1. Creating Rubrics for Assessment of General Education Mathematics Dick Jardine SUNY General Education Assessment Conference Syracuse, NY April 27, 2005 rjardine@keene.edu

2. Overview • The language of rubrics • Some examples • Make your own rubric! • What to do with the results

3. What is a rubric? • A rubric is a scoring device designed to assist in the process of communicating expectations and assessing performance • Based on a range of criteria rather than a single numerical score • A working guide for both students and faculty • Non-traditional, “authentic” assessment instrument

4. Analytic and Holistic Rubrics Holistic: • Assesses the whole work • One score for the entire product Analytic: • Identify and assess components of the task • A score for each component • Provide more detail about standards

5. Holistic Rubric Template

6. Example holistic rubric Student will conduct a hypothesis test 4 Uses appropriate test with correct with correct interpretation. Identifies correct null and alternative hypothesis. Uses correct test statistic. Obtains correct p-value and correctly interprets that result in terms of the null hypothesis and the context with clear exposition. 3 Provides most of level 4 but with unclear/incorrect interpretation 2 Uses incorrect test but remaining work follows from error 1 Uses incorrect test and remaining work does not follow 0 Little or no work of value

7. Holistic rubric for hypothesis test

8. Analytic and Holistic Rubrics Holistic: • Assesses the whole work • One score for the entire product Analytic: • Identify and assess components • A score for each component • Provide more detail about standards

9. Analytic Rubric Template

10. Problem solving matrix (Rhodes State College)

11. Problem solving evaluation scoresheet

12. Possible terms for scoring levels • Needs Improvement...Satisfactory...Good…Exemplary • Beginning...Developing...Accomplished…Exemplary • Needs work...Good…Excellent • Novice...Apprentice...Proficient…Distinguished • Numeric scale ranging from 0 to n

13. Course-embedded assessment(University of Northern Colorado) • Align course objectives with Gen Ed outcomes • Identify course objectives and student outcomes • Explain tasks to measure each objective/outcome • Explain performance criteria to evaluate each objective (what constitutes meeting expectations)

15. Task: (Test question) How long will it take for $8600 to grow to $31,300 at an interest rate of 5.5% if the interest is compounded continuously? Area 1 : The student will demonstrate proficiency in the use of mathematics and/or statistics to structure their understanding of and investigate questions in the world around them Exceeds expectations Meets expectations Does not meet expectations

16. 4 – Thorough Understanding • Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the concepts/content • Demonstrates mastery of the strategies and skills • Solves new problems by creative and appropriate use of knowledge/skills • 3 – Good understanding • Demonstrates a satisfactory understanding • Carries out skills and strategies with few minor errors • Applies prior knowledge when prompted • 2 – Satisfactory understanding • Demonstrates partial understanding of most important concepts • Carries out skills and strategies with minor errors • Makes progress toward the solving of new problems • 1 – Needs improvement • Demonstrates weak understanding of concepts/content • Carries out skills and strategies with significant critical errors Performance Assessment Scoring Rubric

17. Developing your own rubrics • With a colleague: • Determine the learning objective to be assessed. • List the criteria to be evaluated. • Describe degrees of quality (in a matrix), starting with the best and worst quality and then filling in the middle. • Share the rubric with students before they complete the assignment so students understand the criteria for evaluation. • With a colleague: • Use the rubric to evaluate the students’ work to determine if they have met the learning objective. • Adjust rubric as needed for next assessment

18. Some limitations of rubrics • Time it takes to develop quality rubrics • Reduction of “knowledge rich” activities to selected easily observable behaviors • Achieving consensus to “norm” the rubric standards

19. Some advantages of rubrics • Faculty provide focus, emphasis, and attention to details for students • Students have explicit details regarding teacher expectations • Tool for student development • Grading more efficient and effective

20. What to do with the results? • Improve student learning • Improve curriculum and instruction • Improve assessment process • How to use the numbers?

21. Summary and conclusion • Creating rubrics should be a collaborative process • Communicate the standards to students • Calibrating the scoring requires significant discussion • Improve learning with the results • http://www.maa.org/saum email:rjardine@keene.edu