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15 Helpful Scoring Rubric Examples for All Grades and Subjects
In the end, they actually make grading easier.
When it comes to student assessment and evaluation, there are a lot of methods to consider. In some cases, testing is the best way to assess a student’s knowledge, and the answers are either right or wrong. But often, assessing a student’s performance is much less clear-cut. In these situations, a scoring rubric is often the way to go, especially if you’re using standards-based grading . Here’s what you need to know about this useful tool, along with lots of rubric examples to get you started.
What is a scoring rubric?
In the United States, a rubric is a guide that lays out the performance expectations for an assignment. It helps students understand what’s required of them, and guides teachers through the evaluation process. (Note that in other countries, the term “rubric” may instead refer to the set of instructions at the beginning of an exam. To avoid confusion, some people use the term “scoring rubric” instead.)
A rubric generally has three parts:
- Performance criteria: These are the various aspects on which the assignment will be evaluated. They should align with the desired learning outcomes for the assignment.
- Rating scale: This could be a number system (often 1 to 4) or words like “exceeds expectations, meets expectations, below expectations,” etc.
- Indicators: These describe the qualities needed to earn a specific rating for each of the performance criteria. The level of detail may vary depending on the assignment and the purpose of the rubric itself.
Rubrics take more time to develop up front, but they help ensure more consistent assessment, especially when the skills being assessed are more subjective. A well-developed rubric can actually save teachers a lot of time when it comes to grading. What’s more, sharing your scoring rubric with students in advance often helps improve performance . This way, students have a clear picture of what’s expected of them and what they need to do to achieve a specific grade or performance rating.
Learn more about why and how to use a rubric here.
Types of Rubric
There are three basic rubric categories, each with its own purpose.
Holistic Rubric
Source: Cambrian College
This type of rubric combines all the scoring criteria in a single scale. They’re quick to create and use, but they have drawbacks. If a student’s work spans different levels, it can be difficult to decide which score to assign. They also make it harder to provide feedback on specific aspects.
Traditional letter grades are a type of holistic rubric. So are the popular “hamburger rubric” and “ cupcake rubric ” examples. Learn more about holistic rubrics here.
Analytic Rubric
Source: University of Nebraska
Analytic rubrics are much more complex and generally take a great deal more time up front to design. They include specific details of the expected learning outcomes, and descriptions of what criteria are required to meet various performance ratings in each. Each rating is assigned a point value, and the total number of points earned determines the overall grade for the assignment.
Though they’re more time-intensive to create, analytic rubrics actually save time while grading. Teachers can simply circle or highlight any relevant phrases in each rating, and add a comment or two if needed. They also help ensure consistency in grading, and make it much easier for students to understand what’s expected of them.
Learn more about analytic rubrics here.
Developmental Rubric
Source: Deb’s Data Digest
A developmental rubric is a type of analytic rubric, but it’s used to assess progress along the way rather than determining a final score on an assignment. The details in these rubrics help students understand their achievements, as well as highlight the specific skills they still need to improve.
Developmental rubrics are essentially a subset of analytic rubrics. They leave off the point values, though, and focus instead on giving feedback using the criteria and indicators of performance.
Learn how to use developmental rubrics here.
Ready to create your own rubrics? Find general tips on designing rubrics here. Then, check out these examples across all grades and subjects to inspire you.
Elementary School Rubric Examples
These elementary school rubric examples come from real teachers who use them with their students. Adapt them to fit your needs and grade level.
Reading Fluency Rubric
You can use this one as an analytic rubric by counting up points to earn a final score, or just to provide developmental feedback. There’s a second rubric page available specifically to assess prosody (reading with expression).
Learn more: Teacher Thrive
Reading Comprehension Rubric
The nice thing about this rubric is that you can use it at any grade level, for any text. If you like this style, you can get a reading fluency rubric here too.
Learn more: Pawprints Resource Center
Written Response Rubric
Rubrics aren’t just for huge projects. They can also help kids work on very specific skills, like this one for improving written responses on assessments.
Learn more: Dianna Radcliffe: Teaching Upper Elementary and More
Interactive Notebook Rubric
If you use interactive notebooks as a learning tool , this rubric can help kids stay on track and meet your expectations.
Learn more: Classroom Nook
Project Rubric
Use this simple rubric as it is, or tweak it to include more specific indicators for the project you have in mind.
Learn more: Tales of a Title One Teacher
Behavior Rubric
Developmental rubrics are perfect for assessing behavior and helping students identify opportunities for improvement. Send these home regularly to keep parents in the loop.
Learn more: Teachers.net Gazette
Middle School Rubric Examples
In middle school, use rubrics to offer detailed feedback on projects, presentations, and more. Be sure to share them with students in advance, and encourage them to use them as they work so they’ll know if they’re meeting expectations.
Argumentative Writing Rubric
Argumentative writing is a part of language arts, social studies, science, and more. That makes this rubric especially useful.
Learn more: Dr. Caitlyn Tucker
Role-Play Rubric
Role-plays can be really useful when teaching social and critical thinking skills, but it’s hard to assess them. Try a rubric like this one to evaluate and provide useful feedback.
Learn more: A Question of Influence
Art Project Rubric
Art is one of those subjects where grading can feel very subjective. Bring some objectivity to the process with a rubric like this.
Source: Art Ed Guru
Diorama Project Rubric
You can use diorama projects in almost any subject, and they’re a great chance to encourage creativity. Simplify the grading process and help kids know how to make their projects shine with this scoring rubric.
Learn more: Historyourstory.com
Oral Presentation Rubric
Rubrics are terrific for grading presentations, since you can include a variety of skills and other criteria. Consider letting students use a rubric like this to offer peer feedback too.
Learn more: Bright Hub Education
High School Rubric Examples
In high school, it’s important to include your grading rubrics when you give assignments like presentations, research projects, or essays. Kids who go on to college will definitely encounter rubrics, so helping them become familiar with them now will help in the future.
Presentation Rubric
Analyze a student’s presentation both for content and communication skills with a rubric like this one. If needed, create a separate one for content knowledge with even more criteria and indicators.
Learn more: Michael A. Pena Jr.
Debate Rubric
Debate is a valuable learning tool that encourages critical thinking and oral communication skills. This rubric can help you assess those skills objectively.
Learn more: Education World
Project-Based Learning Rubric
Implementing project-based learning can be time-intensive, but the payoffs are worth it. Try this rubric to make student expectations clear and end-of-project assessment easier.
Learn more: Free Technology for Teachers
100-Point Essay Rubric
Need an easy way to convert a scoring rubric to a letter grade? This example for essay writing earns students a final score out of 100 points.
Learn more: Learn for Your Life
Drama Performance Rubric
If you’re unsure how to grade a student’s participation and performance in drama class, consider this example. It offers lots of objective criteria and indicators to evaluate.
Learn more: Chase March
How do you use rubrics in your classroom? Come share your thoughts and exchange ideas in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .
Plus, 25 of the best alternative assessment ideas ..
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Rubric Best Practices, Examples, and Templates
A rubric is a scoring tool that identifies the different criteria relevant to an assignment, assessment, or learning outcome and states the possible levels of achievement in a specific, clear, and objective way. Use rubrics to assess project-based student work including essays, group projects, creative endeavors, and oral presentations.
Rubrics can help instructors communicate expectations to students and assess student work fairly, consistently and efficiently. Rubrics can provide students with informative feedback on their strengths and weaknesses so that they can reflect on their performance and work on areas that need improvement.
How to Get Started
Best practices, moodle how-to guides.
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Step 1: Analyze the assignment
The first step in the rubric creation process is to analyze the assignment or assessment for which you are creating a rubric. To do this, consider the following questions:
- What is the purpose of the assignment and your feedback? What do you want students to demonstrate through the completion of this assignment (i.e. what are the learning objectives measured by it)? Is it a summative assessment, or will students use the feedback to create an improved product?
- Does the assignment break down into different or smaller tasks? Are these tasks equally important as the main assignment?
- What would an “excellent” assignment look like? An “acceptable” assignment? One that still needs major work?
- How detailed do you want the feedback you give students to be? Do you want/need to give them a grade?
Step 2: Decide what kind of rubric you will use
Types of rubrics: holistic, analytic/descriptive, single-point
Holistic Rubric. A holistic rubric includes all the criteria (such as clarity, organization, mechanics, etc.) to be considered together and included in a single evaluation. With a holistic rubric, the rater or grader assigns a single score based on an overall judgment of the student’s work, using descriptions of each performance level to assign the score.
Advantages of holistic rubrics:
- Can p lace an emphasis on what learners can demonstrate rather than what they cannot
- Save grader time by minimizing the number of evaluations to be made for each student
- Can be used consistently across raters, provided they have all been trained
Disadvantages of holistic rubrics:
- Provide less specific feedback than analytic/descriptive rubrics
- Can be difficult to choose a score when a student’s work is at varying levels across the criteria
- Any weighting of c riteria cannot be indicated in the rubric
Analytic/Descriptive Rubric . An analytic or descriptive rubric often takes the form of a table with the criteria listed in the left column and with levels of performance listed across the top row. Each cell contains a description of what the specified criterion looks like at a given level of performance. Each of the criteria is scored individually.
Advantages of analytic rubrics:
- Provide detailed feedback on areas of strength or weakness
- Each criterion can be weighted to reflect its relative importance
Disadvantages of analytic rubrics:
- More time-consuming to create and use than a holistic rubric
- May not be used consistently across raters unless the cells are well defined
- May result in giving less personalized feedback
Single-Point Rubric . A single-point rubric is breaks down the components of an assignment into different criteria, but instead of describing different levels of performance, only the “proficient” level is described. Feedback space is provided for instructors to give individualized comments to help students improve and/or show where they excelled beyond the proficiency descriptors.
Advantages of single-point rubrics:
- Easier to create than an analytic/descriptive rubric
- Perhaps more likely that students will read the descriptors
- Areas of concern and excellence are open-ended
- May removes a focus on the grade/points
- May increase student creativity in project-based assignments
Disadvantage of analytic rubrics: Requires more work for instructors writing feedback
Step 3 (Optional): Look for templates and examples.
You might Google, “Rubric for persuasive essay at the college level” and see if there are any publicly available examples to start from. Ask your colleagues if they have used a rubric for a similar assignment. Some examples are also available at the end of this article. These rubrics can be a great starting point for you, but consider steps 3, 4, and 5 below to ensure that the rubric matches your assignment description, learning objectives and expectations.
Step 4: Define the assignment criteria
Make a list of the knowledge and skills are you measuring with the assignment/assessment Refer to your stated learning objectives, the assignment instructions, past examples of student work, etc. for help.
Helpful strategies for defining grading criteria:
- Collaborate with co-instructors, teaching assistants, and other colleagues
- Brainstorm and discuss with students
- Can they be observed and measured?
