Rubrics

What is a Rubric? A rubric is a scoring guide used to assess student performance. It can be used in a variety of situations to determine student proficiency in many types of task s, assignments, performances and products. A rubric measures the levels of performance by students. Each level contains specific, measurable performance characteristics.  To learn more about creating rubrics visit this Rubric Building Tutorial   Why Use Rubrics? Rubrics differ from traditional methods of assessment in that they examine students in the actual process of learning, clearly showing them how their work is being evaluated. Rubrics communicate detailed explanations of what constitutes excellence throughout a project and provide a clear teaching directive. “Rubrics help teachers clarify exactly what students need to achieve in content and performance standards,” says Rob Southworth, education consultant for District 2, in New York City. Because rubrics set forth precise criteria, teachers are better able to assess skills that may fall outside the scope of traditional testing.  Locating Rubrics There are many rubrics which have already been created and are available for your use. Your text books may contain specific rubrics for assessing student progress. There are many available books and blackline master sets which include subject/topic related rubrics for you to purchase. In addition, you can find numerous ready made rubrics on the internet that are available for free or for a small donation. Some of the best rubrics available can be found at these web sites: Assessment Rubrics Secondary Rubrics Grade Level Rubrics Teacher Created Rubrics Rubrics 4 Teachers Designing Rubrics  For best results, design your own rubrics. Only you know the specific skills that you want students to develop throughout an activity. Describe the criteria that reflect the highest level of performance. And vary your descriptions of accuracy, completion, consistency, quality, and other factors to signify performance levels. Although there are many web sites that will allow you to generate your own rubrics, remember to take a look at the specific criteria and make revisions to allow the rubric to be more closely aligned with your objectives. One of the best rubric generators available to you is RubiStar. This site categorizes basic rubrics to allow you to select one that closely meets your needs. There are several others as well, but this one is easy to use and allows for revision of criteria. Links to Rubric Generators Rubistar Rubric Builder Rubrics Generator