CREATING AND USING RUBRICS

Rubrics are both assessment tools for faculty and learning tools for students that can ease
anxiety about the grading process for both parties. Rubrics lay out specific criteria and
performance expectations for an assignment. They help students and instructors stay focused
on those expectations and to be more confident in their work as a result. Creating rubrics does
require a substantial time investment up front, but this process will result in reduced time spent
grading or explaining assignment criteria down the road.

Reasons for Using Rubrics

Research indicates that rubrics:

 Increase transparency and consistency in grading.
 Rubrics can help normalize the work of multiple graders, e.g., across different
sections of a single course or in large lecture courses where TAs manage labs or
discussion groups.
 Increase the efficiency of grading.
 Well-crafted rubrics can reduce the time that faculty spend grading assignments.
 Timely feedback has a positive impact on the learning process.
 Support formative assessment.
 When coupled with other forms of feedback (e.g., brief, individualized comments)
rubrics show students how to improve.
 Enhance quality of self- and peer-assessment.
 By giving students a clear sense of what constitutes different levels of
performance, rubrics can make self- and peer-assessments more meaningful
and effective.
 Encourage students to think critically by linking assignments with learning objectives.
 If students complete an assignment with a rubric as a guide, then students are
better equipped to think critically about their work and to improve it.
 Reduce student concerns about subjectivity or arbitrariness in grading.
 Rubrics establish, in great detail, what different levels of student work look like. If
students have seen an assignment rubric in advance and know that they will be
held accountable to it, defending grade decisions can be much easier.

Types of Rubrics

 Analytic Rubrics
 Developmental Rubrics
 Holistic Rubrics
 Checklists

Analytic Rubrics

An analytic rubric resembles a grid with the criteria for a student product listed in the leftmost
column and with levels of performance listed across the top row often using numbers and/or
descriptive tags. The cells within the center of the rubric may be left blank or may contain
descriptions of what the specified criteria look like for each level of performance. When scoring
with an analytic rubric each of the criteria is scored individually.
Example Analytic Rubric
Articulating Thoughts Through Written Communication—Final Paper
Needs Developing (2) Sufficient (3) Above Average
Improvement (1) (4)
Clarity (Thesis The purpose of the The central The central The central
supported by student work is not purpose of the purpose of the purpose of the
relevant well-defined. Central student work is student work is student work is
information and ideas are not identified. Ideas clear and ideas clear and
ideas.) focused to support are generally are almost always supporting ideas
the thesis. Thoughts focused in a way focused in a way always are
appear that supports the that supports the always well-
disconnected. thesis. thesis. Relevant focused. Details
details illustrate are relevant,
the author’s ideas. enrich the work.
Organization Information and Information and Information and Information and
(Sequencing of ideas are poorly ideas are ideas are ideas are
elements/ideas) sequenced (the presented in an presented in a presented in a
author jumps order that the logical sequence logical sequence
around). The audience can which is followed which flows
audience has follow with by the reader with naturally and is
difficulty following minimum little or no engaging to the
the thread of difficulty. difficulty. audience.
thought.
Mechanics There are five or There are no There are no more There are no
(Correctness of more misspellings more than four than three more than two
grammar and and/or systematic misspellings misspellings misspelled words
spelling) grammatical errors and/or systematic and/or or grammatical
per page or 8 or grammatical grammatical errors errors in the
more in the entire errors per page per page and no document.
document. The or six or more in more than five in
readability of the the entire the entire
work is seriously document. Errors document. The
hampered by errors. distract from the readability of the
work. work is minimally
interrupted by
errors.
Advantages of Analytic Rubrics

 Provide useful feedback on areas of strength and weakness.

 Criterion can be weighted to reflect the relative importance of each dimension.
Disadvantages of Analytic Rubrics

 Takes more time to create and use than a holistic rubric.

 Unless each point for each criterion is well-defined raters may not arrive at the same
score

Developmental Rubrics
Developmental rubrics are a subset of analytic trait rubrics.

The main distinction between developmental rubrics and other analytic trait rubrics is that the
purpose of developmental rubrics is not to evaluate an end product or performance. Instead,
developmental rubrics are designed to answer the question, “to what extent are students who
engage in our programs/services developing this skill/ability/value/etc.?”

