Rubrics can be powerful measurement tools that clarify the criteria by which a student’s performance, behavior, or work product will be assessed, yet instructors and teachers of all levels struggle to write effective rubrics, or resist using rubrics altogether.
Rubrics can be powerful measurement tools that clarify the criteria by which a student’s performance, behavior, or work product will be assessed (Roy, 2018). Yet, instructors and teachers of all levels struggle to write effective rubrics, or resist using rubrics altogether (Popham, 1997). This presentation addresses the purpose of rubrics by first defining rubrics and answering questions related to the difference between such things as: the difference between a holistic and an analytic rubric, how rubrics can benefit both the instructor and the learners, and the types of assignments best suited to rubric assessment. It also identifies how to write an effective rubric, including discussing what makes a good grading criterion, how to write SMART performance levels, and how to avoid the common mistakes instructors make when writing rubrics (Tomei, 2015).
According to Popham (1997), “the term rubric refers to a scoring guide used to evaluate the quality of students’ constructed responses” (p. 72). In order for it to be an effective tool for assessment, Popham advises rubric should have the following three features – evaluative criteria, quality definitions, and a scoring strategy. There is no specific form that rubrics have to take on and in fact, rubrics can look very different for different assignments; a holistic rubric with one criterion may be used to give an overall assessment of an assignment, or an analytic rubric that has several criteria, each specifically aimed at evaluating one part of an assignment, may be used to assess a multi-layered evaluation. The type of rubric used should be dependent on what the instructor wants the students to get out of the assignment or assessment; the learning outcomes or learning goal should drive the rubric design (Roy, 2018).
Well-planned rubrics can be beneficial to the instructor by helping “deliver objectivity, transparency, verifiability and consistency” when grading (Williamson, 2017, p. 287), as well as informing teaching practices (Bharuthram, 2015). They can also be beneficial to students by having them practice self-assessment (Wang, 2017) and reflection (Alsina et al., 2016) of their learning. For both the instructor and the student, assigning performance tasks with a common rubric can “raise awareness of the tools and practices involved in critical thinking” (Cargas, Williams, & Rosenberg, 21017, p. 24). The type of assignments that best lend to rubric use are those that require students to use constructed responses on performance tasks (Popham, 1997). Rubrics are not necessary or appropriate for grading all assessments; for example, a rubric would not be to assessment choice for grading a multiple-choice or short answer exam.
Effective rubrics are not always easy to write, but there are certain guidelines the instructor can follow that will help with this task. The first step is to choose the criteria that will be assessed; a rule of thumb is that a rubric should contain three to five distinct evaluative criteria (Popham, 1997), and no more than one criterion should be assessed at one time (Tomei, 2015). Next, the instructor should determine the performance levels of achievement, being careful not to create gaps in the achievement levels or use performance levels that are not meaningful to the assignment. The performance levels should be given some sort of value, usually by assigning points or a range of points which will translate into a grade for the assignment; the points can align to a grade scale, but this is not mandatory. The last thing to consider are the performance-level descriptors; these are the benchmarks that students can use to guide their work as they do the assignment. The performance-level descriptors should be written in clear, non-subjective language and should precisely describe what the work looks like at each performance level, without overlap or gaps between the levels (Tomei, 2015). It can be helpful to use the SMART goal format – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound – when writing performance-level indicators (SMART Goals, n.d.). The rubric should be evaluated for validity and reliability, and optimally it should be tested before it is used for student assessment.
To be most effective as a learning tool, the rubric should be shared with students alongside the assignment or assessment. The instructor should make sure students know how to interpret the rubric and (if applicable) train scorers as a way to manage variances. “Well-constructed performance-based assessments integrate assessment with instruction – what is taught in the classroom is reflected in the assessment, and what is assessed guides instruction” (Scott, 2004, p. 17). Once a rubric is created, it can be used at all points in the learning process.