- Are they important and essential?
- Are they distinct from other criteria?
- Are they phrased in precise, unambiguous language?
- Revise the criteria as needed
- Consider whether some are more important than others, and how you will weight them.
Step 5: Design the rating scale
Most ratings scales include between 3 and 5 levels. Consider the following questions when designing your rating scale:
- Given what students are able to demonstrate in this assignment/assessment, what are the possible levels of achievement?
- How many levels would you like to include (more levels means more detailed descriptions)
- Will you use numbers and/or descriptive labels for each level of performance? (for example 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and/or Exceeds expectations, Accomplished, Proficient, Developing, Beginning, etc.)
- Don’t use too many columns, and recognize that some criteria can have more columns that others . The rubric needs to be comprehensible and organized. Pick the right amount of columns so that the criteria flow logically and naturally across levels.
Step 6: Write descriptions for each level of the rating scale
Artificial Intelligence tools like Chat GPT have proven to be useful tools for creating a rubric. You will want to engineer your prompt that you provide the AI assistant to ensure you get what you want. For example, you might provide the assignment description, the criteria you feel are important, and the number of levels of performance you want in your prompt. Use the results as a starting point, and adjust the descriptions as needed.
Building a rubric from scratch
For a single-point rubric , describe what would be considered “proficient,” i.e. B-level work, and provide that description. You might also include suggestions for students outside of the actual rubric about how they might surpass proficient-level work.
For analytic and holistic rubrics , c reate statements of expected performance at each level of the rubric.
- Consider what descriptor is appropriate for each criteria, e.g., presence vs absence, complete vs incomplete, many vs none, major vs minor, consistent vs inconsistent, always vs never. If you have an indicator described in one level, it will need to be described in each level.
- You might start with the top/exemplary level. What does it look like when a student has achieved excellence for each/every criterion? Then, look at the “bottom” level. What does it look like when a student has not achieved the learning goals in any way? Then, complete the in-between levels.
- For an analytic rubric , do this for each particular criterion of the rubric so that every cell in the table is filled. These descriptions help students understand your expectations and their performance in regard to those expectations.
Well-written descriptions:
- Describe observable and measurable behavior
- Use parallel language across the scale
- Indicate the degree to which the standards are met
Step 7: Create your rubric
Create your rubric in a table or spreadsheet in Word, Google Docs, Sheets, etc., and then transfer it by typing it into Moodle. You can also use online tools to create the rubric, but you will still have to type the criteria, indicators, levels, etc., into Moodle. Rubric creators: Rubistar , iRubric
Step 8: Pilot-test your rubric
Prior to implementing your rubric on a live course, obtain feedback from:
- Teacher assistants
Try out your new rubric on a sample of student work. After you pilot-test your rubric, analyze the results to consider its effectiveness and revise accordingly.
- Limit the rubric to a single page for reading and grading ease
- Use parallel language . Use similar language and syntax/wording from column to column. Make sure that the rubric can be easily read from left to right or vice versa.
- Use student-friendly language . Make sure the language is learning-level appropriate. If you use academic language or concepts, you will need to teach those concepts.
- Share and discuss the rubric with your students . 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.
- Consider scalability and reusability of rubrics. Create rubric templates that you can alter as needed for multiple assignments.
- Maximize the descriptiveness of your language. Avoid words like “good” and “excellent.” For example, instead of saying, “uses excellent sources,” you might describe what makes a resource excellent so that students will know. You might also consider reducing the reliance on quantity, such as a number of allowable misspelled words. Focus instead, for example, on how distracting any spelling errors are.
Example of an analytic rubric for a final paper
Above Average (4) | Sufficient (3) | Developing (2) | Needs improvement (1) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
(Thesis supported by relevant information and ideas | The central purpose of the student work is clear and supporting ideas always are always well-focused. Details are relevant, enrich the work. | The central purpose of the student work is clear and ideas are almost always focused in a way that supports the thesis. Relevant details illustrate the author’s ideas. | The central purpose of the student work is identified. Ideas are mostly focused in a way that supports the thesis. | The purpose of the student work is not well-defined. A number of central ideas do not support the thesis. Thoughts appear disconnected. |
(Sequencing of elements/ ideas) | Information and ideas are presented in a logical sequence which flows naturally and is engaging to the audience. | Information and ideas are presented in a logical sequence which is followed by the reader with little or no difficulty. | Information and ideas are presented in an order that the audience can mostly follow. | Information and ideas are poorly sequenced. The audience has difficulty following the thread of thought. |
(Correctness of grammar and spelling) | Minimal to no distracting errors in grammar and spelling. | The readability of the work is only slightly interrupted by spelling and/or grammatical errors. | Grammatical and/or spelling errors distract from the work. | The readability of the work is seriously hampered by spelling and/or grammatical errors. |
Example of a holistic rubric for a final paper
The audience is able to easily identify the central message of the work and is engaged by the paper’s clear focus and relevant details. Information is presented logically and naturally. There are minimal to no distracting errors in grammar and spelling. : 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. The readability of the work is only slightly interrupted by errors. : 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. Grammatical and spelling errors distract from the work. : 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. The readability of the work is seriously hampered by errors. |
Single-Point Rubric
Advanced (evidence of exceeding standards) | Criteria described a proficient level | Concerns (things that need work) |
---|---|---|
Criteria #1: Description reflecting achievement of proficient level of performance | ||
Criteria #2: Description reflecting achievement of proficient level of performance | ||
Criteria #3: Description reflecting achievement of proficient level of performance | ||
Criteria #4: Description reflecting achievement of proficient level of performance | ||
90-100 points | 80-90 points | <80 points |
More examples:
- Single Point Rubric Template ( variation )
- Analytic Rubric Template make a copy to edit
- A Rubric for Rubrics
- Bank of Online Discussion Rubrics in different formats
- Mathematical Presentations Descriptive Rubric
- Math Proof Assessment Rubric
- Kansas State Sample Rubrics
- Design Single Point Rubric
Technology Tools: Rubrics in Moodle
- Moodle Docs: Rubrics
- Moodle Docs: Grading Guide (use for single-point rubrics)
Tools with rubrics (other than Moodle)
- Google Assignments
- Turnitin Assignments: Rubric or Grading Form
Other resources
- DePaul University (n.d.). Rubrics .
- Gonzalez, J. (2014). Know your terms: Holistic, Analytic, and Single-Point Rubrics . Cult of Pedagogy.
- Goodrich, H. (1996). Understanding rubrics . Teaching for Authentic Student Performance, 54 (4), 14-17. Retrieved from
- Miller, A. (2012). Tame the beast: tips for designing and using rubrics.
- Ragupathi, K., Lee, A. (2020). Beyond Fairness and Consistency in Grading: The Role of Rubrics in Higher Education. In: Sanger, C., Gleason, N. (eds) Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.
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Grading with Rubrics in the English Classroom
When English teachers get together, the topic of grading will come up—often with complaints about the time grading takes and the difficulty of grading essays fairly. While part of that is just the nature of the job, essay grading can be made simpler with the effective use of a well-written rubric.
A rubric is a list of characteristics desired in a final assignment, with different points assigned for each level of achievement. An analytical rubric displays in a grid-like formation that matches a description of student achievement to different levels, such as exceptional, good, satisfactory, and poor, or to different numbers of points, such as 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (see below).
(Note that while this rubric comes from the sometimes-debated Common Core, it provides a good starting place and can be adapted, as described later in this blog post.)
A holistic rubric describes the desired outcome for each characteristic, and the grader attaches a point amount to the characteristic (Fuglei 1).
While some critics argue that rubrics stifle the student’s creativity and limit helpful feedback, most English teachers agree that rubrics allow the most objective grading for essays. Used as a teaching tool during the writing process, the rubric allows the writer to see the needed characteristics before turning a paper in. The teacher can explain each attribute on the rubric as a writing lesson. Then used as an assessment tool, the grader can look specifically for the required specifications when checking the final draft. The key, then, is to create a fair and easily used rubric that still provides feedback for the student. Here are some tips.
- Don’t start from scratch when creating a rubric. Most writing curricula include grading rubrics. If not, they can be purchased or even found for free online or in teaching resource books.
- Modify already existing rubrics to meet your student’s needs. If there is a specific writing characteristic that you are emphasizing, be sure it is included on the rubric. Or if you know your class needs help in a certain area, include it as a goal on the rubric.
- Individually tailor rubrics to students. By leaving points for one category open, each student can set an individual goal (or the teacher can set it) to work on for a specific assignment. I often build upon a previous rubric, using a student’s lowest category to set the individual goal on the next rubric.
- Leave room on the rubric for comments. Rather than just assigning points, tell the student why that amount of points was assigned. While comments can also be written on the paper itself, it often helps to have them all together on one page.
- Keep rubrics as a portfolio of writing progress throughout the year. The student can use each rubric as a guideline for the next paper. At the end of the school year, the cumulative rubrics show the progress made.
- Keep a rubric to a one-page length. Longer rubrics are cumbersome both for the writer and the grader. A shorter rubric provides focus.
- Make the point value for each category equivalent to the importance of the category. If the teacher is focusing on mechanics, that should be a larger proportion of the total points. Or if the main goal is organization, that should be the largest category. I always do my rubrics out of 100 points to make it easy for students to see their grades.
- Use wording that matches the wording in the assignment. For example, if the teacher describes mechanics as “grammar, spelling, and punctuation,” that is how it should be worded on the rubric.
- Use the rubric throughout the writing process. Go over the rubrics with students at the beginning of the writing assignment. As each lesson is completed, remind students of what part of the rubric they are working on. During the revision and proofreading process, have students work through the rubric one category at a time.
Works Cited
“Common Core State Standards Writing Rubric.” 2014. h ttps://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files
/Common%20Core%20Rubrics_Gr11-12_turn_it_in_0.pdf . Accessed 10 Feb. 2024.
Fuglei, Monica. “Rubric’s Cue: What’s the Best Way To Grade Essays?” Resilient Educator , 12
Nov. 2014. https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/essay-grading-
rubrics/#:~:text=Because%20a%20rubric%20identifies%20pertinent,criteria%20in%20the%20 writing%20assignment . Accessed 10 Feb. 2024.
Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma on Unsplash .
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Writing Rubrics [Examples, Best Practices, & Free Templates]
Writing rubrics are essential tools for teachers.
Rubrics can improve both teaching and learning. This guide will explain writing rubrics, their benefits, and how to create and use them effectively.
What Is a Writing Rubric?
Table of Contents
A writing rubric is a scoring guide used to evaluate written work.
It lists criteria and describes levels of quality from excellent to poor. Rubrics provide a standardized way to assess writing.
They make expectations clear and grading consistent.
Key Components of a Writing Rubric
- Criteria : Specific aspects of writing being evaluated (e.g., grammar, organization).
- Descriptors : Detailed descriptions of what each level of performance looks like.