Generally, this type of rubric would be based on a theory of development.

Example Developmental Rubric

Intercultural Maturity
Domain Initial Level of Intermediate Level of Mature Level of
Development (1) Development (2) Development (3)
Cognitive Assumes knowledge is Evolving awareness and Ability to consciously shift
certain and categorizes acceptance of uncertainty perspectives and
knowledge claims as right and multiple perspectives; behaviors into an
or wrong; is naive about ability to shift from alternative cultural
different cultural practices accepting authority’s worldview and to use
and values; resists knowledge claims to multiple cultural frames
challenges to one’s own personal processes for
beliefs and views differing adopting knowledge
cultural perspectives as claims
wrong
Intrapersonal Lack of awareness of one’s Evolving sense of identity Capacity to create an
own values and as distinct from external internal self that openly
intersection of social others’ perceptions; engages challenges to
(racial, class, ethnicity, tension between external one’s views and beliefs
sexual orientation) identity; and internal definitions and that considers social
lack of understanding of prompts self-exploration of identities (race, class,
other cultures; externally values, racial identity, gender, etc.) in a global
defined identity yields beliefs; immersion in own and national context;
externally defined beliefs culture; recognizes integrates aspects of self
that regulate interpretation legitimacy of other into one’s identity
of experiences and guide cultures
choices; difference is
viewed as a threat to
identity
Interpersonal Dependent relations with Willingness to interact with Capacity to engage in
similar others is a primary diverse others and refrain meaningful,
source of identity and from judgment; relies on interdependent
social affirmation; independent relations in relationships with diverse
perspectives of different which multiple others that are grounded
others are viewed as perspectives exist (but are in an understanding and
wrong; awareness of how not coordinated); self is appreciation for human
social systems affect group often overshadowed by differences;
norms and intergroup need for others’ approval. understanding of ways
differences is lacking; view Begins to explore how individual and community
social problems social systems affect practices affect social
egocentrically, no group norms and systems; willing to work
recognition of society as an intergroup relations for the rights of other
 organized entity

King, P.M. & Baxter Magolda, M.B. (2005). A developmental model of intercultural
maturity, Journal of College Student Development, 46(2), 571-592.

Advantages of Developmental Rubrics

 Useful when the goal of evaluation is to determine level of development rather than the
quality of a final product.
 Especially when there is no expectation that students should or could fully
develop a skill or ability during the course of their education or potentially ever
(such as in “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs,” there is no expectation people can or
will become “self-actualized”).
 Rubric can be based on relevant developmental theory.
Disadvantages of Developmental Rubrics

 Conceptually, this type of rubric is more difficult to design.

 Developing a developmental rubric requires a close tie between assessment criteria and
the theory of development.

Holistic Rubrics

A holistic rubric consists of a single scale with all criteria to be included in the evaluation being
considered together (e.g., clarity, organization, and mechanics). With a holistic rubric the rater
assigns a single score (usually on a 1 to 4 or 1 to 6 point scale) based on an overall judgment of
the student work. The rater matches an entire piece of student work to a single description on
the scale.

Example Holistic Rubric

Articulating thoughts through written communication— final paper/project.

4. Above Average: The audience is able to easily identify the focus of the work and is
engaged by its clear focus and relevant details. Information is presented logically and
naturally. There are no more than two mechanical errors or misspelled words to distract
the reader.

3. Sufficient: The audience is easily able to identify the focus of the student work which is
supported by relevant ideas and supporting details. Information is presented in a logical
manner that is easily followed. There is minimal interruption to the work due to
misspellings and/or mechanical errors.

2. Developing: The audience can identify the central purpose of the student work without
little difficulty and supporting ideas are present and clear. The information is presented in
an orderly fashion that can be followed with little difficulty. There are some misspellings
and/or mechanical errors, but they do not seriously distract from the work.

1. Needs Improvement: The audience cannot clearly or easily identify the central ideas or
purpose of the student work. Information is presented in a disorganized fashion causing
 the audience to have difficulty following the author's ideas. There are many misspellings
and/or mechanical errors that negatively affect the audience's ability to read the work.
Advantages of Holistic Rubrics

 Emphasis on what the learner is able to demonstrate, rather than what s/he cannot do.
 Saves time by minimizing the number of decisions raters make.
 Can be applied consistently by trained raters increasing reliability.
Disadvantages of Holistic Rubrics

 Does not provide specific feedback for improvement.

