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Rubrics

A rubric is a tool that teachers and testers can use for assessing, scoring, and providing feedback to examinees for any performance, simulation, or task that those examinees are required to do as part of a classroom activity, formal classroom assessment, or institutional testing. At minimum, a rubric is a written grid that has possible scores on one dimension and descriptions of the characteristics of performances at each score level in the cells of the grid. Some rubrics are also designed for separately rating multiple categories or criteria that are labeled on a second dimension. This entry explains three types of rubrics (analytic, holistic, and checklist rubrics) and discusses challenges that teachers face in using rubrics in their classroom testing as well as the issues faced by testers when designing and using large-scale, high-stakes examinations (including rater training and various potential problems in statistical analysis).

Consider a teacher who needs to assess and provide feedback to students on their end-of-term written reports. The teacher might decide that she wants to assess, score, and provide feedback on the following categories: organization, amount of information, quality of information, documentation of sources, and mechanics. The same teacher might decide that she wants to use a 4-point scale for each of her five categories for a total of 20 points. Table 1 shows a rubric that she might use that has her five categories labeled down the left side and scores across the top. Notice that this rubric also provides descriptions of the characteristics of performances at each score level for each category in the cells of the grid.

Table 1 Analytic Rubic for Scoring Written Reports With Categories on One Axis and Scores on the Other

Category

4

3

2

1

Organization

Information is very well organized using at least 3 well-crafted research questions with well-constructed paragraphs and subheadings.

Information is organized using 3 research questions with well-constructed paragraphs.

Information is organized using research questions, but paragraphs are not well-constructed.

The information appears to be disorganized.

Amount of Information

All topics are addressed and all research questions answered with at least 2 paragraphs about each.

All topics are addressed and most research questions answered with at least 2 paragraphs about each.

All topics are addressed, and most questions answered with 1 paragraph about each.

One or more topics were not addressed.

Quality of Information

Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples.

Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1–2 supporting details and/or examples.

Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given.

Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.

Documentation of Sources

All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented in the desired format.

All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but a few are not in the desired format.

All sources (information and graphics) are accurately documented, but many are not in the desired format.

Some sources are not accurately documented.

Mechanics

No grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

No grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

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