 4 • Evaluative: 3-good synthesis

10. Discriminate validly not arbitrarily • Valid descriptor 3-accurately and concisely synthesizes ideas • Arbitrary descriptor 3-uses three ideas from reading task

11. Show impact of traits on outcomes 2- Synthesizes the ideas and/or information imprecisely, insufficiently, or awkwardly. 2- Synthesizes the ideas and/or information imprecisely, insufficiently, or awkwardly so as to detract from the effectiveness of the support.

12. TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE RUBRICS • Reflects the most significant elements related to success in a learning task. • Relates to general outcomes beyond an individual performance task. • Creates a clear link between the traits, the intended outcomes of the assignment, and course/program outcomes. • Identifies traits that accurately reflect what is being taught and evaluated. • Limits the number of traits without combining independent traits. • Distinguishes clearly between the points on the scale. • Descriptive statements are comprehensible to the student. • The rubric is comprehensive without being overwhelming.

13. References Walvoord, B. & Anderson, V.J. (1998) Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Allen, M. (2004). Establishing and assessing learning outcomes. Presented at the 2004 Annual Convention of the Community College League of California, November 18, 2004. Allen, M. (2003). Using scoring rubrics. Accessed on September 13, 2005 from http://www.calstate.edu/acadaff/sloa/links/using_rubrics.shtml. Huba, M. E. & Freed, J. E. (2000). Learner-centered assessment on college campuses. Needgam Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Astin, A. W., Banta, T. W., Cross, K. P., El-Khawas, E., Ewell, P. T., Hutchings, P. Marchese, T. J., et. al. (1992). AAHE 9 principles of good practice for assessing student learning. Developed under the auspices of the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) Assessment Forum.

14. Resources • http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/assmt/resource.htm • http://www.calstate.edu/AcadAff/SLOA/ • http://online.bakersfieldcollege.edu/courseassessment/default.htm