Module 2 Assignment Rubric

Aaron Ideus

Beginnin
1
g

Applyi Innovat
2 Developing
3
4
ng
ing

Statement of Purpose
and Elaboration of
Evidence

Language and
Vocabulary

Organization

Conventions

The response accomplishes

the purpose and explains
the problem-solving process
in a manner that a nonmathematician could

The response has a clear

and effective
organizational structure:
Mathematics progress
logically, step-by-step,

The response clearly and

effectively expresses
ideas, using precise
language:
Use of mathematical

The response demonstrates a

strong command of
conventions:
Use of mathematical notation,
symbols, units of measure, and

The response accomplishes

the prompted purpose(s),
yielding a complete and
correct solution and follows
the standard.

The response has an

evident organizational
structure and a sense of
completeness, though
there may be minor flaws

The response adequately

expresses ideas,
employing a mix of
precise with more general
language.

The response demonstrates

adequate command of
conventions:
Adequate use of notation,
symbols, units of measure, and

The response does not

answer and/or does not give
a complete and correct
solution.
Although the students
response indicates evidence
of some of the identified
aspects understanding

The response has an

inconsistent
organizational structure,
and flaws are evident.
Inconsistent transitions
Weak intro and
conclusion

The response expresses

ideas inconsistently.
Mathematical vocabulary
may be inappropriate or
inconsistent at times.

The response demonstrates a

partial command of
conventions:
Errors that make the meaning
unclear
Inconsistent use of
punctuation

The response has little or

no visible organizational
structure.

The response expression

of ideas is vague, lacks
clarity, or is confusing.

The response may be

related to the purpose but
offers little evidence of
understanding the
standard(s).

The response demonstrates a

lack of command of
conventions:
Errors are frequent, severe
and meaning is often obscured.

Writing Prompt Discontinuity of Rational Functions

Algebra/Geometry 3 Sophomores and Juniors
This rubric should be used for at students who are at level 2 or higher
of English Language Proficiency (ELP). This rubric is designed to guide
answering writing prompts where students are not only solving mathematical
problems but also describing the process and reasoning for how they solved
the problem.
Teachers will use this rubric to assess students on how well they
answered the writing prompt. Students will use this rubric to make sure they
have thoroughly answered the question(s) based on the provided criteria.
Students will review the rubric before starting the writing prompt and will
review it when they are completed to make sure they have completed the
work at a high level.

Module 2 Assignment Rubric

Aaron Ideus
The summary statement justifies the rubric design and elucidates the
choices made in regard to the grade level, content area, level of ELP,
developmental appropriateness for the age, ability of the ELL.
I use the rubric when I give my students writing prompts about
different topics throughout the year. I teach math to sophomores and
juniors, so this rubric is tailored to them. It is customized for ELL students.
The students that I have in my classroom are students who are at least a
level 2 ELP student, so these students can communicate with me. To help
my ELL students understand what is expected of them on these writing
prompts, I simplify the criteria of the rubric into language that is easier for
them to understand. My ELL students need to understand what is required of
them so the use of big fancy terms on the rubric are going to be more
detrimental than beneficial. However, the level of rigor they are held to is the
same for both my ELLs and traditional students. The language is the only
thing that changes. The ELL students in my class are very good students
when it come to math but still struggle with communicating through writing.
Their spoken skills are more advanced than their writing skills. I try to take
this in to accounts and provide them with as much feedback as I can when
grading their work, but their understanding is often obscured in their writing.
In the future it may be beneficial to have my ELL students work the problem
on paper and then explain to me in words what they did.
My rubric is broken down into four different categories. Each of these
categories ensures that students are preparing a well-developed and
thorough paragraph(s). The most important piece of the writing prompt is to
ensure the purpose is accomplished and clearly stated in the students
response. This is fulfilled in the statement of purpose and elaboration of
evidence criteria. The next criterion is organization and this builds on the
first category by discussing the importance of having a well-developed
response that is logically structured, thus easy to understand. The third
piece of good mathematical writing is the use of vocabulary. Vocabulary is
key to demonstrating an understanding of mathematics. The final piece of a
well-written response is the use of conventions. Students writing should be
readable, have accurate labels and notation, and properly used punctuation.
The scores that students receive are based on a 4-point scale. I like to
categorize the score as well so students have an idea about their level of
thinking.
If you used the rubric with ELL students in your class, what were the results?
As a result would you change the rubric in any way?

Module 2 Assignment Rubric

Aaron Ideus
I used the rubric in my classroom and the results were mixed. As I
mentioned previously, I may have my ELL students describe their answer
verbally instead of through writing once the work the problem out. This will
help them communicate their understand without losing meaning because of
their poor writing skills. Also, even though I covered my expectations about
using the rubric and showed my students how to use the rubric, there were
still many students who failed to be successful in this task. I know that is not
entirely a reflection on the rubric, but I believe I need to do a better job of
making sure students understand why we are using a rubric. I want students
to know what they need to do to be successful so I will emphasize along the
way how to make sure they are using the rubric as a guide throughout the
process of writing their response. My students are not good about following
directions and thoroughly writing and answer. They write the answer and
hope for the best. Very few students actually reread or process what they
write before they turn it in. I would not change the rubric specifically but I
would improve how I presented it to my students.