- Scoring Levels : Typically, a range (e.g., 1-4 or 1-6) showing levels of mastery.
Example Breakdown
Criteria | 4 (Excellent) | 3 (Good) | 2 (Fair) | 1 (Poor) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Grammar | No errors | Few minor errors | Several errors | Many errors |
Organization | Clear and logical | Mostly clear | Somewhat clear | Not clear |
Content | Thorough and insightful | Good, but not thorough | Basic, lacks insight | Incomplete or off-topic |
Benefits of Using Writing Rubrics
Writing rubrics offer many advantages:
- Clarity : Rubrics clarify expectations for students. They know what is required for each level of performance.
- Consistency : Rubrics standardize grading. This ensures fairness and consistency across different students and assignments.
- Feedback : Rubrics provide detailed feedback. Students understand their strengths and areas for improvement.
- Efficiency : Rubrics streamline the grading process. Teachers can evaluate work more quickly and systematically.
- Self-Assessment : Students can use rubrics to self-assess. This promotes reflection and responsibility for their learning.
Examples of Writing Rubrics
Here are some examples of writing rubrics.
Narrative Writing Rubric
Criteria | 4 (Excellent) | 3 (Good) | 2 (Fair) | 1 (Poor) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Story Elements | Well-developed | Developed, some details | Basic, missing details | Underdeveloped |
Creativity | Highly creative | Creative | Some creativity | Lacks creativity |
Grammar | No errors | Few minor errors | Several errors | Many errors |
Organization | Clear and logical | Mostly clear | Somewhat clear | Not clear |
Language Use | Rich and varied | Varied | Limited | Basic or inappropriate |
Persuasive Writing Rubric
Criteria | 4 (Excellent) | 3 (Good) | 2 (Fair) | 1 (Poor) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Argument | Strong and convincing | Convincing, some gaps | Basic, lacks support | Weak or unsupported |
Evidence | Strong and relevant | Relevant, but not strong | Some relevant, weak | Irrelevant or missing |
Grammar | No errors | Few minor errors | Several errors | Many errors |
Organization | Clear and logical | Mostly clear | Somewhat clear | Not clear |
Language Use | Persuasive and engaging | Engaging | Somewhat engaging | Not engaging |
Best Practices for Creating Writing Rubrics
Let’s look at some best practices for creating useful writing rubrics.
1. Define Clear Criteria
Identify specific aspects of writing to evaluate. Be clear and precise.
The criteria should reflect the key components of the writing task. For example, for a narrative essay, criteria might include plot development, character depth, and use of descriptive language.
Clear criteria help students understand what is expected and allow teachers to provide targeted feedback.
Insider Tip : Collaborate with colleagues to establish consistent criteria across grade levels. This ensures uniformity in expectations and assessments.
2. Use Detailed Descriptors
Describe what each level of performance looks like.
This ensures transparency and clarity. Avoid vague language. Instead of saying “good,” describe what “good” entails. For example, “Few minor grammatical errors that do not impede readability.”
Detailed descriptors help students gauge their performance accurately.
Insider Tip : Use student work samples to illustrate each performance level. This provides concrete examples and helps students visualize expectations.
3. Involve Students
Involve students in the rubric creation process. This increases their understanding and buy-in.
Ask for their input on what they think is important in their writing.
This collaborative approach not only demystifies the grading process but also fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility in students.
Insider Tip : Conduct a workshop where students help create a rubric for an upcoming assignment. This interactive session can clarify doubts and make students more invested in their work.
4. Align with Objectives
Ensure the rubric aligns with learning objectives. This ensures relevance and focus.
If the objective is to enhance persuasive writing skills, the rubric should emphasize argument strength, evidence quality, and persuasive techniques.
Alignment ensures that the assessment directly supports instructional goals.
Insider Tip : Regularly revisit and update rubrics to reflect changes in curriculum and instructional priorities. This keeps the rubrics relevant and effective.
5. Review and Revise
Regularly review and revise rubrics. Ensure they remain accurate and effective.
Solicit feedback from students and colleagues. Continuous improvement of rubrics ensures they remain a valuable tool for both assessment and instruction.
Insider Tip : After using a rubric, take notes on its effectiveness. Were students confused by any criteria? Did the rubric cover all necessary aspects of the assignment? Use these observations to make adjustments.
6. Be Consistent
Use the rubric consistently across all assignments.
This ensures fairness and reliability. Consistency in applying the rubric helps build trust with students and maintains the integrity of the assessment process.
Insider Tip : Develop a grading checklist to accompany the rubric. This can help ensure that all criteria are consistently applied and none are overlooked during the grading process.
7. Provide Examples
Provide examples of each performance level.
This helps students understand expectations. Use annotated examples to show why a particular piece of writing meets a specific level.
This visual and practical demonstration can be more effective than descriptions alone.
Insider Tip : Create a portfolio of exemplar works for different assignments. This can be a valuable resource for both new and experienced teachers to standardize grading.
How to Use Writing Rubrics Effectively
Here is how to use writing rubrics like the pros.
1. Introduce Rubrics Early
Introduce rubrics at the beginning of the assignment.
Explain each criterion and performance level. This upfront clarity helps students understand what is expected and guides their work from the start.
Insider Tip : Conduct a rubric walkthrough session where you discuss each part of the rubric in detail. Allow students to ask questions and provide examples to illustrate each criterion.
2. Use Rubrics as a Teaching Tool
Use rubrics to teach writing skills. Discuss what constitutes good writing and why.
This can be an opportunity to reinforce lessons on grammar, organization, and other writing components.
Insider Tip : Pair the rubric with writing workshops. Use the rubric to critique sample essays and show students how to apply the rubric to improve their own writing.
3. Provide Feedback
Use the rubric to give detailed feedback. Highlight strengths and areas for improvement.
This targeted feedback helps students understand their performance and learn how to improve.
Insider Tip : Instead of just marking scores, add comments next to each criterion on the rubric. This personalized feedback can be more impactful and instructive for students.
4. Encourage Self-Assessment
Encourage students to use rubrics to self-assess.
This promotes reflection and growth. Before submitting their work, ask students to evaluate their own writing against the rubric.
This practice fosters self-awareness and critical thinking.
Insider Tip : Incorporate self-assessment as a mandatory step in the assignment process. Provide a simplified version of the rubric for students to use during self-assessment.
5. Use Rubrics for Peer Assessment
Use rubrics for peer assessment. This allows students to learn from each other.
Peer assessments can provide new perspectives and reinforce learning.
Insider Tip : Conduct a peer assessment workshop. Train students on how to use the rubric to evaluate each other’s work constructively. This can improve the quality of peer feedback.
6. Reflect and Improve
Reflect on the effectiveness of the rubric. Make adjustments as needed for future assignments.
Continuous reflection ensures that rubrics remain relevant and effective tools for assessment and learning.
Insider Tip : After an assignment, hold a debrief session with students to gather their feedback on the rubric. Use their insights to make improvements.
Check out this video about using writing rubrics:
Common Mistakes with Writing Rubrics
Creating and using writing rubrics can be incredibly effective, but there are common mistakes that can undermine their effectiveness.
Here are some pitfalls to avoid:
1. Vague Criteria
Vague criteria can confuse students and lead to inconsistent grading.
Ensure that each criterion is specific and clearly defined. Ambiguous terms like “good” or “satisfactory” should be replaced with concrete descriptions of what those levels of performance look like.
2. Overly Complex Rubrics
While detail is important, overly complex rubrics can be overwhelming for both students and teachers.
Too many criteria and performance levels can complicate the grading process and make it difficult for students to understand what is expected.
Keep rubrics concise and focused on the most important aspects of the assignment.
3. Inconsistent Application
Applying the rubric inconsistently can lead to unfair grading.
Ensure that you apply the rubric in the same way for all students and all assignments. Consistency builds trust and ensures that grades accurately reflect student performance.
4. Ignoring Student Input
Ignoring student input when creating rubrics can result in criteria that do not align with student understanding or priorities.
Involving students in the creation process can enhance their understanding and engagement with the rubric.
5. Failing to Update Rubrics
Rubrics should evolve to reflect changes in instructional goals and student needs.
Failing to update rubrics can result in outdated criteria that no longer align with current teaching objectives.
Regularly review and revise rubrics to keep them relevant and effective.
6. Lack of Examples
Without examples, students may struggle to understand the expectations for each performance level.
Providing annotated examples of work that meets each criterion can help students visualize what is required and guide their efforts more effectively.
7. Not Providing Feedback
Rubrics should be used as a tool for feedback, not just scoring.
Simply assigning a score without providing detailed feedback can leave students unclear about their strengths and areas for improvement.
Use the rubric to give comprehensive feedback that guides students’ growth.
8. Overlooking Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment
Self-assessment and peer assessment are valuable components of the learning process.
Overlooking these opportunities can limit students’ ability to reflect on their own work and learn from their peers.
Encourage students to use the rubric for self and peer assessment to deepen their understanding and enhance their skills.
What Is a Holistic Scoring Rubric for Writing?
A holistic scoring rubric for writing is a type of rubric that evaluates a piece of writing as a whole rather than breaking it down into separate criteria
This approach provides a single overall score based on the general impression of the writing’s quality and effectiveness.
Here’s a closer look at holistic scoring rubrics.
Key Features of Holistic Scoring Rubrics
- Single Overall Score : Assigns one score based on the overall quality of the writing.
- General Criteria : Focuses on the overall effectiveness, coherence, and impact of the writing.
- Descriptors : Uses broad descriptors for each score level to capture the general characteristics of the writing.
Example Holistic Scoring Rubric
Score | Description |
---|---|
5 | : Exceptionally clear, engaging, and well-organized writing. Demonstrates excellent control of language, grammar, and style. |
4 | : Clear and well-organized writing. Minor errors do not detract from the overall quality. Demonstrates good control of language and style. |
3 | : Satisfactory writing with some organizational issues. Contains a few errors that may distract but do not impede understanding. |
2 | : Basic writing that lacks organization and contains several errors. Demonstrates limited control of language and style. |
1 | : Unclear and poorly organized writing. Contains numerous errors that impede understanding. Demonstrates poor control of language and style. |
Advantages of Holistic Scoring Rubrics
- Efficiency : Faster to use because it involves a single overall judgment rather than multiple criteria.
- Flexibility : Allows for a more intuitive assessment of the writing’s overall impact and effectiveness.
- Comprehensiveness : Captures the overall quality of writing, considering all elements together.
Disadvantages of Holistic Scoring Rubrics
- Less Detailed Feedback : Provides a general score without specific feedback on individual aspects of writing.
- Subjectivity : Can be more subjective, as it relies on the assessor’s overall impression rather than specific criteria.
- Limited Diagnostic Use : Less useful for identifying specific areas of strength and weakness for instructional purposes.
