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A rubric is commonly defined as a tool that articulates the expectations for an assignment by listing criteria, and for each criteria, describing levels of quality (Andrade, 2000; Arter & Chappuis, 2007; Stiggins, 2001). Criteria are used in determining the level at which student work meets expectations. Markers of quality give students a clear idea about what must be done to demonstrate a certain level of mastery, understanding, or proficiency (i.e., "Exceeds Expectations" does xyz, "Meets Expectations" does only xy or yz, "Developing" does only x or y or z). Rubrics can be used for any assignment in a course, or for any way in which students are asked to demonstrate what they've learned. They can also be used to facilitate self and peer-reviews of student work.
Rubrics aren't just for summative evaluation. They can be used as a teaching tool as well. When used as part of a formative assessment, they can help students understand both the holistic nature and/or specific analytics of learning expected, the level of learning expected, and then make decisions about their current level of learning to inform revision and improvement (Reddy & Andrade, 2010).
Rubrics help instructors:
Provide students with feedback that is clear, directed and focused on ways to improve learning.
Demystify assignment expectations so students can focus on the work instead of guessing "what the instructor wants."
Reduce time spent on grading and develop consistency in how you evaluate student learning across students and throughout a class.
Rubrics help students:
Focus their efforts on completing assignments in line with clearly set expectations.
Self and Peer-reflect on their learning, making informed changes to achieve the desired learning level.
During the process of developing a rubric, instructors might:
Select an assignment for your course - ideally one you identify as time intensive to grade, or students report as having unclear expectations.
Decide what you want students to demonstrate about their learning through that assignment. These are your criteria.
Identify the markers of quality on which you feel comfortable evaluating students’ level of learning - often along with a numerical scale (i.e., "Accomplished," "Emerging," "Beginning" for a developmental approach).
Give students the rubric ahead of time. Advise them to use it in guiding their completion of the assignment.
It can be overwhelming to create a rubric for every assignment in a class at once, so start by creating one rubric for one assignment. See how it goes and develop more from there! Also, do not reinvent the wheel. Rubric templates and examples exist all over the Internet, or consider asking colleagues if they have developed rubrics for similar assignments.
Examples of holistic and analytic rubrics : see Tables 2 & 3 in “Rubrics: Tools for Making Learning Goals and Evaluation Criteria Explicit for Both Teachers and Learners” (Allen & Tanner, 2006)
Examples across assessment types : see “Creating and Using Rubrics,” Carnegie Mellon Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and & Educational Innovation
“VALUE Rubrics” : see the Association of American Colleges and Universities set of free, downloadable rubrics, with foci including creative thinking, problem solving, and information literacy.
Andrade, H. 2000. Using rubrics to promote thinking and learning. Educational Leadership 57, no. 5: 13–18. Arter, J., and J. Chappuis. 2007. Creating and recognizing quality rubrics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall. Stiggins, R.J. 2001. Student-involved classroom assessment. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Reddy, Y., & Andrade, H. (2010). A review of rubric use in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation In Higher Education, 35(4), 435-448.
Rubrics can be excellent tools to use when assessing students’ work for several reasons. You might consider developing and using rubrics if:
A rubric is an assessment tool that clearly indicates achievement criteria across all the components of any kind of student work, from written to oral to visual. It can be used for marking assignments, class participation, or overall grades. There are two types of rubrics: holistic and analytical.
Holistic rubrics group several different assessment criteria and classify them together under grade headings or achievement levels.
For a sample participation rubric, see the Appendix of this teaching tip. Our CTE Teaching Tip: Responding to Writing Assignments includes holistic rubrics specifically designed for writing assignments.
Analytic rubrics separate different assessment criteria and address them comprehensively. In a horizontal assessment rubric, the top axis includes values that can be expressed either numerically or by letter grade, or a scale from Exceptional to Poor (or Professional to Amateur, and so on). The side axis includes the assessment criteria for each component. Analytic rubrics can also permit different weightings for different components.
See the VALUE Rubrics developed by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. They have open-access rubrics for 16 cross-cutting learning outcomes including creative thinking, teamwork, and written communication.
You can enhance students’ learning experience by involving them in the rubric development process. Either as a class or in small groups, students decide upon criteria for grading the assignment. It would be helpful to provide students with samples of exemplary work so they could identify the criteria with greater ease. In such an activity, the instructor functions as facilitator, guiding the students toward the final goal of a rubric that can be used on their assignment. This activity not only results in a greater learning experience, it also enables students to feel a greater sense of ownership and inclusion in the decision making process.
Develop a different rubric for each assignment .
Although this takes time in the beginning, you’ll find that rubrics can be changed slightly or re-used later. If you are seeking pre-existing rubrics, consider Rhodes (2009) or the VALUE rubrics . Whether you develop your own or use an existing rubric, practice with any other graders in your course to achieve inter-rater reliability.
Give students a copy of the rubric when you assign the performance task. These are not meant to be surprise criteria. Hand the rubric back with the assignment.
