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Purpose
Before creating
a rubric, one must first understand the purpose of the given assessment,
because the rubric must be designed to meet that purpose. The six most
common purposes of rubrics are listed below. They need not be mutually
exclusive in all cases.
Formative Assessment
Formative
assessment occurs during the learning process. It can provide information
about a student's strengths
and weaknesses. It can also be used to assess progress on a project.
This information can be used to direct student's learning in the most beneficial
manner. Formative assessments do not have to include a grade, but can
be
used entirely as a learning guide. The assessment can also be carried
out by the instructor or by the student.Examples -In the following example,
an instructor is assessing student activity in a laboratory course. In
addition
to a summative assessment at the end, a formative assessment has been
designed
to make sure that students are on the right track from the beginning,
or the entire lab could become an exercise in frustration for the student.
The importance is that the rubric is used while the lab exercise is underway,
so that the student can use the feedback to help complete the rest of
the
assignment well. This rubric could be scored, or simply used as a guide
for the student. Please note that this example and the others below are
somewhat simple and much more detailed ones could be created. We will
also discuss the creation of exemplary examples for each cell later.
Criteria
|
4 points
|
3 points
|
2 points
|
1 point
|
| Completed Pre-lab (Content) |
Experimental plan is complete |
The plan is lacking a few
details |
The plan is lacking several
details |
The plan is lacking significant
detail |
| Timeliness |
On schedule |
- |
Off schedule |
Off schedule and pre-lab
late |
| Pre-lab questions |
All correct |
At least 80% correct |
At least 60% correct |
At least 50% correct |
| Behavior |
Student has observed safety
rules, worked well with others, and remained on task |
Worked off taks often |
At least one safety rule
violated and worked off task often |
Safety rules violated more
than once, ordered other students around, consistently off task. |
| Materials Use |
Correct materials used and
identified. |
- |
Incorrect materials used
in some instances |
Waste and incorrect materials
useage |
| Data Collection |
Data collected at all times,
accurately, and legibly in lab book. |
Some data missing |
Some data is inaccurate
and/or at least half of data is missing |
More than half of data is
missing and/or more than half of data is inaccurate or illegible |
One of the most important assignments
to keep tabs on in many courses is the progess of group work. If the group
losed functionality early in the process, the entire assignemnt can be
jeopardized. A formative assessment can help to determine whether the groups
are on track and working towards the common goal. While this example looks
at the group as a whole, individual students could also be assessed. To
show some variety, this assessment does not include a score. If something
is determined as unsatisfactory, then instructor intervention may be required.
Criteria
|
Satisfactory
|
Unsatisfactory
|
| Cohesiveness |
All members are working
well together towards a common goal |
Several members are in opposition
and goals are not at a consensus in a timely manner |
| Plan |
Group has a plan to complete
the project |
Group is still working on
a plan |
| Behavior |
Everyone is cordial and
working well together |
There is significant discord
among group members |
| Progress |
Progress is being made at
or beyond expected level |
Students are well behind
other groups and expected level |
| Goal |
The goals of the group are
in agreement with the assignment |
The group is working towards
a goal that is contrary to the assignment |
Summative Assessment
Summative
assessment is conducted after a program of study has been implemented and
completed. It is generally
used to provide information about a student's current state of knowledge
or to determine a student's progress towards an agreed upon set of standards.
Summative assessments can also be used to evaluate effectiveness of instruction
or a program. They can also be used to direct a student's future learning.
That is, based upon the results of one assessment, directions can be
given for the next phase or stage of learning or instruction. Summative assessments
can build the scaffold upon which students are guided, especially when
given to the students prior to being graded. In such a way, they help
the
students understand the standards expected of them. Also, following the
use of a summative assessment, the rubric can be used to provide customized,
personalized feedback to the students. As with formative assessments,
summative assessments can be carried out by anyone depending on the needs,
and they
do not have to scored.Example -One of the most difficult aspects
of an online course is to fairly and effectively assess participation
in discussion. Many methods for this assessment exist. Some of them include
rubrics. There are also many types and variations among these rubrics.
The following is just one example of a discussion participation rubric
that can be used at the end of a course to assign a grade to participation
within the course as a whole.
