Part II. RUBRICS

Rubrics are a great tool when used effectively. Often, teachers look for, or attempt to write, the perfect rubric only to find that part way through grading essays, a trend in student writing is not accounted for in the rubric. This is not uncommon. Writing contains so many variables that this will no doubt take place, so do not fear this! Simply take the time to provide feedback (more on this in part III) in your comments, and adjust your rubrics for the next time you will use it. 

As far as finding the perfect rubric that minimizes the amount of feedback you have to give the student--this type of rubric likely does not exist unless your assignment is strictly evaluative and will not be used to further instruct or assist in the learning process. This will occasionally happen with term papers, but is not recommended best practices as a frequent practice.

Below is a description of different rubric types complete with samples. While these are not all common terms in the rubric world, they should provide a sampling of how they work.

General Rubrics: 

These rubrics generally set up categories that the teacher will be evaluating, but very few of the general descriptors found in rubrics. They might appear as a graphic organizer such as a flow chart, or simply a series of boxes that communicate what students have been coached or instructed to do in the composition of their essays. These rubrics are virtually useless to students without specific feedback that utilizes the language or understood expectations of student writing.

The sample previously used in this manual is a broad rubric that lays out what effective academic writing is:

Writing Rubric.pdf      (Click on the link to see the rubric, then click on the image to enlarge it).

Using this type of rubric is effective if these guidelines are modeled and communicated, the teacher has demonstrated how he/she uses the rubric, and then allows students to grade samples and eventually their own work, discussing how/why they arrived at the grades they have given. It also depends on the teacher specifically noting areas in the student's writing that meet or fall short of the expectations, so students know why they got the grade they did, and what to do about it in future writings.

Another advantage of broad or general rubrics, are that they are versatile and the same rubric can be used for different essays. This helps students get used to the same standards and learn to share their teachers' values in what constitutes effective writing.

Using this type of rubric is ineffective if teachers do not communicate what the broad categories mean or have not seen samples that demonstrate what they mean. For example, if students do not know that organization consists of effective progression of ideas, logical paragraph structure, transitions, etc., the criteria laid out in the rubric really does not mean anything to them.

Descriptive Rubrics:

These rubrics vary in format, but seek to describe the different quality levels of writing. They help the teacher "slot" the essay into its category (exemplary, good, or average) or grade (A, B, C, etc.).

Sample Assignment: This document contains the description of an essay of definition, laying out the description of the assignment and its basic expectations.

Definition Assignment.docx.pdf    (Click on the link to see the rubric, then click on the image to enlarge it).

Sample Descriptive Rubric:

Definition Essay Descriptive Rubric.pdf     (Click on the link to see the rubric, then click on the image to enlarge it).

This descriptive rubric has categories and descriptions that help the teacher slot the writing according to the descriptions communicated in the rubric. While this type of rubric does not require as much feedback as a general rubric, it is still ineffective as a learning tool without specific feedback explaining why the student was given the grade he/she received.

Point Rubrics:

Point rubrics, like the broad rubric, often set up broad criteria. Teachers then rate the effectiveness of how students meet the criteria using a point system. This can help give the impression that the grade is less subjective because each category is rated, the teacher totals up the points, and that is how the grade is determined.

Here is a sample point rubric:

Definition Paper Point Rubric.pdf    (Click on the link to see the rubric, then click on the image to enlarge it).

This rubric, set up for a 100 point assignment, has assigned values based on making the thesis and support 60 out of the 100 points. This is consistent with the values in the previous rubrics as for this assignment as well as the broad rubric. Trends are moving away from the use of these types of rubrics, perhaps ironically, because they are found to be very subjective (recalling that they give the impression of objectivity). For example, if a teacher deemed a thesis statement very ineffective and gives it a 13 out of 20, what is the difference between a 13 and a 14? 15? 

When these rubrics are used, it is recommended that the numbers be condensed so they contain fewer arbitrary decisions on the numbers awarded. Combining these numbers with a descriptive rubric with lower numbers that reflect a "5" for exemplary and followed by a description, a 4 for middle-level (description) and so on.

While trends move people away from placing point values on each category, it still can work very effectively as an assessment tool. It can even work as a learning tool as long as the teacher specifically communicates how he/she came up with each number value.

Next Page: Providing Effective Feedback