Require students to include the rubric in their assignment file when they hand it in. Some instructors ask students to self-assess or give peer feedback using the rubric prior to handing in the work.
Highlight the achieved level of performance for each criterion on the rubric. This is where you will save a great deal of time, as no comments are required.
Include any additional specific or overall comments that do not fit within the rubric’s criteria.
Decide upon a final grade for the assignment based on the rubric. If you find, as some do, that presented work meets criteria on the rubric but nevertheless seems to have exceeded or not met the overall qualities you’re seeking, revise the rubric accordingly for the next time you teach the course. If the work achieves highly in some areas of the rubric but not in others, decide in advance how the assignment grade is actually derived. Some use a formula, or multiplier, to give different weightings to various components; be explicit about this right on the rubric.
While you can share your rubric as a PDF, you can also use our learning management system (LEARN) to create an interactive rubric. These rubrics are built in LEARN and can be linked to your discussion or dropbox to improve the grading process. The scores from these rubrics are automatically entered into the associated grade item in your grade book. See Rubrics in the LEARN Help Knowledge Base for detailed how-to information.
If you would like support applying these tips to your own teaching, CTE staff members are here to help. View the CTE Support page to find the most relevant staff member to contact.
Teaching tip categories.
Creating a rubric takes time and requires thought and experimentation. Here you can see the steps used to create two kinds of rubric: one for problems in a physics exam for a small, upper-division physics course, and another for an essay assignment in a large, lower-division sociology course.
In STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), assignments tend to be analytical and problem-based. Holistic rubrics can be an efficient, consistent, and fair way to grade a problem set. An analytical rubric often gives a more clear picture of what a student should direct their future learning efforts on. Since holistic rubrics try to label overall understanding, they can lead to more regrade requests when compared to analytical rubric with more explicit criteria. When starting to grade a problem, it is important to think about the relevant conceptual ingredients in the solution. Then look at a sample of student work to get a feel for student mistakes. Decide what rubric you will use (e.g., holistic or analytic, and how many points). Apply the holistic rubric by marking comments and sorting the students’ assignments into stacks (e.g., five stacks if using a five-point scale). Finally, check the stacks for consistency and mark the scores. The following is a sample homework problem from a UC Berkeley Physics Department undergraduate course in mechanics.
Learning objective.
Solve for position and speed along a projectile’s trajectory.
A note on analytic rubrics: If you decide you feel more comfortable grading with an analytic rubric, you can assign a point value to each concept. The drawback to this method is that it can sometimes unfairly penalize a student who has a good understanding of the problem but makes a lot of minor errors. Because the analytic method tends to have many more parts, the method can take quite a bit more time to apply. In the end, your analytic rubric should give results that agree with the common-sense assessment of how well the student understood the problem. This sense is well captured by the holistic method.
A holistic rubric, closely based on a rubric by Bruce Birkett and Andrew Elby:
The student clearly understands how to solve the problem. Minor mistakes and careless errors can appear insofar as they do not indicate a conceptual misunderstanding. | |
The student understands the main concepts and problem-solving techniques, but has some minor yet non-trivial gaps in their reasoning. | |
The student has partially understood the problem. The student is not completely lost, but requires tutoring in some of the basic concepts. The student may have started out correctly, but gone on a tangent or not finished the problem. | |
The student has a poor understanding of the problem. The student may have gone in a not-entirely-wrong but unproductive direction, or attempted to solve the problem using pattern matching or by rote. | |
The student did not understand the problem. They may have written some appropriate formulas or diagrams, but nothing further. Or they may have done something entirely wrong. | |
The student wrote nothing or almost nothing. |
[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.
The following is an analytic rubric that takes the desired traits of the solution and assigns point values to each of the components. Note that the relative point values should reflect the importance in the overall problem. For example, the steps of the problem solving should be worth more than the final numerical value of the solution. This rubric also provides clarity for where students are lacking in their current understanding of the problem.
Student decomposes the velocity (a vector quantity) into its vertical component | |
Student realizes that the motion should be decomposed, but does not arrive at the correct expression for | |
No attempt at decomposing the 2D motion into its vertical component. | |
Student successfully translates the physical question (the highest point of the ball) to an equation that can be used to help solve the motion ( ). | |
Student identifies the maximum height condition with minor mistakes. | |
Incorrect or missing identification of maximum height condition. | |
Applies the kinematic equations to yield a correct expression for the height in terms of the given variables. Solution uses the fact that the vertical motion has a constant downward acceleration due to gravity. The sequence of steps clearly demonstrates the thought process. Most likely, the solution includes solving for the time it takes to reach the top and then uses that time to see how far up the ball traveled. | |
Mostly correct application with minor error (e.g. algebraic mistakes or incorporating extraneous equations). | |
Equations include relevant parameters from the problem, but the student does not isolate relevant variables being solved for (such as time or distance). | |
Some kinematics formulas are written down but they are not connected with the information in the problem. | |
No attempt. | |
Correct numerical answer with appropriate units. | |
Mostly correct answer but with a few minor errors. Still physically sensible answer (e.g. units and numerical values are reasonable). | |
No attempt or physically unreasonable answer (e.g. a negative maximum height or reporting the height in units of seconds). |
Try to avoid penalizing multiple times for the same mistake by choosing your evaluation criteria to be related to distinct learning outcomes. In designing your rubric, you can decide how finely to evaluate each component. Having more possible point values on your rubric can give more detailed feedback on a student’s performance, though it typically takes more time for the grader to assess.
