Rubrics (education)
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In the classroom, a rubric is a set of criteria and standards (linked to learning objectives) that is used to grade a student assessment (paper, project, essay, etc).
Rubrics are often used in alternative assessments in education but have gained ground as a way of establishing written guidelines or standards of assessments for formal professionally administered essay tests like some of the teacher assessment exams found in the PRAXIS series.
In alternative assessment rubrics are designed to reflect the processes and outputs of "real-life" problem solving. It is usually in the form of a matrix with a mutually agreed upon negotiated contract or criteria for success. The rubric focuses on stated objectives, which should be tied to the educational standards as established by the community, and should use a range or scale to rate the performance.
The key advantage for classroom teachers is that rubrics force clarification of success in the classroom, establishing clear benchmarks for achievement. By sharing scoring rubrics with students, they become aware of the expected standards and thus know what counts as quality work. With rubrics, grading becomes more objective, consistent, and defensible. Additionally, rubrics make grading more efficient. Time spent developing a grading rubric will be made up for in ease and speed of actual grading.
External links
- Scoring Rubrics Part I: What and When (http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-2/scoring.html)
- Scoring Rubrics Part II: How? (http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-2/rubrics.html)