Tip: Assessing What You Value > Rubrics
A well-crafted rubric is helpful as both an instructional resource and an assessment tool. It clearly communicates expectations and guides both teaching and learning.
To create a useful rubric, start with clear criteria–maybe even have your learners help you develop these criteria. Then, develop a gradation of the degree to which the standard criteria have been met. Next, add descriptions of what each performance level looks like. Finally, ensure that the rubric is aligned with the overall learning outcomes that the rubric is assessing.
Ask yourself if the rubric has:
- Continuity: Does the difference between the gradation and performance levels remain consistent throughout the rubric?
- Reliability: Could multiple teachers use this rubric to grade the same piece of work similarly? Are one teacher’s scores the consistently scored using the rubric the first time versus the 100th time?
- Validity: Does the rubric assess the overall outcomes of the assignment?
Rubrics benefit students because they offer:
- Clear expectations
- Guided self-assessment
- Targeted improvement
Rubrics benefit teachers because they offer:
- Consistent grading
- Focused feedback
- Efficient assessment
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