Of course, problems can, and often do, feature the use of multiple learning outcomes in tandem. When a mistake could be assigned to multiple criteria, it is advisable to check that the overall problem grade is reasonable with the student’s mastery of the problem. Not having to decide how particular mistakes should be deducted from the analytic rubric is one advantage of the holistic rubric. When designing problems, it can be very beneficial for students not to have problems with several subparts that rely on prior answers. These tend to disproportionately skew the grades of students who miss an ingredient early on. When possible, consider making independent problems for testing different learning outcomes.
An introductory-level, large-lecture course is a difficult setting for managing a student research assignment. With the assistance of an instructional support team that included a GSI teaching consultant and a UC Berkeley librarian [b] , sociology lecturer Mary Kelsey developed the following assignment:
This was a lengthy and complex assignment worth a substantial portion of the course grade. Since the class was very large, the instructor wanted to minimize the effort it would take her GSIs to grade the papers in a manner consistent with the assignment’s learning objectives. For these reasons Dr. Kelsey and the instructional team gave a lot of forethought to crafting a detailed grading rubric.
For this assignment, the instructional team decided to grade each trait individually because there seemed to be too many independent variables to grade holistically. They could have used a five-point scale, a three-point scale, or a descriptive analytic scale. The choice depended on the complexity of the assignment and the kind of information they wanted to convey to students about their work.
Below are three of the analytic rubrics they considered for the Argument trait and a holistic rubric for all the traits together. Lastly you will find the entire analytic rubric, for all five desired traits, that was finally used for the assignment. Which would you choose, and why?
5 | Argument pertains to relationship between social factors and educational opportunity and is clearly stated and defensible. |
4 | Argument pertains to relationship between social factors and educational opportunity and is defensible, but it is not clearly stated. |
3 | Argument pertains to relationship between social factors and educational opportunity but is not defensible using the evidence available. |
2 | Argument is presented, but it does not pertain to relationship between social factors and educational opportunity. |
1 | Social factors and educational opportunity are discussed, but no argument is presented. |
Argument pertains to relationship between social factors and educational opportunity and is clearly stated and defensible. | |
Argument pertains to relationship between social factors and educational opportunity but may not be clear or sufficiently narrow in scope. | |
Social factors and educational opportunity are discussed, but no argument is presented. |
Argument pertains to relationship between social factors and educational opportunity and is clearly stated and defensible |
For some assignments, you may choose to use a holistic rubric, or one scale for the whole assignment. This type of rubric is particularly useful when the variables you want to assess just cannot be usefully separated. We chose not to use a holistic rubric for this assignment because we wanted to be able to grade each trait separately, but we’ve completed a holistic version here for comparative purposes.
The paper is driven by a clearly stated, defensible argument about the relationship between social factors and educational opportunity. Sufficient data is used to defend the argument, and the data is accurately interpreted to identify each school’s position within a larger social structure. Personal educational experiences are examined thoughtfully and critically to identify significance of external social factors and support the main argument. Paper reflects solid understanding of the major themes of the course, using course readings to accurately define sociological concepts and to place the argument within a broader discussion of the relationship between social status and individual opportunity. Paper is clearly organized (with an introduction, transition sentences to connect major ideas, and conclusion) and has few or no grammar or spelling errors. Scholarly ideas are cited correctly using the ASA style guide. | |
The paper is driven by a defensible argument about the relationship between social factors and public school quality, but it may not be stated as clearly and consistently throughout the essay as in an “A” paper. The argument is defended using sufficient data, reflection on personal experiences, and course readings, but the use of this evidence does not always demonstrate a clear understanding of how to locate the school or community within a larger class structure, how social factors influence personal experience, or the broader significance of course concepts. Essay is clearly organized, but might benefit from more careful attention to transitional sentences. Scholarly ideas are cited accurately, using the ASA style sheet, and the writing is polished, with few grammar or spelling errors. | |
The paper contains an argument about the relationship between social factors and public school quality, but the argument may not be defensible using the evidence available. Data, course readings, and personal experiences are used to defend the argument, but in a perfunctory way, without demonstrating an understanding of how social factors are identified or how they shape personal experience. Scholarly ideas are cited accurately, using the ASA style sheet. Essay may have either significant organizational or proofreading errors, but not both. | |
The paper does not have an argument, or is missing a major component of the evidence requested (data, course readings, or personal experiences). Alternatively, or in addition, the paper suffers from significant organizational and proofreading errors. Scholarly ideas are cited, but without following ASA guidelines. | |
The paper does not provide an argument and contains only one component of the evidence requested, if any. The paper suffers from significant organizational and proofreading errors. If scholarly ideas are not cited, paper receives an automatic “F.” |
This is the rubric the instructor finally decided to use. It rates five major traits, each on a five-point scale. This allowed for fine but clear distinctions in evaluating the students’ final papers.