When to Use Holistic Scoring Rubrics
- Quick Assessments : When a quick, overall evaluation is needed.
- Standardized Testing : Often used in standardized testing scenarios where consistency and efficiency are priorities.
- Initial Impressions : Useful for providing an initial overall impression before more detailed analysis.
Free Writing Rubric Templates
Feel free to use the following writing rubric templates.
You can easily copy and paste them into a Word Document. Please do credit this website on any written, printed, or published use.
Otherwise, go wild.
Criteria | 4 (Excellent) | 3 (Good) | 2 (Fair) | 1 (Poor) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Well-developed, engaging, and clear plot, characters, and setting. | Developed plot, characters, and setting with some details missing. | Basic plot, characters, and setting; lacks details. | Underdeveloped plot, characters, and setting. | |
Highly creative and original. | Creative with some originality. | Some creativity but lacks originality. | Lacks creativity and originality. | |
No grammatical errors. | Few minor grammatical errors. | Several grammatical errors. | Numerous grammatical errors. | |
Clear and logical structure. | Mostly clear structure. | Somewhat clear structure. | Lacks clear structure. | |
Rich, varied, and appropriate language. | Varied and appropriate language. | Limited language variety. | Basic or inappropriate language. |
Criteria | 4 (Excellent) | 3 (Good) | 2 (Fair) | 1 (Poor) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Strong, clear, and convincing argument. | Convincing argument with minor gaps. | Basic argument; lacks strong support. | Weak or unsupported argument. | |
Strong, relevant, and well-integrated evidence. | Relevant evidence but not strong. | Some relevant evidence, but weak. | Irrelevant or missing evidence. | |
No grammatical errors. | Few minor grammatical errors. | Several grammatical errors. | Numerous grammatical errors. | |
Clear and logical structure. | Mostly clear structure. | Somewhat clear structure. | Lacks clear structure. | |
Persuasive and engaging language. | Engaging language. | Somewhat engaging language. | Not engaging language. |
Expository Writing Rubric
Criteria | 4 (Excellent) | 3 (Good) | 2 (Fair) | 1 (Poor) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Thorough, accurate, and insightful content. | Accurate content with some details missing. | Basic content; lacks depth. | Incomplete or inaccurate content. | |
Clear and concise explanations. | Mostly clear explanations. | Somewhat clear explanations. | Unclear explanations. | |
No grammatical errors. | Few minor grammatical errors. | Several grammatical errors. | Numerous grammatical errors. | |
Clear and logical structure. | Mostly clear structure. | Somewhat clear structure. | Lacks clear structure. | |
Precise and appropriate language. | Appropriate language. | Limited language variety. | Basic or inappropriate language. |
Descriptive Writing Rubric
Criteria | 4 (Excellent) | 3 (Good) | 2 (Fair) | 1 (Poor) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vivid and detailed imagery that engages the senses. | Detailed imagery with minor gaps. | Basic imagery; lacks vivid details. | Little to no imagery. | |
Highly creative and original descriptions. | Creative with some originality. | Some creativity but lacks originality. | Lacks creativity and originality. | |
No grammatical errors. | Few minor grammatical errors. | Several grammatical errors. | Numerous grammatical errors. | |
Clear and logical structure. | Mostly clear structure. | Somewhat clear structure. | Lacks clear structure. | |
Rich, varied, and appropriate language. | Varied and appropriate language. | Limited language variety. | Basic or inappropriate language. |
Analytical Writing Rubric
Criteria | 4 (Excellent) | 3 (Good) | 2 (Fair) | 1 (Poor) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Insightful, thorough, and well-supported analysis. | Good analysis with some depth. | Basic analysis; lacks depth. | Weak or unsupported analysis. | |
Strong, relevant, and well-integrated evidence. | Relevant evidence but not strong. | Some relevant evidence, but weak. | Irrelevant or missing evidence. | |
No grammatical errors. | Few minor grammatical errors. | Several grammatical errors. | Numerous grammatical errors. | |
Clear and logical structure. | Mostly clear structure. | Somewhat clear structure. | Lacks clear structure. | |
Precise and appropriate language. | Appropriate language. | Limited language variety. | Basic or inappropriate language. |
Final Thoughts: Writing Rubrics
I have a lot more resources for teaching on this site.
Check out some of the blog posts I’ve listed below. I think you might enjoy them.
Read This Next:
- Narrative Writing Graphic Organizer [Guide + Free Templates]
- 100 Best A Words for Kids (+ How to Use Them)
- 100 Best B Words For Kids (+How to Teach Them)
- 100 Dictation Word Ideas for Students and Kids
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- TemplateLab
Rubric Templates
46 editable rubric templates (word format).
A grading rubric template is a type of tool used for assessment. You can use it to express your expectations regarding the work of your students . In it, you’ll define what you will assess. You’ll also describe the criteria for how you will evaluate their work.
You can use this template to articulate what excellent work looks like. This would also help your students understand what they should work on.
Table of Contents
- 1 Rubric Templates
- 2 Where can you use rubric templates?
- 3 Grading Rubric Templates
- 4 Basic components of a rubric template
- 5 Blank Rubric Templates
- 6 Advantages of using rubric templates
- 7 Project Rubric Templates
- 8 Tips for creating a rubric template
- 9 Using your rubrics template
It takes a lot of time and effort to create a superior rubric template. You can make one on your own or download a blank rubric template from here. The important thing is that you first decide what criteria you’ll include in it.
Using rubrics will make it easier for you to assess the work of your students. With it, you can easily determine where your students excelled and where they need help. Although these templates are very convenient and effective, making them is another story.
If you make a template from scratch, you’d need a lot of time and effort. But once you’ve made or downloaded a template, your work becomes easier.
Where can you use rubric templates?
Teaching is one of the noblest professions in the whole world. But this job isn’t for everyone. It involves a lot of patience, determination, time-management skills , and so much more. Although it’s a highly fulfilling profession, there are times when it can be difficult.
As time goes by, curriculum change and methods for teaching are constantly revised. One effective method which teachers follow these days is the rubric method. This is a way to teach and assess the work of students easily and efficiently.
Grading rubric templates are quite popular with teachers. They can help teachers conduct an assessment of their student’s work and performance. But you can also use such templates in different ways, not just for teaching. You can use such templates for:
- Assessments
- Basic analytics
- Blank scoring
- Decision-making
- General math
- Group activity projects
- High school project presentations
- Infographics
- Job interview scoring
- Math projects
Other alternate uses of templates are as follows:
- Poster Grading
- Project-based learning
- Research papers
- Research project presentations
- Resume grading
- Science project
- Scoring guide
- Standard evaluations
- Student teaching portfolios
- Writing assignment grading
These are just some examples of how and where you can use such templates. A blank rubric template is a very useful tool which can make your life easier. If you’re a teacher and you haven’t even tried using such template, you should consider it.
Although it’s time-consuming to make, using it will save time in the long-run. Besides, if you don’t want to make the template yourself, you can download one from here.
Grading Rubric Templates
Basic components of a rubric template
In its simplest definition, a rubric is a tool for scoring. You use it to describe your performance expectations for a piece of work, a task or an assignment. The basic components of a rubric include:
- The criteria which you’ll use for the assessment. You need to describe all the aspects of performance you will grade your students on. You can also present the criteria as the objectives of the task that you’ll evaluate.
- Descriptors or words which will establish the effectiveness of your expectations. You need to identify the characteristics associated with your criteria. Do this by using the descriptors.
- Also, include the performance levels. Present this as a rating or a scale which has 3-4 or even more qualifiers. You can use this scale to identify the level of mastery of your students. You’ll give them a rating for each of your criterion.
You can use rubrics to give feedback to your students regarding their performance. It’s a tool you can use for grading projects, papers, presentations, and more. Along with these basic components, you can also add other information.
Just make sure not to complicate the template too much. Otherwise, it won’t be as easy to use as a basic rubric template.
Blank Rubric Templates
Advantages of using rubric templates
Aside from being very easy to use, rubrics also have other advantages. Their simplicity makes them very appealing. Using such templates would allow you to evaluate your students’ performance. You can do this with much efficiency and ease. Here are some advantages of using rubrics:
- Use them in analyses Such templates can provide you with diagnostic information. In turn, you can provide your students with formative feedback. You can link the rubrics to the instructions for work easily. When you use the rubrics for analyses, you’ll be able to come up with a formative assessment. But with it, you can also come up with a summative assessment. Do this if you need to grade using your students’ overall score.
- They’re holistic When you use rubrics, you can perform scoring and assessment quicker. You won’t need much time to use and understand the templates once you’ve filled them up.
- They can be general or task-specific Rubrics are very versatile. You can share them with your students. Do this to explain your instructions and your assessment methods. You can use the same blank rubric template for different assignments or tasks. All you need to do is modify the criteria and other information. You can also use the templates to ask your students to evaluate themselves. Also, you can even ask your students to help you construct your template. No matter how you plan to make or use the rubric, you’ll definitely benefit from it.
Aside from these advantages, there are more for you to enjoy. A well-designed template can offer a lot of benefits to teachers. They can help you to:
- Reduce the time you spend grading your students . You can do this by referring to the descriptors and the scale so you don’t need to write long comments.
- Help you identify your students’ strengths and weaknesses clearly. Once you’ve done that, you can adjust your lessons or teaching methods appropriately.
- Make sure that you’re consistent across time and graders.
- Reduce any uncertainty which can potentially come with grading.
- Discourage any complaints about your students’ grades.
- Let your students understand your standards and expectations.
- Give your students proper feedback.
- Keep track of and evaluate the progress of your students. You can do this as they work towards the goals you’ve set for them.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, a lot of teachers are now using rubrics. They use it to communicate their expectations to their students. As a teacher, you can use the template to give your students feedback. Give them information on how they’re progressing with their work. You can also use it to come up with your students’ final grades.
Project Rubric Templates
Tips for creating a rubric template
A grading rubric template includes the criteria you will use to assess a specific task. This can be anything from writing a paper to giving an oral presentation, and more. Rubrics permit teachers to convey their expectations to students.
You can also use them to track the progress of a student from the start of the task to the end of it. It provides a reliability of grades which is why students appreciate them too. Here are some tips to guide you when you’re creating a template for yourself:
- Establish the purpose and goal of the task you’ll evaluate Before you start creating your rubric, you should establish the purpose and goal of a task. Go through the learning outcomes associated with the task you’re planning to evaluate. The template you create can only work effectively if you set clear goals . In doing this, you can monitor your students’ progress as they work towards those goals.
- Determine the type of rubric you will use We’ve gone through some common uses of rubrics. This means that there are different types of templates you can create. Again, before you start, determine which type of rubric you will use for your assessment. The type to use may depend on some factors. These include your intended learning outcomes and the nature of the task. Also, consider the kind and the amount of feedback you will give your students.