 When student work is at varying levels spanning the criteria points it can be difficult to
select the single best description.
 Criteria cannot be weighted.

Checklists

Checklists are a distinct type of rubric – where there are only two performance levels possible.
Checklists tend to be longer than other types of rubrics since each aspect of performance you
are looking for in students’ work/performances essentially becomes its own criterion. When you
are using a checklist, every decision is binary (yes/no, present/absent, pass/fail, etc.). Most
rubrics can be converted rather directly into a checklist. For example, here is a rubric for
grading journal entries:

Criterion Excellent Good Adequate Poor

Site Visits Every site visit Every site has notes, but Every site has notes, Not every day
Notes includes good one or two days are not but three of four has good/
and thoughtful good/thoughtful notes OR days are not good/ thoughtful notes
notes about that one day of notes is thoughtful notes OR OR more than
site missing two days of notes two days of notes
are missing are missing
Class Not every day Is missing answers to no Is missing answers Is missing
Question has good/ more than 8 questions to no more than 12 answers to more
thoughtful notes across the site visits questions across the than half of the
OR more than site visits questions across
two days of the site visits
notes are
missing
Reflection Provided Provided thoughtful Provided thoughtful at least 3 of the
on Site thoughtful reflection on at least 4 of reflection on at least site visits OR
Visits reflection on the site visits OR provided 3 of the site visits provided
each of the six reflection on all six but OR provided reflection on all,
site visits two or less were not reflection on all six, but four or more
thoughtful but three were not were not
thoughtful thoughtful

Here is the same rubric converted into a checklist:

Criterion Yes No
All Sites have Notes
Sites Notes are Thorough
Site Notes are Thoughtful
Answers all Site Questions for All Sites
Provided Reflection on each of the 6 Site Visits
Reflection on Site Visits was Thoughtful
Advantages of Checklists

Checklists are generally a simpler and faster way to grade than using a more traditional rubric
since you are making discrete decisions for each individual performance criterion rather than
trying to determine where students’ work fall into performance criteria that generally encompass
a range of difference performance expectations. This also makes the grading clearer to
students. Using checklists may result in less arbitrary (and more consistent) grading decisions.
For example, most instructors are clear on what the top performances look like and what the
bottom performances look like, but the middle gets fuzzier. When students understand that their
grades will be based on all or nothing decisions, checklists also have the potential to raise the
rigor of and students’ performances on our assignments.
Disadvantages of Checklists

Creating checklists for your assignments might be a slightly onerous process. This is both
because checklists are longer than a traditional rubric and because identifying each of the
discrete elements of “clearly written” or “well organized” might be difficult. You may find that
cannot easily convert every performance element you are looking for into a checklist format.
Performance criteria that are difficult to operationalize will also be difficult to convert into a
checklist. It may also be difficult to decide on the exact level of granularity that might be
appropriate for each assignment. For example, “uses good grammar” might be appropriate for
most classes, but would be far too broad if you are teaching a course on grammar. Checklists
also lose the middle so there is not a way to award credit to students who get most of the way
toward achieving a criterion.

Designing effective rubrics is critical for assessing student work and providing useful feedback.

Rubrics can also communicate to students the next step in their growth, help set goals, and give
you data on student performance. Before you abandon them entirely, try applying some of these
helpful tips to bring quality assessment into your art room.

TIPS FOR CREATING RUBRICS

1. Identify your type

The first step is identifying which type of rubric is best for your students. Holistic rubrics give a
single score and provide a general summary of the overall quality of the art piece. Analytical
rubrics, however, divide the art piece into different criteria allowing you to score each one
individually. Both tools can be effective but serve different purposes. Holistic rubrics can be
quicker for the teacher, as you aren’t spending time adding things up and scoring multiple
criteria. The scoring is also more manageable and easier to understand. Holistic rubrics should
be used as final grading tools when the student cannot apply any of the feedback in the future.
This is why the AP College Board uses a holistic rubric and score.
But, if you’re looking for more specific feedback for students or to help you better monitor
student learning, analytical rubrics are more effective. This more commonly used structure
allows students to more accurately identify where they were successful and where they need to
grow. You also get a more objective perspective on how the class did as a whole to identify
themes on how to adjust your instruction.

