What is a Rubric?

A rubric is an easily applicable form of authentic assessment. A rubric simply lists a set of criteria, which defines and describes the important components of the work being planned or evaluated. For example, students giving a research presentation might be graded in three areas, content, display, and presentation. A given criterion is then stated in several different levels of completion or competence, with a weighted score assigned to each level. Therefore, for each of the three areas, a score would be assigned, (0 being the lowest level). It sounds more complicated than it actually is, and looking at some of the examples in the list of links below should help.

A rubric should give clear guidelines to a reviewer on how to evaluate or "grade" a project presentation. Since the criteria for assessment are clearly defined in gradations from poor to excellent, different reviewers can arrive at similar conclusions when comparing a given presentation to each of the graduated criteria on a rubric.

As a guide for planning, a rubric gives students clear targets of proficiency to aim for. With a rubric in hand, they know what constitutes a "good" project presentation. As a gauge for measuring progress while the project is under way, a rubric can be a handy tool to help keep students on target: they can compare their progress with where they want to be on the rubric's proficiency scale, and refer to it in order to remind themselves of their goal. The most common assessment and evaluation tools used for collaborative learning are web-based rubrics. Most generate printable versions of the rubric. Some have a rubric calculator, allowing the teacher to select appropriate performance indicators and have a grade generated. Developing meaningful rubrics can be a challenge. Involving students in the development of rubrics helps them with their thinking, creates buy-in on their part, and clarifies expectations all around.

Finally, as an assessment tool, teachers can use it to assess projects, student groups, or individual students; students can use the same rubric for self-assessment as individuals, in groups, and for peer assessment; and parents can answer for themselves their questions about their child's performance.

While some ready-made rubrics may help to accomplish these different purposes, they become even more powerful when students help develop the rubric they will be using. Students must actively focus on and discuss the characteristics of effective and interesting media projects, giving them depths of understanding and insight not likely achieved from using a ready-made rubric.