- Establish your criteria In order to do this, you must go through your learning outcomes again. Also, review the assessment parameters so you can determine the criteria to use. Think about the skills and knowledge your students will need to complete the task. Come up with a list of criteria to evaluate outcomes across varying criteria. Make sure your criteria are distinct and clearly explained. Ideally, you shouldn’t write more than 7 different criteria.
- Establish the rating scale to measure the performance levels The next thing to do is establish your rating scale. No matter what kind of scale you use, make sure it’s clear and it can measure performance levels well. Decide whether your scale will only have numerical values or descriptors as well. Usually, rubrics have 3-5 different levels in their rating scales.
- Write the descriptions for each of your performance levels of your rating scale When you’re making your performance levels, include a descriptive paragraph for each. It should outline the expectations for the level. You can also include an example of the ideal performance within the level. Create parallel, measurable, and observable descriptions throughout your template.
- Test and revise your rubric if needed Before you use your rubric with your students, you should test it first. Arrange for testing conditions. Perform this with a number of graders who can use your template together. After they grade using your template, allow them to grade using a similar tool. Do this to ensure consistency and accuracy of the template you made. After the testing, search for any discrepancies between the 2 grading tools. If there aren’t any, then your template is quite accurate. Now you can share it (along with the testing results) with your colleagues. Ask them to assess your template and give their opinions. If they give you any helpful suggestions for modification, use them. You may also compare your template with templates your colleagues use. All these testing and modifying procedures are very important. Perform them to ensure the effectiveness of your own template.
Typically, your template should fit into a single page. This is ideal so you can quickly see all the criteria and descriptions. If you have a rubric with a lot of pages, you’d have to search through them to find the information you’re looking for.
This would reduce its efficiency. Therefore, you should plan the template well so you can construct it well too.
Using your rubrics template
A grading rubric template is an excellent tool for assessment. We’ve gone through the different advantages of such templates. You can definitely benefit a lot from using them. If it’s your first time to use rubrics, these pointers may help you out:
- When using a rubric, you don’t have to write long comments for each of your students.
- If your student needs feedback regarding his/her performance, refer to your template.
- Learn how to use the template properly. Do this so you don’t have to feel uncertainty when grading your students’ performances.
- Use different templates for different tasks or assignments. Although it may take time to create a template, you can keep on using it. When you need a new one, simply revise your blank rubric template then use it.
- You can also download a template here to save yourself time and effort.
- When you assign your students to a task or project, you can give them a copy of the rubric. This way, they will have an idea of how you’ll evaluate their performance.
- You can use the rubric to save time and effort. All you need to do is give your students grades according to your criteria and rating scale.
- Open your mind to the possibility of having to revise your template. If you discover that it doesn’t work, you need to make the necessary changes. Do this so you can get the most out of your rubric template.
More Templates
Behavior Contract Templates
Spelling Test Templates
All About Me Templates
Parent Contact Logs
Exit Ticket Templates
Plot Diagram Templates
How to Use Rubrics
A rubric is a document that describes the criteria by which students’ assignments are graded. Rubrics can be helpful for:
- Making grading faster and more consistent (reducing potential bias).
- Communicating your expectations for an assignment to students before they begin.
Moreover, for assignments whose criteria are more subjective, the process of creating a rubric and articulating what it looks like to succeed at an assignment provides an opportunity to check for alignment with the intended learning outcomes and modify the assignment prompt, as needed.
Why rubrics?
Rubrics are best for assignments or projects that require evaluation on multiple dimensions. Creating a rubric makes the instructor’s standards explicit to both students and other teaching staff for the class, showing students how to meet expectations.
Additionally, the more comprehensive a rubric is, the more it allows for grading to be streamlined—students will get informative feedback about their performance from the rubric, even if they don’t have as many individualized comments. Grading can be more standardized and efficient across graders.
Finally, rubrics allow for reflection, as the instructor has to think about their standards and outcomes for the students. Using rubrics can help with self-directed learning in students as well, especially if rubrics are used to review students’ own work or their peers’, or if students are involved in creating the rubric.
How to design a rubric
1. consider the desired learning outcomes.
What learning outcomes is this assignment reinforcing and assessing? If the learning outcome seems “fuzzy,” iterate on the outcome by thinking about the expected student work product. This may help you more clearly articulate the learning outcome in a way that is measurable.
2. Define criteria
What does a successful assignment submission look like? As described by Allen and Tanner (2006), it can help develop an initial list of categories that the student should demonstrate proficiency in by completing the assignment. These categories should correlate with the intended learning outcomes you identified in Step 1, although they may be more granular in some cases. For example, if the task assesses students’ ability to formulate an effective communication strategy, what components of their communication strategy will you be looking for? Talking with colleagues or looking at existing rubrics for similar tasks may give you ideas for categories to consider for evaluation.
If you have assigned this task to students before and have samples of student work, it can help create a qualitative observation guide. This is described in Linda Suskie’s book Assessing Student Learning , where she suggests thinking about what made you decide to give one assignment an A and another a C, as well as taking notes when grading assignments and looking for common patterns. The often repeated themes that you comment on may show what your goals and expectations for students are. An example of an observation guide used to take notes on predetermined areas of an assignment is shown here .
In summary, consider the following list of questions when defining criteria for a rubric (O’Reilly and Cyr, 2006):
- What do you want students to learn from the task?
- How will students demonstrate that they have learned?
- What knowledge, skills, and behaviors are required for the task?
- What steps are required for the task?
- What are the characteristics of the final product?
After developing an initial list of criteria, prioritize the most important skills you want to target and eliminate unessential criteria or combine similar skills into one group. Most rubrics have between 3 and 8 criteria. Rubrics that are too lengthy make it difficult to grade and challenging for students to understand the key skills they need to achieve for the given assignment.
3. Create the rating scale
According to Suskie, you will want at least 3 performance levels: for adequate and inadequate performance, at the minimum, and an exemplary level to motivate students to strive for even better work. Rubrics often contain 5 levels, with an additional level between adequate and exemplary and a level between adequate and inadequate. Usually, no more than 5 levels are needed, as having too many rating levels can make it hard to consistently distinguish which rating to give an assignment (such as between a 6 or 7 out of 10). Suskie also suggests labeling each level with names to clarify which level represents the minimum acceptable performance. Labels will vary by assignment and subject, but some examples are:
- Exceeds standard, meets standard, approaching standard, below standard
- Complete evidence, partial evidence, minimal evidence, no evidence
4. Fill in descriptors
Fill in descriptors for each criterion at each performance level. Expand on the list of criteria you developed in Step 2. Begin to write full descriptions, thinking about what an exemplary example would look like for students to strive towards. Avoid vague terms like “good” and make sure to use explicit, concrete terms to describe what would make a criterion good. For instance, a criterion called “organization and structure” would be more descriptive than “writing quality.” Describe measurable behavior and use parallel language for clarity; the wording for each criterion should be very similar, except for the degree to which standards are met. For example, in a sample rubric from Chapter 9 of Suskie’s book, the criterion of “persuasiveness” has the following descriptors:
- Well Done (5): Motivating questions and advance organizers convey the main idea. Information is accurate.
- Satisfactory (3-4): Includes persuasive information.
- Needs Improvement (1-2): Include persuasive information with few facts.
- Incomplete (0): Information is incomplete, out of date, or incorrect.
These sample descriptors generally have the same sentence structure that provides consistent language across performance levels and shows the degree to which each standard is met.
5. Test your rubric
Test your rubric using a range of student work to see if the rubric is realistic. You may also consider leaving room for aspects of the assignment, such as effort, originality, and creativity, to encourage students to go beyond the rubric. If there will be multiple instructors grading, it is important to calibrate the scoring by having all graders use the rubric to grade a selected set of student work and then discuss any differences in the scores. This process helps develop consistency in grading and making the grading more valid and reliable.
Types of Rubrics
If you would like to dive deeper into rubric terminology, this section is dedicated to discussing some of the different types of rubrics. However, regardless of the type of rubric you use, it’s still most important to focus first on your learning goals and think about how the rubric will help clarify students’ expectations and measure student progress towards those learning goals.
Depending on the nature of the assignment, rubrics can come in several varieties (Suskie, 2009):
Checklist Rubric
This is the simplest kind of rubric, which lists specific features or aspects of the assignment which may be present or absent. A checklist rubric does not involve the creation of a rating scale with descriptors. See example from 18.821 project-based math class .
Rating Scale Rubric
This is like a checklist rubric, but instead of merely noting the presence or absence of a feature or aspect of the assignment, the grader also rates quality (often on a graded or Likert-style scale). See example from 6.811 assistive technology class .
Descriptive Rubric
A descriptive rubric is like a rating scale, but including descriptions of what performing to a certain level on each scale looks like. Descriptive rubrics are particularly useful in communicating instructors’ expectations of performance to students and in creating consistency with multiple graders on an assignment. This kind of rubric is probably what most people think of when they imagine a rubric. See example from 15.279 communications class .
Holistic Scoring Guide
Unlike the first 3 types of rubrics, a holistic scoring guide describes performance at different levels (e.g., A-level performance, B-level performance) holistically without analyzing the assignment into several different scales. This kind of rubric is particularly useful when there are many assignments to grade and a moderate to a high degree of subjectivity in the assessment of quality. It can be difficult to have consistency across scores, and holistic scoring guides are most helpful when making decisions quickly rather than providing detailed feedback to students. See example from 11.229 advanced writing seminar .
The kind of rubric that is most appropriate will depend on the assignment in question.
Implementation tips
Rubrics are also available to use for Canvas assignments. See this resource from Boston College for more details and guides from Canvas Instructure.
Allen, D., & Tanner, K. (2006). Rubrics: Tools for Making Learning Goals and Evaluation Criteria Explicit for Both Teachers and Learners. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 5 (3), 197-203. doi:10.1187/cbe.06-06-0168
Cherie Miot Abbanat. 11.229 Advanced Writing Seminar. Spring 2004. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu . License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA .
Haynes Miller, Nat Stapleton, Saul Glasman, and Susan Ruff. 18.821 Project Laboratory in Mathematics. Spring 2013. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu . License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA .
Lori Breslow, and Terence Heagney. 15.279 Management Communication for Undergraduates. Fall 2012. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu . License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA .
O’Reilly, L., & Cyr, T. (2006). Creating a Rubric: An Online Tutorial for Faculty. Retrieved from https://www.ucdenver.edu/faculty_staff/faculty/center-for-faculty-development/Documents/Tutorials/Rubrics/index.htm
Suskie, L. (2009). Using a scoring guide or rubric to plan and evaluate an assessment. In Assessing student learning: A common sense guide (2nd edition, pp. 137-154 ) . Jossey-Bass.
William Li, Grace Teo, and Robert Miller. 6.811 Principles and Practice of Assistive Technology. Fall 2014. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu . License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA .
Sample Grading Rubrics: Create Clear Homework Rubrics For Your Class
- Trent Lorcher
- Categories : Teaching methods, tips & strategies
- Tags : Teaching methods, tools & strategies
When Mr. Blockington started stabbing random teachers at the in-service, I headed to my classroom and locked the door. The pro-homework faction had begun an assault on the anti-homework faction at my school. Both sides had attempted to win me over during the
preceding month, but I was non-committal. I declared myself a homework agnostic. I assigned it, but only if it had a purpose. To establish my purpose I constructed clearly defined homework rubrics. I used different ones depending on the nature of the assignment, whether it were a summative assignment or meant for practice.
Where do you stand in the war? Ah, well regardless, having a clearly defined rubric is a must for your classroom.
Grading Rubrics
Homework fulfills different purposes depending on the assignment, the teacher, and the course. Grading rubrics will help assess assignments according to its nature, be it summative or practice. Here are potential criteria for a student’s work:
Homework must be:
- Has the proper heading.
- Neat and free of blemishes.
- Turned in on time.
- Shows all necessary work, steps, and procedures.
- Written clearly and is free of errors.
- Accurate and detailed.
- Has correct solutions.
- Identifies all aspects of a problem.
- Typed or printed neatly.
- Shows in depth understanding of the material.
- Answers give a complete response.
- Shows (a lack of) understanding.
- Does (not) show the correct solution.
- Does (not) show designated steps.
Reading Rubrics
I discovered early that students don’t always read the assignments for homework. I also discovered that some students who read didn’t really know what to look for, so I came up with a homework-reading rubric to help. The student should be able to:
- Identify important details from the reading.
- Retell the story’s main events.
- Retell the story in chronological order.
- Define important terms from the story using context clues , prior knowledge, or from a dictionary.
- Complete a story map.
This post is part of the series: Effective Teaching Methods
Work smarter not harder.
- Effective Teaching Methods
- Strategies for Reading Expository Texts
- Techniques and Ideas for Teaching Drama
- Teaching Methods on How to Lecture without Losing Control of the Class?
- Design Your Own Homework Rubric
Writing Rubrics
Samples of Basic, Expository, and Narrative Rubrics
- Grading Students for Assessment
- Lesson Plans
- Becoming A Teacher
- Assessments & Tests
- Elementary Education
- Special Education
- Homeschooling
Rubric Basics
How to score a rubric, basic writing rubric, narrative writing rubric, expository writing rubric.
- M.S., Education, Buffalo State College
- B.S., Education, Buffalo State College
An easy way to evaluate student writing is to create a rubric . A rubric is a scoring guide that helps teachers evaluate student performance as well as a student product or project. A writing rubric allows you, as a teacher, to help students improve their writing skills by determining what areas they need help in.
To get started in creating a rubric, you must:
- Read through the students' writing assignment completely.
- Read each criterion on the rubric and then reread the assignment, this time focusing on each feature of the rubric .
- Circle the appropriate section for each criterion listed. This will help you score the assignment at the end.
- Give the writing assignment a final score.
To learn how to turn a four-point rubric into a letter grade, use the basic writing rubric below as an example. The four-point rubric uses four potential points the student can earn for each area, such as 1) strong, 2) developing, 3) emerging, and 4) beginning. To turn your rubric score into a letter grade, divide the points earned by the points possible.
Example: The student earns 18 out of 20 points. 18/20 = 90 percent; 90 percent = A
Suggested Point Scale :
88-100 = A 75-87 = B 62-74 = C 50-61 = D 0-50 = F
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Establishes a clear focus Uses descriptive language Provides relevant information Communicates creative ideas | Develops a focus Uses some descriptive language Details support idea Communicates original ideas | Attempts focus Ideas not fully developed | Lacks focus and development | ||
Establishes a strong beginning, middle, and end Demonstrates an orderly flow of ideas | Attempts an adequate introduction and ending Evidence of logical sequencing | Some evidence of a beginning, middle, and end Sequencing is attempted | Little or no organization Relies on single idea | ||
Uses effective language Uses high-level vocabulary Use of sentence variety | Diverse word choice Uses descriptive words Sentence variety | Limited word choice Basic sentence structure | No sense of sentence structure | ||
Few or no errors in: grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation | Some errors in: grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation | Has some difficulty in: grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation | Little or no evidence of correct grammar, spelling, capitalization or punctuation | ||
Easy to read Properly spaced Proper letter formation | Readable with some spacing/forming errors | Difficult to read due to spacing/forming letter | No evidence of spacing/forming letters |
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Skillfully combines story elements around main idea Focus on topic is profoundly clear | Combines story elements around main idea Focus on topic is clear | Story elements do not reveal a main idea Focus on topic is somewhat clear | There is no clear main idea Focus on topic is not clear | |
| Characters, plot, and setting are developed strongly Sensory details and narratives are skillfully evident | Characters, plot, and setting are developed Sensory details and narratives are evident | Characters, plot, and setting are minimally developed Attempts to use narratives and sensory details | Lacks development on characters, plot, and setting Fails to use sensory details and narratives |
Strong and engaging description Sequencing of details are effective and logical | Engaging description Adequate sequencing of details | Description needs some work Sequencing is limited | Description and sequencing needs major revision | |
Voice is expressive and confident | Voice is authentic | Voice is undefined | Writer's voice is not evident | |
Sentence structure enhances meaning | Purposeful use of sentence structure | Sentence structure is limited | No sense of sentence structure | |
A strong sense of writing conventions is apparent | Standard writing conventions is apparent | Grade level appropriate conventions | Limited use of appropriate conventions |
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Informative with clear focus and supporting details | Informative with clear focus | Focus needs to be expanded and supporting details are needed | Topic needs to be developed | |
Very well organized; easy to read | Has a beginning, middle, and end | Little organization; needs transitions | Organization is needed | |
Voice is confident throughout | Voice is confident | Voice is somewhat confident | Little to no voice; needs confidence | |
Nouns and verbs make essay informative | Use of nouns and verbs | Needs specific nouns and verbs; too general | Little to no use of specific nouns and verbs | |
Sentences flow throughout piece | Sentences mostly flow | Sentences need to flow | Sentences are difficult to read and do not flow | |
Zero errors | Few errors | Several errors | Many errors make it hard to read |
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- Writing Prompts for Elementary School Students
- Writing a Lesson Plan: Closure and Context
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WTO / Business / Tracking / 40 Free Rubric Templates – Examples – Word, PDF
40 Free Rubric Templates – Examples – Word, PDF
A rubric template is a printable grading tool that defines scoring criteria for evaluating the performance of a student or employee and giving feedback, which is grading.
It is typically presented as a matrix that indicates the different levels of achievement (quality) in terms of performance and understanding.
It will state the teacher’s or employer’s expectations and the different levels of effectiveness in fulfilling those expectations. Its main components are areas of assessment (tasks), evaluation criteria (dimensions), performance levels (scale), and descriptions of the evaluation criteria or dimensions. They are used to assess and grade term papers, presentations, project reports, essays, the success of projects, and other particular assignments given to students or employees.
How are the rubric templates useful to a teacher or employer? Primarily, it provides a uniform framework and language for assessment. This way, performance quality can be defined and graded based on merit. They are also crucial in defining organizational standards as they indicate and define the characteristics of the expected level of performance.
Teachers and employers can then communicate to students and employees where they can go and how they will get there in terms of performance. In addition, they reduce the time and simplify the assessment and grading exercise. Rubrics can also justify feedback; why the teacher or employer graded the individual’s performance as they did.
Areas in which such templates are used include:
- Job interview scoring
- Decision-making
- General math projects
- Basic analytics, etc.
Editable Rubic Templates
Rubric Template Types
When selecting a template, it is best to use one that can effectively meet the assessment needs at hand. The two common types are analytic and holistic rubrics. Below are the different types of templates:
Analytic rubrics evaluate and grade an assignment or work at each performance level. As a result, each performance level gets a separate score which typically requires at least two characteristics of that performance level to be assessed.
Download: Microsoft Word (.docx)
A holistic rubric provides a generalized assessment and score for the assignment. It gives the overall student's or employee's performance based on all the criteria assessed. Holistic rubrics are suited for quick assessments and large group scoring. However, they are confined in that they are not detailed as they do not show specific performances at each level.
Rubrics are also used in project management to evaluate performance. The criteria used in project management rubrics are project phases, key objectives, and project milestones. The success metrics or indicators of each criterion are then listed as characteristics of levels of performance. A rating scale is used to measure performance.
The performance of a business plan can be assessed using a rubrics template. Components of the business plan such as mission statement, market analysis, operational plan, financial plan are used as criteria and are rated based on their quality. A business plan rubric template helps identify the strengths and weaknesses of a business plan before presentation or execution.
Job interviewers are popularly known to use rubrics to assess and score interviewees. Job qualifications and requirements such as academic qualification, professional experience, skills, and references can be used as criteria for evaluating performance.
Employee performance assessment is essential for HR management and boosting productivity. An employee performance rubric will take into consideration teamwork, attendance, time management, leadership, and other aspects that influence productivity.
Rubrics can be used in product research and decision-making. A rubric is used to assess how a new product or intended purchase aligns with business objectives. Factors considered when assessing a product are viability, demand, RoI, and other benefits that can be realized by its introduction. The performance of the product can be ranked and compared to those of other products to determine which product is worth investing in, the most beneficial.
A marketing plan's success depends on multiple factors that can be assessed with a rubrics template. The rubric can evaluate how action items influence results and grade their performance. The overall score of the marketing plan is an indication of its effectiveness and can be used to determine areas of improvement.
A group project rubric is used to assess the performance of a group of individuals assigned the same task. The rubric considers factors such as teamwork, member contributions, subject knowledge, presentation skills, organization, content, and any other. A group project template is a simple tool for collectively assessing team members.
A type of rubric template used for grading art projects. It will cover aspects such as subject comprehension, skill and craftsmanship, originality, creativity, and other criteria that can be used to grade art. This type of rubric template will vary depending on the type of art.
Science projects can be evaluated using rubrics. Examples of factors considered when assessing a science project are experimental hypothesis, design, materials, procedure, data collection, analysis, discussion, and presentation skills.
A poster rubric template is used to evaluate poster assignments, commonly utilized in elementary school. Criteria used include required components, graphics used, presentation appeal, creativity, content, and grammar. Students can grade each student accordingly.
Rubrics can be used to evaluate and score research projects, written reports, and other written assignments such as dissertations, essays, etc. Common criteria used in research project rubrics include objectives, content, format and structure, writing skills, analytical skills, use of references, submission, etc.
Presentation is a common means of reporting in both academic and business settings. The effectiveness of a presentation can be established through a rubric. Elements of a presentation that need to be assessed are oral communication and presentation skills, delivery, visual elements, organization, supporting material, etc. Rubrics can be used by lecturers, professors, and supervisors to grade presentations.