2. Carefully consider the language used.

Always use objective indicators for performance levels that are constructive from the bottom up
(For example, excellent, good, acceptable, and needs improvement make use of constructive
and positive language). When establishing and differentiating performance level criteria, avoid
using negative language that focuses on failure and does not coach for improvement.

3. Define the Criteria

Ask yourself: What knowledge and skills are required for the assignment/assessment? Make a
list of these, group and label them, and eliminate any that are not critical.

Helpful strategies for defining grading criteria:

 Review the learning objectives for the course; use the assignment prompt, existing
grading checklists, peer response sheets, comments on previous work, past examples of
student work, etc.
 Try describing A/B/C work.
 Consider “sentence starters” with verbs describing student
performance from Bloom’s Taxonomy or other terms to indicate various levels of
performance, i.e., presence to absence, complete to incomplete, many to some to none,
major to minor, consistent to inconsistent, always to usually to sometimes to rarely
 Collaborate with co-instructors, teaching assistants, and other colleagues
 Brainstorm and discuss with students
 Consider the effectiveness of the criteria:
o Can they be observed and measured?
o Are they important and essential?
o Are they distinct from other criteria?
o Are they phrased in precise, unambiguous language?
 Revise the criteria as needed
 Consider how you will weigh them in relation to each other

Helpful strategies for defining grading criteria:

 Review the learning objectives for the course; use the assignment prompt, existing
grading checklists, peer response sheets, comments on previous work, past examples of
student work, etc.
 Try describing A/B/C work.
 Consider “sentence starters” with verbs describing student
performance from Bloom’s Taxonomy or other terms to indicate various levels of
performance, i.e., presence to absence, complete to incomplete, many to some to none,
major to minor, consistent to inconsistent, always to usually to sometimes to rarely
 Collaborate with co-instructors, teaching assistants, and other colleagues
 Brainstorm and discuss with students
  Consider the effectiveness of the criteria:
o Can they be observed and measured?
o Are they important and essential?
o Are they distinct from other criteria?
o Are they phrased in precise, unambiguous language?
 Revise the criteria as needed
 Consider how you will weigh them in relation to each other

4. Design the Rating Scales

Most ratings scales include between 3 and 5 levels. Consider the following questions:

 Given what students are able to demonstrate in this assignment/assessment, what are
the possible levels of achievement?
 Will you use numbers or descriptive labels for these levels?
 If you choose descriptive labels, what labels are most appropriate? Will you assign a
number to those labels?
 In what order will you list these levels — from lowest to highest or vice versa?

5. Write Descriptions for Each Level of the Rating Scale

Create statements of expected performance at each level of the rubric. For an analytic rubric, do
this for each particular criterion of the rubric. These descriptions help students understand your
expectations and their performance in regard to those expectations.

Start with the top/exemplary work category –what does it look like when a student has achieved
excellence in each category? Then look at the “bottom” category –what does it look like when
students have not achieved the learning goals in any way? Then add the categories in between.
Also, take into consideration that well-written descriptions:

 Describe observable and measurable behavior

 Use parallel language across the scale
 Indicate the degree to which the standards are met

BEST PRACTICES

 Use Student-Friendly Language. If students can’t understand the rubric, it will not be
useful for guiding instruction, reflection, and assessment. If you want students to engage
in using the rubric, they have to understand it. Make sure the language is learning-level
appropriate. If you use academic language or concepts, you will need to teach those
concepts.
 Use the Rubric with Your Students. You have to use the rubric with the students. It
means nothing to them if you don’t. For students to find the rubric useful in terms of their
learning, they must see a reason for using it. Students should understand that the rubric
is there to help them learn, reflect, and self-assess. If students use a rubric, they will
understand the expectations and their relevance to learning.
 Don’t Use Too Many Columns. The rubric needs to be comprehensible and organized.
Pick the right amount of columns so that the criteria flow logically and naturally across
levels.