Argument pertains to relationship between social factors and educational opportunity and is clearly stated and defensible. | |
Argument pertains to relationship between social factors and educational opportunity and is defensible, but it is not clearly stated. | |
Argument pertains to relationship between social factors and educational opportunity but is not defensible using the evidence available. | |
Argument is presented, but it does not pertain to relationship between social factors and educational opportunity. | |
Social factors and educational opportunity are discussed, but no argument is presented. | |
The data is accurately interpreted to identify each school’s position within a larger social structure, and sufficient data is used to defend the main argument. | |
The data is accurately interpreted to identify each school’s position within a larger social structure, and data is used to defend the main argument, but it might not be sufficient. | |
Data is used to defend the main argument, but it is not accurately interpreted to identify each school’s position within a larger social structure, and it might not be sufficient. | |
Data is used to defend the main argument, but it is insufficient, and no effort is made to identify the school’s position within a larger social structure. | |
Data is provided, but it is not used to defend the main argument. | |
Personal educational experiences are examined thoughtfully and critically to identify significance of external social factors and support the main argument. | |
Personal educational experiences are examined thoughtfully and critically to identify significance of external social factors, but relation to the main argument may not be clear. | |
Personal educational experiences are examined, but not in a way that reflects understanding of the external factors shaping individual opportunity. Relation to the main argument also may not be clear. | |
Personal educational experiences are discussed, but not in a way that reflects understanding of the external factors shaping individual opportunity. No effort is made to relate experiences back to the main argument. | |
Personal educational experiences are mentioned, but in a perfunctory way. | |
Demonstrates solid understanding of the major themes of the course, using course readings to accurately define sociological concepts and to place the argument within a broader discussion of the relationship between social status and individual opportunity. | |
Uses course readings to define sociological concepts and place the argument within a broader framework, but does not always demonstrate solid understanding of the major themes. | |
Uses course readings to place the argument within a broader framework, but sociological concepts are poorly defined or not defined at all. The data is not all accurately interpreted to identify each school’s position within a larger social structure, and it might not be sufficient. | |
Course readings are used, but paper does not place the argument within a broader framework or define sociological concepts. | |
Course readings are only mentioned, with no clear understanding of the relationship between the paper and course themes. | |
Clear organization and natural “flow” (with an introduction, transition sentences to connect major ideas, and conclusion) with few or no grammar or spelling errors. Scholarly ideas are cited correctly using the ASA style guide. | |
Clear organization (introduction, transition sentences to connect major ideas, and conclusion), but writing might not always be fluid, and might contain some grammar or spelling errors. Scholarly ideas are cited correctly using the ASA style guide. | |
Organization unclear or the paper is marred by significant grammar or spelling errors (but not both). Scholarly ideas are cited correctly using the ASA style guide. | |
Organization unclear and the paper is marred by significant grammar and spelling errors. Scholarly ideas are cited correctly using the ASA style guide. | |
Effort to cite is made, but the scholarly ideas are not cited correctly. (Automatic “F” if ideas are not cited at all.) |
[b] These materials were developed during UC Berkeley’s 2005–2006 Mellon Library/Faculty Fellowship for Undergraduate Research program. Members of the instructional team who worked with Lecturer Kelsey in developing the grading rubric included Susan Haskell-Khan, a GSI Center teaching consultant and doctoral candidate in history, and Sarah McDaniel, a teaching librarian with the Doe/Moffitt Libraries.
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Rubrics are a set of criteria to evaluate performance on an assignment or assessment. Rubrics can communicate expectations regarding the quality of work to students and provide a standardized framework for instructors to assess work. Rubrics can be used for both formative and summative assessment. They are also crucial in encouraging self-assessment of work and structuring peer-assessments.
Why use rubrics?
Rubrics are an important tool to assess learning in an equitable and just manner. This is because they enable:
Some instructors may be reluctant to provide a rubric to grade assessments under the perception that it stifles student creativity (Haugnes & Russell, 2018). However, sharing the purpose of an assessment and criteria for success in the form of a rubric along with relevant examples has been shown to particularly improve the success of BIPOC, multiracial, and first-generation students (Jonsson, 2014; Winkelmes, 2016). Improved success in assessments is generally associated with an increased sense of belonging which, in turn, leads to higher student retention and more equitable outcomes in the classroom (Calkins & Winkelmes, 2018; Weisz et al., 2023). By not providing a rubric, faculty may risk having students guess the criteria on which they will be evaluated. When students have to guess what expectations are, it may unfairly disadvantage students who are first-generation, BIPOC, international, or otherwise have not been exposed to the cultural norms that have dominated higher-ed institutions in the U.S (Shapiro et al., 2023). Moreover, in such cases, criteria may be applied inconsistently for students leading to biases in grades awarded to students.
