3 Effective Performance Rubrics to Use NOW
Karen A. McCay
10 January 2017
With so many internet tools available for assessing student performance, it can be challenging for teachers to find a good fit for their specific students. Students need a performance rubric, which provides a general framework they like and understand so they are more likely to use the rubric as a guiding tool for their learning process. Below are three performance rubrics I use often with my current students. They foster student input, allow for accommodation of unique educational goals, and accommodate most classroom activities between the three of them.
Unit Proficiency Scales
A unit proficiency scale requires teachers to identify all of the standards they will target during a unit of instruction. Then either teachers or students need to unpack those standards to generate a list of knowledge and skills, which students can use as a checklist during the unit. The checklist becomes a proficiency scale when students and teachers begin to measure student performance on a measurable scale, but even a checklist is truly a proficiency scale with the strictest scale of yes/no or 1/0 proficiency.
I recently used a proficiency scale with my junior english students during their argumentation unit. Students unpacked the standards for this unit and wrote their own proficiency scale. They chose to rate their proficiency on a scale of 1-5, one being “does not meet expectations,” 2 being “partially meets expectations” 3 being “approaches expectations,” 4 being “meets expectations,” and 5 being “exceeds expectations” because the categories on their scale matched the categories of their district interim testing. A sample of their proficiency scale is linked below.
The benefit of using a proficiency scale throughout a unit, whether students write it or not, is that students can check the list of goals for the unit regularly, even daily, and ensure that their work is helping them attain their goals. According to Josh Work (2012), “Teachers are able to reflect on instruction and evaluate if their lessons truly met the needs of their learners. Students are able to focus their efforts on concepts they struggled to understand and the option for reassessment. Together, reteaching and reassessment allow for all stakeholders to experience that intelligence can be developed and is not set in stone” (ibid). Students are able to see how every lesson helps them master at least a portion of the unit goals, and they are more motivated as a result.re able to see how every lesson helps them master at least a portion of the unit goals, and they are more motivated as a result.
Karen A. McCay
10 January 2017
With so many internet tools available for assessing student performance, it can be challenging for teachers to find a good fit for their specific students. Students need a performance rubric, which provides a general framework they like and understand so they are more likely to use the rubric as a guiding tool for their learning process. Below are three performance rubrics I use often with my current students. They foster student input, allow for accommodation of unique educational goals, and accommodate most classroom activities between the three of them.
Unit Proficiency Scales
A unit proficiency scale requires teachers to identify all of the standards they will target during a unit of instruction. Then either teachers or students need to unpack those standards to generate a list of knowledge and skills, which students can use as a checklist during the unit. The checklist becomes a proficiency scale when students and teachers begin to measure student performance on a measurable scale, but even a checklist is truly a proficiency scale with the strictest scale of yes/no or 1/0 proficiency.
I recently used a proficiency scale with my junior english students during their argumentation unit. Students unpacked the standards for this unit and wrote their own proficiency scale. They chose to rate their proficiency on a scale of 1-5, one being “does not meet expectations,” 2 being “partially meets expectations” 3 being “approaches expectations,” 4 being “meets expectations,” and 5 being “exceeds expectations” because the categories on their scale matched the categories of their district interim testing. A sample of their proficiency scale is linked below.
The benefit of using a proficiency scale throughout a unit, whether students write it or not, is that students can check the list of goals for the unit regularly, even daily, and ensure that their work is helping them attain their goals. According to Josh Work (2012), “Teachers are able to reflect on instruction and evaluate if their lessons truly met the needs of their learners. Students are able to focus their efforts on concepts they struggled to understand and the option for reassessment. Together, reteaching and reassessment allow for all stakeholders to experience that intelligence can be developed and is not set in stone” (ibid). Students are able to see how every lesson helps them master at least a portion of the unit goals, and they are more motivated as a result.re able to see how every lesson helps them master at least a portion of the unit goals, and they are more motivated as a result.
satire_proficiency_scale.pdf | |
File Size: | 59 kb |
File Type: |
Democratic Writing Rubrics
While not all teaching units contain a writing component, many do. A democratic writing rubric allows students with diverse talents to be successful on their writing samples by norming the score by skills instead of a holistic score based on talent. For example, a democratic writing rubric would measure the writing skills taught in the unit, counting each skill as equally important in the grade. It would not grade untaught skills, and it would not allow for particularly talented writers to score highly even if they missed a unit learning target. This form of writing assessment only allows the teacher to assess what the teacher taught, not what the teacher enjoys, and therefore returns a democratic process to the assessment of student writing. According to Reeder (2008), effective writing rubrics “are multidimensional sets of scoring guidelines that can be used to provide consistency in evaluating student work. They spell out scoring criteria so that multiple teachers, using the same rubric for a student's essay, for example, would arrive at the same score or grade.” Students generally improve more during a democratic writing unit because they know exactly what skills the teacher will assess, and they have received specific instruction on how to correctly document those skills in writing. They have either mastered their skills, or they have not. The assessment at the end of the unit is not personal; it’s professional, and students have access to the rubric as they learn, so they can self-assess before submitting their writing assignments.