Criteria
|
Advanced
|
Proficient
|
Not
Yet There
|
Not
There at
All
|
| Development of Ideas |
Well-developed ideas; introduces
new ideas, and stimulates discussion (5-6 pts. |
Developing ideas; sometimes
stimulates discussion (3-4 pts.) |
Poorly developed ideas which
do not add to the discussion (1 pt.) |
Does not enter the discussion
(0) |
| Evidence of Critical Thinking |
Clear evidence of critical
thinking-application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Postings
are characterized by clarity of argument, depth of insight into theoretical
issues, originality of treatment, and relevance. Sometimes include
unusual insights. Arguments are well supported. (5-6 pts) |
Beginning of critical thinking;
postings tend to address peripheral issues. Generally accurate, but
could be improved with more analysis and creative thought. Tendency
to recite facts rather than address issues. (3-4 pts.) |
Poorly developed critical
thinking (1 pt) |
Does not enter the discussion
(0) |
| Clarity |
Posts are well articulated
and understandable (4 pts) |
Posts are understandable,
but some thought is required (2-3 pts) |
Posts are difficult to clarify
(1 pt) |
Posts are unintelligible
or not present (0) |
| Responses to Other Students
and Instructor |
Interacts at least 2 times
with other students and/or instructor. (4 pts) |
Interacts at least once
with other student or instructor. (2 pts) |
|
Does not enter discussion
(0) |
| Timeliness |
Individual messages and
at least two responses posted before deadline (4 pts) |
Individual message posted
before deadline but at least one response is late. (2 pts) |
Posting is made after deadline
or both responses late. (1 pt) |
Everything is late or not
completed. (0) |
Evaluation
In
addition to assessing student performance, rubrics can be used
to evaluate instructional design and instructional
effectiveness. Evaluative rubrics are often used at the end of a course
to view both the course and instructor quality. They typically use a
mixed method involving both Likert scaled questions and open-ended
short answer
questions.Example -One way to use an evaluative
rubric is to look at the quality of an experience. They are often used
to evaluate instructors after a course. They can also be used to evaluate
the course itself. The following example is just one of the many sections
used in the evaluations that the Illinois Online Network uses to evaluate
Making the Virtual Classroom a Reality courses. Ranking range from Examplary
to Not Present in this holistic style rubric.
Structure
/ Framework of the Course
|
| Criteria |
Ranking |
| Home page has appropriate
links and announcements. It is inviting and motivating to the students. |
|
| Course menu (or other method
of accessing tools and content) contains links to appropriate course
tools and content and is well organized. |
|
| Provision is made to solicit
and present biographies of the participants of some other form of ice-breaking
activity. |
|
| Course materials are well
organized and easily accessed. It is obvious to the students where
to go to find a specific item. |
|
| Comments |
Educative
Educative
rubrics are not intended for grading. Instead, they provide guidelines
by which students can learn
and study. Such rubrics can be in the form of an evaluation of a
self-assessment. Like an advanced organizer, such rubrics can be
used to contruct the
scaffold on which students will construct their knowledge. They
can also allow a
presentation of guidelines and expectations.All rubrics can be educative
in one form or another. Rubrics can be used to provide customized
feedback to students following grading for example, even though the
intent of
the rubric is more for summative or formative assessment.Example
-The following
educative rubric is designed to give the students the expectations
on an exam. An instructor
can always give the students a summative rubric that will be used
on an assignment or an advanced organizer to perform the same task
given proper
instruction. The educative rubric shown next though is more of a
guideline
on how the student can prepare for the exam. It has been simplified
for presentation here, but you should be able to get the idea.
There are
many other ways to create educative rubrics, as well as all rubrics
for that
matter. Notice in the following rubric that their current status
or study tips are presented after the "-".
Literature
Exam Preparation Rubric
|
| Area |
Self-Ranking High |
Self-Ranking Average |
Self-Ranking Low |
| Characters |
Know all of the characters
- you're ready |
Know most of the characters
- see the character sheet. Find characters you are missing and describe
them. |
Difficulty remembering the
characters. - complete the entire character worksheet. |
| Plot |
Know the plot of all of
the books, including any twists and main themes - you're ready |
Know most of the plots,
twists, or themes - write out the themes of each book. What was the
book trying to accomplish? Consider unexpected things that happened
in the books. |
Difficulty remembering the
plots - Did you read the books? If so, skim over them to refresh your
knowledge of the plot. Otherwise, pray. |
| Style |
Understand the style of
literature currently being studied. |
Sort of understand - Think
about what the stories had in common whether it is writing style, period
written, what was written about, etc. |
Do not understand - refer
to our notes on style. Read them twice. |
| Books |
All books read - your ready |
Most of the books are read
- with time, read the others to find out what you are missing. Otherwise,
you will have to concentrate on what you have read to get as good a
score as possible. |
None of the books read.