Clearly state the purpose of the assessment, which topic(s) learners are being tested on, the type of assessment (e.g., a presentation, essay, group project), the skills they are being tested on (e.g., writing, comprehension, presentation, collaboration), and the goal of the assessment for instructors (e.g., gauging formative or summative understanding of the topic).
Determine the specific criteria or dimensions to assess in the assessment. These criteria should align with the learning objectives or outcomes to be evaluated. These criteria typically form the rows in a rubric grid and describe the skills, knowledge, or behavior to be demonstrated. The set of criteria may include, for example, the idea/content, quality of arguments, organization, grammar, citations and/or creativity in writing. These criteria may form separate rows or be compiled in a single row depending on the type of rubric.
(See row headers of Figure 1 )
Create a scale of performance levels that describe the degree of proficiency attained for each criterion. The scale typically has 4 to 5 levels (although there may be fewer levels depending on the type of rubrics used). The rubrics should also have meaningful labels (e.g., not meeting expectations, approaching expectations, meeting expectations, exceeding expectations). When assigning levels of performance, use inclusive language that can inculcate a growth mindset among students, especially when work may be otherwise deemed to not meet the mark. Some examples include, “Does not yet meet expectations,” “Considerable room for improvement,” “ Progressing,” “Approaching,” “Emerging,” “Needs more work,” instead of using terms like “Unacceptable,” “Fails,” “Poor,” or “Below Average.”
(See column headers of Figure 1 )
Develop a clear and concise descriptor for each combination of criterion and performance level. These descriptors should provide examples or explanations of what constitutes each level of performance for each criterion. Typically, instructors should start by describing the highest and lowest level of performance for that criterion and then describing intermediate performance for that criterion. It is important to keep the language uniform across all columns, e.g., use syntax and words that are aligned in each column for a given criteria.
(See cells of Figure 1 )
It is important to consider how each criterion is weighted and for each criterion to reflect the importance of learning objectives being tested. For example, if the primary goal of a research proposal is to test mastery of content and application of knowledge, these criteria should be weighted more heavily compared to other criteria (e.g., grammar, style of presentation). This can be done by associating a different scoring system for each criteria (e.g., Following a scale of 8-6-4-2 points for each level of performance in higher weight criteria and 4-3-2-1 points for each level of performance for lower weight criteria). Further, the number of points awarded across levels of performance should be evenly spaced (e.g., 10-8-6-4 instead of 10-6-3-1). Finally, if there is a letter grade associated with a particular assessment, consider how it relates to scores. For example, instead of having students receive an A only if they received the highest level of performance on each criterion, consider assigning an A grade to a range of scores (28 - 30 total points) or a combination of levels of performance (e.g., exceeds expectations on higher weight criteria and meets expectations on other criteria).
(See the numerical values in the column headers of Figure 1 )
Figure 1: Graphic describing the five basic elements of a rubric
Note : Consider using a template rubric that can be used to evaluate similar activities in the classroom to avoid the fatigue of developing multiple rubrics. Some tools include Rubistar or iRubric which provide suggested words for each criteria depending on the type of assessment. Additionally, the above format can be incorporated in rubrics that can be directly added in Canvas or in the grid view of rubrics in gradescope which are common grading tools. Alternately, tables within a Word processor or Spreadsheet may also be used to build a rubric. You may also adapt the example rubrics provided below to the specific learning goals for the assessment using the blank template rubrics we have provided against each type of rubric. Watch the linked video for a quick introduction to designing a rubric . Word document (docx) files linked below will automatically download to your device whereas pdf files will open in a new tab.
In these rubrics, one specifies at least two criteria and provides a separate score for each criterion. The steps outlined above for creating a rubric are typical for an analytic style rubric. Analytic rubrics are used to provide detailed feedback to students and help identify strengths as well as particular areas in need of improvement. These can be particularly useful when providing formative feedback to students, for student peer assessment and self-assessments, or for project-based summative assessments that evaluate student learning across multiple criteria. You may use a blank analytic rubric template (docx) or adapt an existing sample of an analytic rubric (pdf) .
Fig 2: Graphic describing a sample analytic rubric (adopted from George Mason University, 2013)
These are a subset of analytical rubrics that are typically used to assess student performance and engagement during a learning period but not the end product. Such rubrics are typically used to assess soft skills and behaviors that are less tangible (e.g., intercultural maturity, empathy, collaboration skills). These rubrics are useful in assessing the extent to which students develop a particular skill, ability, or value in experiential learning based programs or skills. They are grounded in the theory of development (King, 2005). Examples include an intercultural knowledge and competence rubric (docx) and a global learning rubric (docx) .
