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Assessment Issue Rubrics

Assessment Issue Rubrics This article takes on a bit of a different perspective when it comes to the issue of using rubrics as a tool of assessment. When the topic of rubrics has come up in the professional life of this writer, it has been followed with a negative connotation. This article speaks positively of the use of rubrics. The writer of the article Heidi Andrade uses rubrics not only to justify students’ grades, but also to assist the students in properly completing an assignment. What the author of the articles says makes a lot of sense. A rubric shows a student exactly what is needed to obtain a high score on any given assignment. A good rubric will effectively do this task. The rubric can also serve as a reminder to a student that might be having difficulty recalling an item for an exam or for a paper. The author refers to rubrics as Instructional Rubrics. According to the author; An Instructional Rubric is usually a one- or two-page document that describes varying levels of quality, from excellent to poor, for a specific assignment. It is usually used with relatively complex assignment, such as a long-term project, an essay, or a research paper (2000). When an Instructional Rubric is used, a student is now given the knowledge of what is expected from them, all to often this does not occur. Sometimes educators, without meaning to do harm, just expect the student to know how to do a task without directions. This is almost certainly setting the student up for failure. The Instructional Rubric automatically prevents this from occurring. Another extremely positive factor with the use of an Instructional Rubric is that it makes a score extremely relevant to the student (and sometimes more importantly) to the parents of that student. With the use of the Instructional Rubric, the requirements are right there for the student in black and white (or whatever color of ink you decide to use), and those requirements can’t be denied. It provides conclusive evidence to support either a passing or failing grade. “Instructional Rubrics support the development of skills, Instructional Rubrics support the development of understanding” (2000). There were studies done that supported both of these ideas. The first statement was based on a study that gave a group of eighth grade students an Instructional Rubric and another group was not given a Rubric. The two groups were to spend the next few months working on writing for state standardized test. The group with the Instructional Rubric scored significantly higher than the group without the Rubric. To support the second statement, the two groups were asked on what they thought the state was looking for when it graded their writing. The first group had definitive answers, while the second group was vague and unsure of what was expected of them. If one was interested in using Instructional Rubrics, there are a few different ways that person can go about creating one. 1. Look at models: review examples of good and poor work, and show these examples to the students. 2. List criteria: talk with your students, and ask them what they think should be assessed in the project. 3. Pack and unpack criteria: avoid creating categories that are too big, and don’t bury criteria that you want to emphasize. 4. Articulate levels of quality: sketch out four levels of quality for each criterion. (2000) This writer likes the idea of the Instructional Rubric. It seems to serve both the educator and the student. The rubric seems to enhance learning and eliminate doubt as far as teacher requirements are concerned. Bibliography: Andrade, H (2000, February). Using Rubrics to Promote Thinking and Learning. Educational Leadership, 57, 13-18.

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