Rubric Development

Developing a proper rubrics is extremely important, because it affects the essential way that a class develops, how students learn, what they use for learning, and how students are graded on their progress.  Rubrics should be crafted with care and attention to detail, so that once the class is underway the teachers and the students can confidently rely on the materials.

The central measurements of a rubric can include a number of acceptable points of analysis.  For example, we might need to assess the following efforts as part of a class::

1. Student's thoughtful analysis of the subject matter (spoken)
2. Student's thoughtful analysis of the subject matter (written)
3. Student's participation in the classroom or "community"
4. Student's communication skills and social interactions during learning
5. Student's ability to edit and improve upon original written work (using teacher and peer fedback)

Once we establish which areas we want to assess, we can then "grade" the student using the following descriptors and scores:

1. Unsatisfactory (score of "0" on this rubric element)
2. Limited (score of "2" on this rubric element)
3. Proficient (score of "3" on this rubric element)
4. Exemplary (score of "4" on this rubric element)

A total score can then be assigned to the student for this class.

This only tells us the general skeleton concepts to assess.  Rubrics can be developed almost "machine like" using strict numbers and data.  But the creativiy comes in deciding how to do the assessments.  Who will do these: teachers, students, or teachers and students together?  Will the assessments be "pre numbers" or will there be some effort to make the numbers mean something more relevant to the specific subject?  This is where an educational consultant can make a difference.