These rubrics consider all criteria evaluated on one scale, providing a single score that gives an overall impression of a student’s performance on an assessment.These rubrics also emphasize the overall quality of a student’s work, rather than delineating shortfalls of their work. However, a limitation of the holistic rubrics is that they are not useful for providing specific, nuanced feedback or to identify areas of improvement. Thus, they might be useful when grading summative assessments in which students have previously received detailed feedback using analytic or single-point rubrics. They may also be used to provide quick formative feedback for smaller assignments where not more than 2-3 criteria are being tested at once. Try using our blank holistic rubric template docx) or adapt an existing sample of holistic rubric (pdf) .
Fig 3: Graphic describing a sample holistic rubric (adopted from Teaching Commons, DePaul University)
These rubrics contain only two levels of performance (e.g., yes/no, present/absent) across a longer list of criteria (beyond 5 levels). Checklist rubrics have the advantage of providing a quick assessment of criteria given the binary assessment of criteria that are either met or are not met. Consequently, they are preferable when initiating self- or peer-assessments of learning given that it simplifies evaluations to be more objective and criteria can elicit only one of two responses allowing uniform and quick grading. For similar reasons, such rubrics are useful for faculty in providing quick formative feedback since it immediately highlights the specific criteria to improve on. Such rubrics are also used in grading summative assessments in courses utilizing alternative grading systems such as specifications grading, contract grading or a credit/no credit grading system wherein a minimum threshold of performance has to be met for the assessment. Having said that, developing rubrics from existing analytical rubrics may require considerable investment upfront given that criteria have to be phrased in a way that can only elicit binary responses. Here is a link to the checklist rubric template (docx) .
Fig. 4: Graphic describing a sample checklist rubric
A single point rubric is a modified version of a checklist style rubric, in that it specifies a single column of criteria. However, rather than only indicating whether expectations are met or not, as happens in a checklist rubric, a single point rubric allows instructors to specify ways in which criteria exceeds or does not meet expectations. Here the criteria to be tested are laid out in a central column describing the average expectation for the assignment. Instructors indicate areas of improvement on the left side of the criteria, whereas areas of strength in student performance are indicated on the right side. These types of rubrics provide flexibility in scoring, and are typically used in courses with alternative grading systems such as ungrading or contract grading. However, they do require the instructors to provide detailed feedback for each student, which can be unfeasible for assessments in large classes. Here is a link to the single point rubric template (docx) .
Fig. 5 Graphic describing a single point rubric (adopted from Teaching Commons, DePaul University)
When designing the rubric format, descriptors and criteria should be presented in a way that is compatible with screen readers and reading assistive technology. For example, avoid using only color, jargon, or complex terminology to convey information. In case you do use color, pictures or graphics, try providing alternative formats for rubrics, such as plain text documents. Explore resources from the CU Digital Accessibility Office to learn more.
Co-creating rubrics can help students to engage in higher-order thinking skills such as analysis and evaluation. Further, it allows students to take ownership of their own learning by determining the criteria of their work they aspire towards. For graduate classes or upper-level students, one way of doing this may be to provide learning outcomes of the project, and let students develop the rubric on their own. However, students in introductory classes may need more scaffolding by providing them a draft and leaving room for modification (Stevens & Levi 2013). Watch the linked video for tips on co-creating rubrics with students . Further, involving teaching assistants in designing a rubric can help in getting feedback on expectations for an assessment prior to implementing and norming a rubric.
When first designing a rubric, it is important to compare grades awarded for the same assessment by multiple graders to make sure the criteria are applied uniformly and reliably for the same level of performance. Further, ensure that the levels of performance in student work can be adequately distinguished using a rubric. Such a norming protocol is particularly important to also do at the start of any course in which multiple graders use the same rubric to grade an assessment (e.g., recitation sections, lab sections, teaching team). Here, instructors may select a subset of assignments that all graders evaluate using the same rubric, followed by a discussion to identify any discrepancies in criteria applied and ways to address them. Such strategies can make the rubrics more reliable, effective, and clear.
Sharing the rubric with students prior to an assessment can help familiarize students with an instructor’s expectations. This can help students master their learning outcomes by guiding their work in the appropriate direction and increase student motivation. Further, providing the rubric to students can help encourage metacognition and ability to self-assess learning.
Below are links to rubric templates designed by a team of experts assembled by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) to assess 16 major learning goals. These goals are a part of the Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) program. All of these examples are analytic rubrics and have detailed criteria to test specific skills. However, since any given assessment typically tests multiple skills, instructors are encouraged to develop their own rubric by utilizing criteria picked from a combination of the rubrics linked below.
Note : Clicking on the above links will automatically download them to your device in Microsoft Word format. These links have been created and are hosted by Kansas State University . Additional information regarding the VALUE Rubrics may be found on the AAC&U homepage .
Below are links to sample rubrics that have been developed for different types of assessments. These rubrics follow the analytical rubric template, unless mentioned otherwise. However, these rubrics can be modified into other types of rubrics (e.g., checklist, holistic or single point rubrics) based on the grading system and goal of assessment (e.g., formative or summative). As mentioned previously, these rubrics can be modified using the blank template provided.