A type of rubric used to assess any type of project, assignment, or work performance. It covers the key elements of a performance success such as comprehension, skill, creativity, effort, cooperation, etc.
How to Create It?
A good rubric template has to be detailed to give an accurate assessment. It must outline all the elements while giving comprehensive descriptors.
Below are the steps for developing a template:
Create a task description
The first step is to identify the tasks or areas of assessment. The task description(s) indicate the actions that the student or employee is expected to complete and will often be influenced by the assessor’s objectives. Factors that determine the task description include the importance of each task, performance assessment procedure, level of feedback expected to be given, performance standards, and grading system to be adopted.
For a teacher, the task could be:
A ten-page book review of Romeo and Juliet.
Identify the criteria (rows)
Next, the assessor should identify the criteria they will use to assess the quality or grade of performance. Criteria are used to assess the student or employee’s level of skills and knowledge; identify at least four criteria and at most 7. Different assignments will have different criteria. Eliminate any non-crucial criteria.
The criteria can be grammar, originality, content, and clarity in the example above.
Determine a performance rating scale (columns)
Afterward, determine the grading system for the rubric template to assess the performance level at each work criterion. A performance rating scale should cover the following three levels of performance:
- Level 1: Level 1 represents the optimal expectations of the assessor. Therefore, the characteristics that describe the best work or meet the assessor’s expectations should be determined.
- Level 2: Level 2 should represent intermediate categories or levels of performance , which can be more than one. A description of the characteristics of these levels should be determined.
- Level 3: The last category of performance level should give characteristics of an unacceptable level of performance.
The performance rating scale can be given as; ranks such as numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) or grades (A, B, C) or as descriptors such as excellent, good, satisfactory, and needs improvement. The example given earlier can use these descriptors. Each character and definition of the performance levels should be mutually exclusive.
As a result, an even number of performance levels should be used to avoid categorizing levels with cross-over characteristics and descriptions. Performance levels should be supplied in the columns and must follow an order, preferably best to worst.
Write a description for each performance level
The assessor should then provide short, measurable, and specific descriptions or statements for each performance level. The description should be able to assess and categorize assignments that are being assessed. Ensure the template is limited to one page to make it easier to use.
Test rubric
The template is then tested by applying it to an assignment and sharing the assessment results with colleagues. Have them evaluate how effective the rubric is in grading performances based on shared organizational grading systems and shared expectations.
Get feedback and revise
Once feedback is obtained, review the template and incorporate any improvements required or remove any notable issues.
Smart Tips to Develop a Good Rubic
How well a rubric is developed influences the accuracy of its results (scores). Below are essential tips to keep in mind when creating one:
- Find and adapt an existing rubric: Due to the divergent expectations of different assessors, it is rare to find an existing one that highlights all the expectations of a project or assignment. While a project-specific can be created, it may take time. Therefore, it is always best to look for a closely resembling rubric, maybe from a colleague, and modify/adapt it to fit the situation.
- Evaluate the template: Review the template to add or remove. An effective one must relate to the assessor’s expectations and be feasible for the project. Irrelevant elements should be removed.
- Collect samples of student work: Collect samples of the student or employee performance that meet the expectations at each performance level to act as benchmarks or exemplars of quality at the different levels. Samples are essential for highlighting characteristics at different scale levels.
Pros and Cons of It
The use of rubrics has its advantages and disadvantages. This article will look at the pros and cons that teachers and employers should be aware of when assessing the performance of their students and employees, respectively.
One of the merits template is its ability to give feedback to the person being assessed. Feedback is a crucial element in helping students and employees identify their strengths and weaknesses and promoting growth in performance. Students and workers can know the areas that led to a poor assessment report and learn how to improve on these areas.
They promote metacognition development by promoting critical thinking among students and workers. Rubrics justify scores and grades, demonstrating that students earned their awarded grades rather than just being given them. This fosters better performances in the future as the person being assessed becomes aware of what is expected of them.
Rubrics are criterion-based rather than norm-based. This means they assess performance based on the set criteria rather than relativity – conscious or subconscious comparison with other works. By having criteria to measure performance, assessors can make better decisions and limit bias when awarding scores.
Fairness is integral in academics and business. Their use ensures a fixed set of standards is used in evaluating a student’s or employee’s performance. Therefore, regardless of how divergent the student’s or employee’s approach is, it is graded depending on how effectively it satisfies the assessor’s expectations.
There is no standard or fixed scale for rubrics. Assessors can use scales as they see fit, and in some cases, this may compromise its effectiveness. On extreme scales, too few or too many options lead to an ineffective one because too few options do not offer enough details. Too many options are difficult to interpret due to the negligible discrepancies between adjacent options.
They often use inconsistent language that may result in misinterpretations. It is recommended that parallelism and consistency be maintained throughout the description of each performance level.
For example, in a rubric that assesses the relevance of a paper to the topic, the levels can be described as follows:
- Level A – unimportant
- Level B – slightly unimportant
- Level C – moderately important
- Level D – important
The rubric has not used parallelism and consistency due to the combination of unimportant and essential definitions. A better one would be as follows:
- Level A – Least important
- Level B – moderately important
- Level C – important
- Level D – most important
Rubrics that use solid or negative language such as “Not,” “Never,” or “None” to describe poor or low-level performances are known to counter their benefits as they tend to discourage students and workers. The use of slightly, minor, or un- is advocated for.
Sometimes they tend to be vague when defining the characteristics of each performance level. Criteria should be observable and measurable, and how these are achieved should be specified when describing each scale level.
A thesis that is always strong can be characterized as specific, original, and evidence-based. In contrast, a thesis that is usually substantial can be defined as defendable and evidence-based. The characteristic “originality” distinguishes the two without relying on the subjective terms “always” and “usually.”
Key Takeaways
Assessments are necessary for academics and business. A rubric is an effective way of maintaining accurate and consistent student and employee performance records. They also help in offering feedback to the individuals being assessed. Therefore, more than an assessment tool, it is a communication tool between teachers/employers and students/workers.
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- AACU VALUE Rubrics
Using rubrics
A rubric is a type of scoring guide that assesses and articulates specific components and expectations for an assignment. Rubrics can be used for a variety of assignments: research papers, group projects, portfolios, and presentations.
Why use rubrics?
Rubrics help instructors:
- Assess assignments consistently from student-to-student.
- Save time in grading, both short-term and long-term.
- Give timely, effective feedback and promote student learning in a sustainable way.
- Clarify expectations and components of an assignment for both students and course teaching assistants (TAs).
- Refine teaching methods by evaluating rubric results.
Rubrics help students:
- Understand expectations and components of an assignment.
- Become more aware of their learning process and progress.
- Improve work through timely and detailed feedback.
Considerations for using rubrics
When developing rubrics consider the following:
- Although it takes time to build a rubric, time will be saved in the long run as grading and providing feedback on student work will become more streamlined.
- A rubric can be a fillable pdf that can easily be emailed to students.
- They can be used for oral presentations.
- They are a great tool to evaluate teamwork and individual contribution to group tasks.
- Rubrics facilitate peer-review by setting evaluation standards. Have students use the rubric to provide peer assessment on various drafts.
- Students can use them for self-assessment to improve personal performance and learning. Encourage students to use the rubrics to assess their own work.
- Motivate students to improve their work by using rubric feedback to resubmit their work incorporating the feedback.
Getting Started with Rubrics
- Start small by creating one rubric for one assignment in a semester.
- Ask colleagues if they have developed rubrics for similar assignments or adapt rubrics that are available online. For example, the AACU has rubrics for topics such as written and oral communication, critical thinking, and creative thinking. RubiStar helps you to develop your rubric based on templates.
- Examine an assignment for your course. Outline the elements or critical attributes to be evaluated (these attributes must be objectively measurable).
- Create an evaluative range for performance quality under each element; for instance, “excellent,” “good,” “unsatisfactory.”
- Avoid using subjective or vague criteria such as “interesting” or “creative.” Instead, outline objective indicators that would fall under these categories.
- The criteria must clearly differentiate one performance level from another.
- Assign a numerical scale to each level.
- Give a draft of the rubric to your colleagues and/or TAs for feedback.
- Train students to use your rubric and solicit feedback. This will help you judge whether the rubric is clear to them and will identify any weaknesses.
- Rework the rubric based on the feedback.
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Simple Rubric Examples for Teachers
- DESCRIPTION teacher grading A+ on essay paper
- SOURCE Pixsooz / iStock / Getty Images Plus
- PERMISSION Used under Getty Images license
A rubric is a performance-based assessment tool. Teachers use rubrics to gather data about their students’ progress on a particular assignment or skill. Simple rubrics allow students to understand what is required in an assignment, how it will be graded, and how well they are progressing toward proficiency .
Rubrics can be both formative (ongoing) and summative (final) assessment tools for evaluating written work, projects, oral presentations, or any other class assignment. There are four types of rubrics: checklists, holistic rubrics, analytic rubrics, and developmental rubrics. Teachers, including homeschool parents, can refer to these simple rubric examples to formulate their own.
Rubrics as Checklists
These basic rubric examples ensure that all parts of the assignment are present. They help students keep track of each element of a project. Checklists also let teachers see whether a student fully participated in an assignment, but they aren’t as informative as other rubrics.
Example of a Checklist Rubric
Checklists are useful in all subject areas because they’re versatile and easy to understand. As long as each part of an assignment is present, the student receives full credit. An example of a science project checklist includes a column for students to check their work before turning it in.
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Includes a cover page with name and project title | ||
Provides research notes from different sites | ||
Cell model is made of Play Doh, candy, or other material | ||
Cell model includes labels for each part of the cell | ||
Provides explanation paragraph for each part of the cell | ||
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Checklists are handy to use and easy to grade. They measure participation and completion of a project rather than skills achieved, unlike holistic rubrics.
Holistic Rubrics
A general rubric that lists a few levels of performance is a holistic rubric. These rubrics usually combine criteria for a certain score into one level. Holistic rubrics include more information than a checklist and make good formative assessment tools.
Example of a Holistic Rubric
The typical A-F grading system is one example of a holistic rubric in which many skills are combined for one score. Here is another example of a holistic rubric for an oral presentation in social studies.
