Rubrics

 

What is a rubric?  

 

A rubric is a great tool for teachers, because it is a simple way to set up a grading criteria for assignments. Not only is this tool useful for teachers, it is helpful for students as well. A rubric defines in writing what is expected of the student to get a particular grade on an assignment.

 

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Understanding Rubrics by Heidi Goodrich Andrade

 

This is a great article written by an expert on rubrics. Heidi Goodrich Andrade is an Assistant Professor at the State University of New York at Albany. She has a Masters Degree and Doctoral Degree from Harvard University. If you are unsure about what a rubric is or how they can be used, this article is a must read.

 

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Why use a rubric?

 

• Rubrics help students and teachers define "quality."

• When students use rubrics regularly to judge their own work, they begin to accept more responsibility for the end product. It cuts down on the "am I done yet?" questions.

• Rubrics reduce the time teachers spend grading student work and makes it easier for teachers to explain to students why they got the grade they did and what they can do to improve.

• Parents usually like the rubrics concept once they understand it, and they find rubrics useful when helping with homework. As one teacher says: "They know exactly what their child needs to do to be successful."

 

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Create a Custom Rubric

 

Rubric Tool at The Utah Education network - free, requires account creation and login

teAchnology Rubric maker - free, sign up is not required

Rubistar - the most popular online rubric tool. Free, sign up is not required

Rubric Machine - free, sign up required to create custom rubrics

Recipes for Success Rubric Maker - free, sign up not required

The Canadian Teacher - free, no sign up required

Scholastic Rubric maker - free, no sign up required

 

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Ready made Rubrics

 

Rcampus-open tools for open minds - free, sign up required to be able to print, edit or bookmark existing rubrics

Exemplars: Rubrics - free, sign up not required

Math Rubrics - free, sign up not required

 

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Rubric Template for Microsoft Word

 

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Designing your own rubric

 

Design rubrics by using Word

First, create a table that has six columns and five rows. In the following table, the grading scale is across the top and the learning outcomes are listed down the left side. These items can be transposed if you prefer. The right column can contain a score for each outcome and a total score at the bottom. In each blank box, you'll enter the qualities that demonstrate the corresponding number on the grading for the corresponding learning outcome.

 

 

Design rubrics by using Excel

If you design your rubric in Excel, you'll follow the same guidelines as the ones for Word. It can be helpful to create the rubric in Excel and then copy and paste it into Word. If you're going to score students' work on the computer (rather than filling out a printed rubric), Excel is the best choice, because you can enter a formula that calculates the total score by adding the scores for all learning outcomes.

 

 

 

 

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