Additional information:
Office of Assessment and Curriculum Support. (n.d.). Creating and using rubrics . University of Hawai’i, Mānoa
Calkins, C., & Winkelmes, M. A. (2018). A teaching method that boosts UNLV student retention . UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo , 3.
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What type of rubric should i use.
There are two well-known and commonly used types of rubrics, Analytic and Holistic, and two lesser-known types of rubrics, Scoring Guide and Single-Point.
multiple levels of performance scales used that focus on one criterion at a time
Analytic rubrics (also known as developmental rubrics) provide a list of all assignment criteria with detailed descriptions based on performance level of the criteria. The grader evaluates each criteria and sums up the points for all criteria when assigning an overall grade.
Analytic Rubrics are useful for formative assessment as they provide detailed feedback to students, one criteria at a time, allowing students to see how well they performed on specific aspects of the assignment. This will help students improve their work. They may also be used for summative feedback on students’ progress through a course or program. Analytic rubrics are often used when content or assignments are scaffolded, to give students some feedback on their learning progress before their final assignment.
one performance scale used that applies all criteria at the same time thereby focusing on the level of quality; typically includes detailed comments
Holistic Rubrics provide detailed performance level descriptions for all criteria, simultaneously. They give an overall big picture of the student’s work, with a focus on that they can do. There are typically 4 levels in a scale. The grader uses the description in whole when assessing the degree to which a student’s submitted work meets the criteria, and a single score is assigned. Some rubrics include a space for a general statement on the work as a whole. Specific feedback on elements is not provided. Holistic rubrics sometimes follow upon previous feedback given on one aspect of a student’s work. Weighting of criteria is not typically employed.
They are more useful than analytic rubrics for summative assessments where only the grade is pertinent. Choosing one score can be challenging when you are considering multiple criteria at one time.
Holistic rubrics “describe the work by applying all the criteria at the same time and enabling an overall judgment about the quality of the work.” (Brookhart, S. M., 2013, p. 6).
one level describing the highest level of performance to which students should strive; include criteria, points and comments
Scoring Guide rubric’s criteria have one level each. The criterion can be weighted by including a percentage denoting its value towards the overall grade of the work being assessed. They also have columns for comments and points. The points indicate the degree to which a criterion is met (equivalent to how much credit the earn); for example, if a student, in answering an essay question, addresses all aspects of the question fully they would get full credit, partial credit for providing some or most parts, and zero for answering all parts incorrectly or not at all. So, if a student addressed most aspects of a question they would get 2/3 or 4/5 of the value of each criterion towards their grade on that question.
They are more expedient than free style assessment as the criteria and description of exemplary work is pre-identified. Grading strong work takes little time as fewer comments are needed. While grading weaker work may take longer as more details about how the work missed the mark or could be improved would need to be provided.
Some uses include low-stakes, formative assessments (not always entered in gradebook) like assessing participation in discussions. Other uses include assessments that have a single response, contract grading or situations where a PASS/FAIL is all that’s needed. A challenge with scoring guides is that their focus tends to be on how much of a submission met the mark (quantity) rather than how well it was done. This may very well be appropriate in some situations. Detailed feedback is not typically provided. When it is, a comments field is included to explain to students how they did or did not meet the criterion.
a list of criteria with two levels to indicate its presence or absence; space to note strengths and concerns; one grade may be provided for the work as a whole
Single-point rubrics, also known as checklists, identify the success criteria for grading an assessment. Each criteria is presented in its own row. The criteria column is flanked on either side with space to provide specific feedback relating to any concerns (notes for what needs improvement) or strengths (notes on how the work exceeded expectations) observed in the work while grading. These two levels denote evidence of the criteria as present or not. They often use a concerns/strengths, Yes/No, Present/Not Present or Achieved/Not Achieved model for their two levels. Points (grades) are determined by tallying all the criteria that were denoted as present. Weighting of criteria is uncommon.
These rubrics are easy and quick to analyze. They are often used in performance evaluations (processes) and in peer evaluations. The grading tends to be fairly consistent over multiple uses. However, depending on how they are designed, single-point rubrics may require more detailed feedback from the instructor to indicate any concerns or strengths noted in observing the assessment item.
Resource created by: Jane C. and Denise C.
Originally Published: August 4, 2023
Last Updated: July 16, 2024
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Our math rubrics have four levels of performance: Novice, Apprentice, Practitioner (meets the standard), and Expert. Exemplars uses two types of rubrics: Standards-Based Assessment Rubrics are used by teachers to assess student work in Math. Student Rubrics are used by learners in self- and peer-assessment. Assessment Rubrics.
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.
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.
Depending on the nature of the assignment, rubrics can come in several varieties (Suskie, 2009): ... 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 ...
Formal math language and symbolic notation is used to consolidate math thinking and to communicate ideas. At least one of the math terms or symbolic notations is beyond grade level. Note: The following are not assessed: • Numbers and their names (i.e., 5, five, etc.) • Verbs (i.e., counted, divided, etc.)