I always use democratic writing rubrics with my high school students, and the only question I ever field from colleagues about my rubrics is whether or not they inflate student grades. My grades on student writing are comparable to the national norm . . . except for my A writers. I have fewer A writers on all assignments because my strong writers, when they make a mistake, do not receive an A. I recently used a democratic rubric for a literary analysis essay with my sophomore english students in their Julius Caesar unit. Students received the rubric on the first day of the unit, during which they alternated reading an act of the play and watching a different digital version of the play, comparing the literary devices used by the author and the different directors. At the end of the unit, students could choose to write a classic literary analysis of the original play or a literary evaluation of any of the digital versions’ interpretations. The same rubric was used for each essay. The literary analysis rubric is linked below.
While not all teaching units contain a writing component, many do. A democratic writing rubric allows students with diverse talents to be successful on their writing samples by norming the score by skills instead of a holistic score based on talent. For example, a democratic writing rubric would measure the writing skills taught in the unit, counting each skill as equally important in the grade. It would not grade untaught skills, and it would not allow for particularly talented writers to score highly even if they missed a unit learning target. This form of writing assessment only allows the teacher to assess what the teacher taught, not what the teacher enjoys, and therefore returns a democratic process to the assessment of student writing. According to Reeder (2008), effective writing rubrics “are multidimensional sets of scoring guidelines that can be used to provide consistency in evaluating student work. They spell out scoring criteria so that multiple teachers, using the same rubric for a student's essay, for example, would arrive at the same score or grade.” Students generally improve more during a democratic writing unit because they know exactly what skills the teacher will assess, and they have received specific instruction on how to correctly document those skills in writing. They have either mastered their skills, or they have not. The assessment at the end of the unit is not personal; it’s professional, and students have access to the rubric as they learn, so they can self-assess before submitting their writing assignments.
I always use democratic writing rubrics with my high school students, and the only question I ever field from colleagues about my rubrics is whether or not they inflate student grades. My grades on student writing are comparable to the national norm . . . except for my A writers. I have fewer A writers on all assignments because my strong writers, when they make a mistake, do not receive an A. I recently used a democratic rubric for a literary analysis essay with my sophomore english students in their Julius Caesar unit. Students received the rubric on the first day of the unit, during which they alternated reading an act of the play and watching a different digital version of the play, comparing the literary devices used by the author and the different directors. At the end of the unit, students could choose to write a classic literary analysis of the original play or a literary evaluation of any of the digital versions’ interpretations. The same rubric was used for each essay. The literary analysis rubric is linked below.
shakespeare_literary_analysis_essay_rubric_-_google_docs.pdf | |
File Size: | 75 kb |
File Type: |
Project Rubrics
Students’ biggest concerns when projects are announced usually revolve around how they will be graded. A strong rubric provided at the beginning of the project generally relieves students’ concerns. I have experimented with using student-generated unit proficiency scales AS open project rubrics with some success, but only after establishing clear expectations for student work, for classroom behavior, and for what sorts of projects can be completed in a specific time frame. To ensure that projects run smoothly early in the year, instructors can begin a project with a generic project rubric, including directions for two or three examples of projects, which fit the directions. After introducing the rubric and directions, instructors should allow students to form teams, pairs, etc, and then let groups propose changes to the rubric and directions, which will increase rigor, motivation, and personal interest. Then groups can share their suggestions with the class and vote. Mary Ross (2007) recommends student involvement in the generation of rubrics for many reasons: “When shared with children before a project or an assignment, rubrics can be powerful motivational tools. If students are given the chance to contribute to the content of a rubric, “then it is much easier to hold them to its standards,” says Charlotte Sassman, a kindergarten teacher at the Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center in Fort Worth, Texas. Rather than directing youngsters toward past performance (“Why did I get a B instead of an A?”), rubrics can teach them to focus on current and future performance (“What steps can I take to progress to the next level?”). The class will improve the generic rubric, feel involved in the development of their assignment, and feel ownership in how they will be graded. As a result, the rubric becomes familiar and meaningful, so it serves as a useful tool for student success.