- You are probably about to drop this course. |
| etc. |
etc. |
etc. |
etc. |
Motivational
Rubrics
can be used to provide motivation for learners. When rubrics are
given out before an assignment
is begun (NOTE: There are cases where you do not want to release a rubric,
such as when it can give away answers), students know their expectations
and can try to meet them. One argument is that some students will reduce
their work in an effort to get the B instead of the A. The counter to
this argument is that many students without motivation to begin
with may not
have even received a B had their not been a rubric provided. It is an
instructor and class dependent decision. Educative rubrics can
also be motivational
when the student realizes what s/he does not know and then seeks to learn
that information. Motivational rubrics are not so much a class unto themselves
as they are a modificaiton of other rubrics for a new purpose. In motivational
rubrics, you want to supply students with an explanation of how they
can do well on an assignment, perhaps even adding the importance
or objectives
met, while not providing any information that may give away an answer
or procedure that the students are expected to learn or discover
on their
own.Example -In the following example, the
first formative rubric example above has been modified to create a motivational
rubric for the students. Grading has been removed, along with sub-par
performance measures. They have been replaced with new language
and objectives that
relate to student real-world wants and needs.
| Criteria |
Requirements |
Rationale |
| Completed Pre-Lab (Content) |
Experimental plan is complete |
Having a completed experimental
plan means that you understand what you are about to do and why. Your
time in lab will be shortened and you will nto be frustrated if you
know what is going on. |
| Timeliness |
Completed on time. |
No one wants to be stuck
in lab for hours. Be prepared and you will get things done on time. |
| Pre-lab Questions |
All correct. |
You should really understand
what you are doing and why. You will learn more from the lab and have
more time to explore and have fun. |
| Behavior |
Student has observed safety
rules, worked will with others, and remained on task. |
Do not make this a bad experience
for anyone else, unless you want me to make it a bad experience for
you. |
| Materials Use |
Correct materials used and
identified. |
If you use the incorrect
materials, unexpected and harmful consequences may follow. |
| Data Collection |
Data Collected at all time,
accurately, and legibly in lab book. |
You cannot expect to get
the answers correct and the grade you might deserve if you do not collect
your data carefully in your book so that both you and I can read it. |
| Reasoning |
Understand why you are doing
this lab. |
In this lab, we will be
extracting DNA for study. Anyone planning to go on and study anything
involving DNA should find this lab especially interesting and helpful.
Even if this is not the case, you will learn many things of practical
importance such as how DNA evidence is collected and analyzed. |
Communicative
All
rubrics when given to the students are a form of communication between
instructor and students, instructor
and family, instructor and administration, etc. They tell how the assignment
will be graded or what the expectations of that assignment are. They
can tell the students what is expected of them on a variety of activities,
even attendance. They are also a way to communicate with students and
other
interested parties why a specific grade was received on a graded assignment.
The one item that can set the communicative rubric apart is when it provides
a rationale for final grade as shown in the following example.Example
- In this example, a rubric has been modified to give the student
a rationale
for his/her grade.
| Criteria |
Requirements |
Reasoning |
| Completed Pre-Lab (Content) |
Experimental plan was complete
(5 pts) |
You received full credit
on this item. I was pleased with how detailed your plan was. |
| Timeliness |
Completed on time (2 pts) |
As usual, everything was
handed in on time. |
| Pre-Lab Questions |
90% correct (9 pts) |
You misinterpreted item
10. You are not expected to bring into account variability in GATC
content for this question. Think about it some more. |
| Behavior |
2 pts |
No violations were noticed. |
| Materials Use |
Correct materials used (2
pts) |
|
| Data Collection |
Data collected at all time,
accurately, and legibly in book. (5 pts) |
While you could improve
your handwriting, you received full points here. |
| Results |
All calculations were completed
correctly (10 pts.) |
I could follow all of your
calculations and you had the final analysis correct on all points. |
| Conclusions |
Mostly correct (9 pts) |
Your final conclusion on
DNA identification was correct, but your arguments concerning additional
evidence was somewhat flawed in that you did not have evidence for
your assignment of hair samples that went beyond sight. |
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