This rubric applies to a wide variety of homework assignments, which means she doesn't have to create a new rubric every week. There are five categories on Mrs. Numbers' basic rubric, and students ...
Step 5: Test rubric. Apply the rubric to an assignment. Share with colleagues. Tip: Faculty members often find it useful to establish the minimum score needed for the student work to be deemed passable. For example, faculty members may decided that a "1" or "2" on a 4-point scale (4=exemplary, 3=proficient, 2=marginal, 1=unacceptable ...
Precise math language and symbolic notation are used to consolidate math thinking and to communicate ideas. Note: The following are not assessed: • Numbers and their names (i.e., 5, five, etc.) • Verbs (i.e., counted, divided, etc.) • Generic symbols (+, -, ×, ÷, =) Mathematical connections or observations are used to extend the ...
This rubric was designed to assess students' daily classroom participation. This rubric assesses students in four areas: Participation in classroom discussion, respect for peers, and behavior. It can be used in for all subject areas and grade levels! Not Grade Specific. Other (ELA), Other (Math), Other (Science) FREE.
However, with the help of rubrics, students follow the order of steps. Using a math rubric also makes grading easier for the teacher. Wrapping Up. Using a math rubric for solving equations is beneficial for students and allows you to grade students' answers efficiently. Similarly, having a preset rubric for solving math word problems can also ...
Contains rubrics for presenting and writing, with recommendations. Assessing "writing-to-learn" assignments. If the primary purpose of a writing assignment is to help students to better learn the mathematics, then providing feedback on the process is likely to be more important than grading writing quality.
1. Decide what kind of rubric you are going to make- general or task specific, and then analytic or holistic. 2. Use a Word processing software or Excel to make a chart. 3. If you are creating an analytic scoring rubric, divide the project or assignment up into parts (for example, a math project might
Assessment Rubrics. A rubric is commonly defined as a tool that articulates the expectations for an assignment by listing criteria, and for each criteria, describing levels of quality (Andrade, 2000; Arter & Chappuis, 2007; Stiggins, 2001). Criteria are used in determining the level at which student work meets expectations.
A rubric is an assessment tool that clearly indicates achievement criteria across all the components of any kind of student work, from written to oral to visual. It can be used for marking assignments, class participation, or overall grades. There are two types of rubrics: holistic and analytical.
Math 131 Calculus I. Writing Assignment Grading Rubric. Solid understanding of a major approach to the problem with indications of alternative approaches, or with sufficient details to show ease in understanding. Solid understanding of a major approach to the problem. Major concepts are understood.
Our rubrics have four levels of performance: Novice, Apprentice, Practitioner (meets the standard), and Expert. Exemplars uses two types of rubrics: Standards-Based Assessment Rubrics are used by teachers to assess student work in Math, Science, and Writing. Student Rubrics are used during peer- and self-assessments and feature kid-friendly ...
In STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), assignments tend to be analytical and problem-based. Holistic rubrics can be an efficient, consistent, and fair way to grade a problem set. An analytical rubric often gives a more clear picture of what a student should direct their future learning efforts on.
Math Rubric Generator - This rubric is great for scoring just about any math assignment or project, even math homework. Presentation Rubric Generator - Decrease the pressure on your students by sharing this rubric of your expectations. This assessment tool will help your students focus on the content they are presenting.
thematical writing rubric Please score each student work with the following 1-5. Trait. Does not meet (1) Attempted (2) Approaches (3) Meets (4) Exceeds (5) e Assignment RequirementsThe writer is off topic and/or omits most or all of. he assignment requirements.The writer addresses the appropriate topic but only superficially addresses.
Update 8/2/21. After reviewing feedback from teachers who have implemented the rubric in its draft form, I feel confident in removing that modifier of "draft." Consider the rubric below for the Standards of Mathematical Practice as Version 1.0. The Common Core Standards of Mathematical Practice (MPs) have been available for a while now. They lay…
Rubrics are a set of criteria to evaluate performance on an assignment or assessment. Rubrics can communicate expectations regarding the quality of work to students and provide a standardized framework for instructors to assess work. Rubrics can be used for both formative and summative assessment. They are also crucial in encouraging self ...
Analytic rubrics (also known as developmental rubrics) provide a list of all assignment criteria with detailed descriptions based on performance level of the criteria. The grader evaluates each criteria and sums up the points for all criteria when assigning an overall grade. ... Analytic Rubrics are useful for formative assessment as they ...
Math Song Project 1. Write an original math song/rap/poem . 2. The song/rap/poem must teach something you leared in this unit. 3. You may work with 1 partner. 4. The song/rap/poem must be presented in class. i.e. music video, live presentation, recorded and played in class, etc. 5. See project rubic below for more information. Math Song/Rap ...
Standards-Based Math Rubric Problem Solving Reasoning and Proof Communication Connections Representation Novice No strategy is chosen, or a strategy is chosen that will not lead to a solution. Little or no evidence of engagement in the task is present. Arguments are made with no mathematical basis. No correct reasoning nor justification for