Students’ biggest concerns when projects are announced usually revolve around how they will be graded. A strong rubric provided at the beginning of the project generally relieves students’ concerns. I have experimented with using student-generated unit proficiency scales AS open project rubrics with some success, but only after establishing clear expectations for student work, for classroom behavior, and for what sorts of projects can be completed in a specific time frame. To ensure that projects run smoothly early in the year, instructors can begin a project with a generic project rubric, including directions for two or three examples of projects, which fit the directions. After introducing the rubric and directions, instructors should allow students to form teams, pairs, etc, and then let groups propose changes to the rubric and directions, which will increase rigor, motivation, and personal interest. Then groups can share their suggestions with the class and vote. Mary Ross (2007) recommends student involvement in the generation of rubrics for many reasons: “When shared with children before a project or an assignment, rubrics can be powerful motivational tools. If students are given the chance to contribute to the content of a rubric, “then it is much easier to hold them to its standards,” says Charlotte Sassman, a kindergarten teacher at the Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center in Fort Worth, Texas. Rather than directing youngsters toward past performance (“Why did I get a B instead of an A?”), rubrics can teach them to focus on current and future performance (“What steps can I take to progress to the next level?”). The class will improve the generic rubric, feel involved in the development of their assignment, and feel ownership in how they will be graded. As a result, the rubric becomes familiar and meaningful, so it serves as a useful tool for student success.
project_rubric_for_ethos_logos_pathos.pdf | |
File Size: | 91 kb |
File Type: |
For Administrators
A poorly planned performance rubric can ruin the life of a good administrator, and just as teachers can use their talented students to improve performance rubrics, so too can smart administrators ask their teachers for feedback and suggestions to improve their walkthrough and evaluation forms. What better way to improve last year's documents and ensure they address this year’s initiatives than to let your top teachers scrutinize them? Busy administrators cannot possibly complete every task assigned to them, and one way to assure that everything is done on time is to delegate EVERYTHING that can be done by someone else. Performance forms can be reviewed by anyone else, honestly, and besides, allowing your teachers to look at yours will give them more than a busy job: it will let them know that you trust their input, that you want them to have that tool as a self-evaluation so they can do a better job when you show up later, and that you think eventually they might make a good leader for their own school. In other words, it will give them a relationship with you.
Other Scaffolding Pages:
Scaffolding Approaches
Cornell Notes
Scaffolds and Tools for Independent Learners
Back to Best Practices
Back to Relationship Teaching Home Page
More Resources:
A Video on Using Performance Rubrics For Summative Evaluation
A GREAT Video Training Module on Creating Rubrics
A Rubric Generator for Mathematics Problem-Solving
References
Dean, C. B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., & Stone, B. J. (2012). Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Reeder, E. (2008, July 15). How Do Rubrics Help? (Edutopia). Retrieved January 10, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-rubrics
Rose, M. (2007, September 4). Room for Rubrics (Scholastic). Retrieved January 10, 2017, from http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/assessment/roomforubrics.htm
Work, J. (2014, December 4). 3 Peaks and 3 Pits of Standards-Based Grading (Edutopia). Retrieved January 10, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/peaks-pits-standards-based-grading-josh-work
A poorly planned performance rubric can ruin the life of a good administrator, and just as teachers can use their talented students to improve performance rubrics, so too can smart administrators ask their teachers for feedback and suggestions to improve their walkthrough and evaluation forms. What better way to improve last year's documents and ensure they address this year’s initiatives than to let your top teachers scrutinize them? Busy administrators cannot possibly complete every task assigned to them, and one way to assure that everything is done on time is to delegate EVERYTHING that can be done by someone else. Performance forms can be reviewed by anyone else, honestly, and besides, allowing your teachers to look at yours will give them more than a busy job: it will let them know that you trust their input, that you want them to have that tool as a self-evaluation so they can do a better job when you show up later, and that you think eventually they might make a good leader for their own school. In other words, it will give them a relationship with you.
Other Scaffolding Pages:
Scaffolding Approaches
Cornell Notes
Scaffolds and Tools for Independent Learners
Back to Best Practices
Back to Relationship Teaching Home Page
More Resources:
A Video on Using Performance Rubrics For Summative Evaluation
A GREAT Video Training Module on Creating Rubrics
A Rubric Generator for Mathematics Problem-Solving
References
Dean, C. B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., & Stone, B. J. (2012). Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Reeder, E. (2008, July 15). How Do Rubrics Help? (Edutopia). Retrieved January 10, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-rubrics
Rose, M. (2007, September 4). Room for Rubrics (Scholastic). Retrieved January 10, 2017, from http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/assessment/roomforubrics.htm
Work, J. (2014, December 4). 3 Peaks and 3 Pits of Standards-Based Grading (Edutopia). Retrieved January 10, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/peaks-pits-standards-based-grading-josh-work