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The presenter spoke clearly, held eye contact throughout the presentation, used more than two visual aids (including multimedia), stood up straight without hands in pockets, answered questions, and spoke for more than 5 minutes. | 5 |
The presenter spoke clearly most of the time, looked down at notes but mostly held eye contact, used two visual aids (including multimedia), mostly stood up straight, answered one or two questions, and spoke for 4-5 minutes. | 4 |
The presenter spoke clearly for part of the time, mostly looked at notes but made eye contact a few times, used two visual aids (no multimedia), stood up straight for part of the time, answered one question, and spoke for 2-4 minutes. | 3 |
The presenter did not speak clearly, made eye contact a few times, used one visual aid (no multimedia), slouched or put hands in pockets a few times, did not answer questions, and spoke for 1-2 minutes | 2 |
The presenter was difficult to understand, did not look up from notes, did not have visual aids, slouched or put hands in pockets for most of the presentation, did not answer questions, and spoke less than 1 minute. | 1 |
The presenter did not prepare a presentation. | 0 |
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Although holistic rubrics are more complex than checklists, they aren’t as helpful for assessing specific skills within a project. It’s possible for students to score between two levels if they achieve some criteria but not others.
Analytic Rubrics
An analytic rubric assesses each aspect of an assignment. It awards a designated number of points to each part which adds up to the student’s final score. Projects with analytic rubrics take longer to grade, but they are informative to teachers as summative assessment tools.
Example of an Analytic Rubric
Analytic rubrics are useful in any subject in which the teacher needs to monitor discrete skills. Check out an example of an analytic essay for a language arts literary essay .
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| Shows a thorough and thoughtful understanding of the text. | Shows a comprehensive understanding of the text. | Shows a basic understanding of the text. | Shows a limited understanding of the text. | Shows little understanding of the text. |
| Includes at least 3 specific textual details that clearly support each topic sentence. Uses at least 2 sentences of commentary per concrete detail. | Includes 3 specific textual details that generally support each topic sentence. Uses 2 sentences of commentary per concrete detail. | Includes 2-3 general textual details in each body paragraph. Uses 1 or 2 sentences of commentary per concrete detail. | Includes 1-2 general textual details in each body paragraph. Uses 1 sentence of commentary per concrete detail. | Does not include textual details. |
| Essay is well-organized, including a strong intro, thesis statement that directly connects to three body paragraphs, and a thought-provoking conclusion. | Essay is organized, and all necessary elements are present. The thesis is present but not well-supported. | Essay is somewhat organized. Intro includes a weak thesis statement. Body paragraphs do not connect well to the thesis. | Essay needs to be better organized. Thesis statement is hard to find. Includes fewer than three body paragraphs. | Essay is one paragraph or does not have any appearance of organization. No thesis statement. |
| Uses a variety of sentence types and precise, descriptive language to establish a formal voice. | Uses a variety of sentence types and some descriptive language to establish a formal voice. | Uses mostly simple and compound sentences. Includes some descriptive language. | Uses mostly simple sentences with little to no descriptive language. | Uses no sentence variety. Voice is not formal. |
| Contains 0-1 grammatical or syntax errors. | Contains 2-3 grammatical or syntax errors. | Contains 4-5 grammatical or syntax errors. | Contains more than 6 grammatical or syntax errors. | Contains serious grammatical or syntax errors. |
| All formal specifications were followed (12-point font in Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, double spaced). | One format specification was not followed (12-point font in Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, double spaced). | Two format specifications were not followed (12-point font in Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, double spaced). | Three or more format specifications were not followed (12-point font in Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, double spaced). | Paper was not typed. |
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Analytic rubrics are an effective form of communication between teacher and student. Expectations are clear and results are easy to understand. However, if you want to measure a student’s progress over the long term, you’ll need a developmental rubric.
Developmental Rubrics
While other types of rubrics measure one assignment or project, a developmental rubric tracks a student’s overall progress toward proficiency. These continuum rubrics can span one standard, one subject, or one skill. Developmental rubrics are more time-consuming for teachers than analytic rubrics, but they are the most informative type of assessment tool.
Example of a Developmental Rubric
The Common Core standards are an example of a developmental rubric with benchmarks over each grade level. Standards-based grading systems are becoming more common in modern classrooms. Check out an example of a developmental rubric designed to keep track of elementary math skills in operations and algebraic thinking.
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| Student can use addition and subtraction to solve complex word problems. | Student can use addition and subtraction to solve basic word problems. | Student is learning to use addition and subtraction to solve word problems. | Student struggles to use addition and subtraction to solve word problems. |
| Student can fluently add and subtract past 20 with a variety of strategies and has memorized all sums of one-digit numbers and some two-digit numbers. | Student can add and subtract up to 20 with a variety of strategies and has memorized all sums of one-digit numbers. | Student can add and subtract up to 20 with one strategy, and is learning additional strategies. They are working on memorizing sums of one-digit numbers. | Student has difficulty adding and subtracting up to 20. They don’t have one-digit number sums memorized. |
| Student can identify if a group of over 20 objects contains an odd or even number using a variety of strategies, and can explain their thought process. | Student can identify if a group of 10-20 objects contains an odd or even number using a variety of strategies. | Student knows the difference between odd and even numbers, and is learning how to identify whether a group of objects contains an odd or even number. | Student doesn’t yet know the difference between odd and even numbers. |
Unlike other rubrics, developmental rubrics indicate an ongoing learning process. They measure skill rather than participation and effort levels. Students will ideally start at the Progressing level at the beginning of the unit or school year and will end at the Proficient level.
Making Your Own Rubric
No matter which type of rubric you use, there are several ways to ensure that it’s an effective learning tool. Here are some tips for creating a rubric:
- Be detailed. Students are more likely to meet requirements when they know exactly what you’re expecting.
- Provide rubrics at the very beginning of the project. No one likes surprises.
- No rubric can replace your own comments. While rubrics allow you to measure skills, students still need positive reinforcement about their work.
- Make rubric scores align directly with student grades. Parents and students can easily see why they lost a specific number of points.
- Use student-friendly language. Some academic language is helpful, but rubrics are just as valuable for students as they are for you.
Simple rubric example
If you’re ready to design your own rubric, start with the customizable rubric template we’ve provided here. You can add your own requirements, point system, and objectives. Happy grading!
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This rubric can help you assess those skills objectively. Learn more: Education World. Project-Based Learning Rubric. Implementing project-based learning can be time-intensive, but the payoffs are worth it. Try this rubric to make student expectations clear and end-of-project assessment easier. Learn more: Free Technology for Teachers. 100 ...
Step 7: Create your rubric. Create your rubric in a table or spreadsheet in Word, Google Docs, Sheets, etc., and then transfer it by typing it into Moodle. You can also use online tools to create the rubric, but you will still have to type the criteria, indicators, levels, etc., into Moodle.
Keep rubrics as a portfolio of writing progress throughout the year. The student can use each rubric as a guideline for the next paper. At the end of the school year, the cumulative rubrics show the progress made. Keep a rubric to a one-page length. Longer rubrics are cumbersome both for the writer and the grader.
1. Define Clear Criteria. Identify specific aspects of writing to evaluate. Be clear and precise. The criteria should reflect the key components of the writing task. For example, for a narrative essay, criteria might include plot development, character depth, and use of descriptive language.
Homework Grading Rubric Examples. Esther has taught middle school and has a master's degree in gifted education. A homework grading rubric makes it easier for teachers to evaluate the work done by ...
A grading rubric template is a type of tool used for assessment. You can use it to express your expectations regarding the work of your students. In it, you'll define what you will assess. You'll also describe the criteria for how you will evaluate their work.
Rubric Examples. Rubrics are a valuable tool to speed up grading and clarify expectations. Browse our rubric examples for subjects like art, social studies, and math, as well as skills like ...
3. Create the rating scale. According to Suskie, you will want at least 3 performance levels: for adequate and inadequate performance, at the minimum, and an exemplary level to motivate students to strive for even better work. Rubrics often contain 5 levels, with an additional level between adequate and exemplary and a level between adequate ...
Grading rubrics will help assess assignments according to its nature, be it summative or practice. Here are potential criteria for a student's work: Homework must be: Dated. Has the proper heading. Neat and free of blemishes. Turned in on time. Shows all necessary work, steps, and procedures. Written clearly and is free of errors.
The four-point rubric uses four potential points the student can earn for each area, such as 1) strong, 2) developing, 3) emerging, and 4) beginning. To turn your rubric score into a letter grade, divide the points earned by the points possible. Example: The student earns 18 out of 20 points. 18/20 = 90 percent; 90 percent = A.
Download: Microsoft Word (.docx) Holistic Rubric Template. A holistic rubric provides a generalized assessment and score for the assignment. It gives the overall student's or employee's performance based on all the criteria assessed. Holistic rubrics are suited for quick assessments and large group scoring.
Holistic scoring is a quick method of evaluating a composition based on the reader's general impression of the overall quality of the writing—you can generally read a student's composition and assign a score to it in two or three minutes. Holistic scoring is usually based on a scale of 0-4, 0-5, or 0-6.
Rubrics help instructors: Assess assignments consistently from student-to-student. Save time in grading, both short-term and long-term. Give timely, effective feedback and promote student learning in a sustainable way. Clarify expectations and components of an assignment for both students and course teaching assistants (TAs).
Assessment is an important communication tool between teacher and student. Check out examples of different types of rubrics or download a template to create your own rubric.
Grading numerous homework and paying attention to every individual's work is a time-consuming task. Using rubrics helps you do this task efficiently as you have criteria preset, and now you can grade your students' work by comparing it against the rubric. Fair Assessment. A rubric gives you the means to fairly assess each of your students' tasks.
Example 1: Philosophy Paper This rubric was designed for student papers in a range of courses in philosophy (Carnegie Mellon). Example 2: Psychology Assignment Short, concept application homework assignment in cognitive psychology (Carnegie Mellon). Example 3: Anthropology Writing Assignments This rubric was designed for a series of short ...
[a] This policy especially makes sense on exam problems, for which students are under time pressure and are more likely to make harmless algebraic mistakes. It would also be reasonable to have stricter standards for homework problems. Analytic Rubric. The following is an analytic rubric that takes the desired traits of the solution and assigns point values to each of the components.
Rubrics are an important tool to assess learning in an equitable and just manner. This is because they enable: A common set of standards and criteria to be uniformly applied, which can mitigate bias. Transparency regarding the standards and criteria on which students are evaluated. Efficient grading with timely and actionable feedback.
Whenever we give feedback, it inevitably reflects our priorities and expectations about the assignment. In other words, we're using a rubric to choose which elements (e.g., right/wrong answer, work shown, thesis analysis, style, etc.) receive more or less feedback and what counts as a "good thesis" or a "less good thesis."
Short Summary Homework rubrics can solve a number of grading issues for teachers. When making a rubric, first select the format, such as a matrix or table rubric, a list rubric, or chart rubric.
5.0. (58) $1.50. Word Document File. These two editable math rubrics (five and ten points) are effective ways to grade the piles of math homework handed in every day. It saves the teacher time when grading.It is a quick way to grade math homework and return it to the students promptly.
Take the ambiguity out of grading homework with this simple rubric. This rubric is designed to help students and parents understand how homework will be graded. There are 2 designs presented. The first rubric includes the points that will be given, why the teacher gave that number of points, and a section for the students to look at to ...
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