Designing and Using Rubrics

1. Designing and Using Rubrics Marilyn Greer David Kale

2. WHY USE RUBRICS? • The purpose of using rubrics is to provide a more systematic way of describing/evaluating phenomena that are more qualitative than quantitative in nature. • Examples would be writing ability, relationship development, critical thinking, moral reasoning, etc.

3. HOW TO BEGIN • We have to start with the course or program objectives. • Course objectives grow out of departmental mission and objectives. • Program objectives grow out of the program’s mission statement.

4. OBJECTIVES • What do you want students to know, feel, believe, or be able to do when they complete the course or the program? • Once we know these end states, we then know how to begin building the rubric.

5. MISSIONS TRIPS OBJECTIVES • That you will be a truly transformed person; • That you will be an “encouraging machine”; • That you will have a renewed understanding of who Christ is; • That you will have developed some meaningful, new relationships; • That you will have a new sense of empathy for people who are not like you.

6. Rubrics: • are scoring tools that list criteria for a piece of work or program; • give clear, concise written sets of expectations; • articulate gradations of quality for each criterion; • clearly show students how their work is being evaluated; • communicate detailed explanations of what constitutes excellence; • serve as a means for clarifying expectations for assignments and experiences;

7. give more feedback than just a letter grade; • can be powerful motivational tools; • have a tendency to promote excellence.

8. Designing rubrics: • Know the specific skills or knowledge you want to measure. • Describe the highest level of performance, then vary your descriptions of accuracy, completion, consistency, quality, and other factors to signify performance levels. • Be specific in your descriptions. The more general or vague the description, the more subjective your rating decision will be and the less it will communicate to the students.

9. Vague/General descriptors include: • excellent • good • weak • some • most • creative

10. An easy way is to set up tables in Word (the number of columns will depend upon how many levels of proficiency [gradations of quality] you want to show). List criteria down the left side and and the various levels across the top (or vice versa). Fill in each cell with your description of that level of performance. Points can be listed in the cell or at the top. (See examples) (Creative , ready-made rubrics are widely available, but for best results , design your own. Some can be adapted to several assignments.)

11. Someone else should be able to use your rubric and score your assignments. • You may not want to assign grades, just determine if students have achieved your objective---gives feedback on your teaching and/or their learning and effort. • You don’t know how well a rubric will work until you try it.

12. Proficiency levels may be labeled in a variety of ways--examples: • No evidence, minimal evidence, partial evidence, complete evidence • Emerging, developing,achieving • Below average, average, excellent • Unacceptable, acceptable, competent, proficient • Serious flaws, minor flaws, competent response, exemplary response • A, B, C, D, F • Yes and no may be appropriate for some elements

13. Creating rubrics is the hard part--using them is relatively easy. • Short scales make it difficult to identify small differences among students;

14. Reasons for using rubrics: • Rubrics can improve student performance, as well as monitor it, by making expectations clear and by showing students how to meet these expectations. The result is often marked improvement in the quality of student work and in learning. • They can also be used for self- and peer- assessment. • They tend to reduce the amount of time you spend evaluating student work.

15. SELF ASSESSMENTS IN SENIOR COLLOQUIUM • The dimensions students selected were: • 1. Using clearly worded arguments when I state my position; • 2.Making sure I have good support for my position (facts, reasoning, statistics, etc.). • 3. Taking the views of others into consideration when I make my decision; • 4. Supporting my arguments with biblical truth; • 5. Taking my time rather than rushing into a decision.

16. SELF ASSESSMENT IN SENIOR COLLOQUIUM • I administered the rubric to seventeen students at the end of the semester with these results. Note that 20 was the highest score they could give themselves on the rubric.

17. PRE-POST SELF ASSESSMENT

18. A few helpful websites: • Education World ® : Curriculum: Creating Rubrics: Tools You Can Use • Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - Assessment Rubrics • Rubrics (education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia • Rubric, Rubrics, What is a rubric?,Sample Rubrics, Holistic Rubrics, Free, Downloadable, Rubric Links, Rubrician,Templates, - Rubrician.Com

19. Rubrics and Education - Using Rubrics in Education • http://712educators.about.com/od/rubrics • Scoring Rubrics Part II: How? ERIC Digest. • Rubric for Reading Response Journals • Rubric, Rubrics, Teacher Rubric Makers