How To Design A Rubric That Teachers Can Use And Students Can Understand

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How To Design A Rubric That Teachers

And Students Can Understand
BY STACIA LEVY
10,325 views

Most writing classes today come with a standard

writing rubric.

A “rubric” is a grading standard which breaks down the grade into several
categories: “excellent,” “good,” “fair,” and “poor,” for example, or a more traditional
“A,” “B,” “C, and “D.” For each of these levels, there are a set of criteria related to
writing such as organization, use of details, sentence structure, etc. The criteria
are further refined at each level, so that an “A” grade the organization criteria
might be described as “excellent organization with clear transitions that advances
the purpose of the paper” while a “B” grade might have “clear organization with
transitions related to the paper purpose,” showing with some details the
differences between two levels based on one criteria.

Many departments and schools now have an expectation that rubrics be designed
for each major assignment, with the idea, apparently, that rubrics will clarify
expectations and result in fewer student complaints regarding grades. The
problem is that rubrics often fail in their mission to clarify for both instructor and
student the grading standards. Students, especially those earning poor grades,
often view the grading standards suspiciously, seeing them as unfair and
arbitrary; grading rubrics are no exception. However, there are ways to clarify

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How To Design A Rubric That Teachers Can Use And Students Can Understand

grading rubrics and teach course expectations so that both students and teachers
can understand and use rubrics effectively.

Consider Pitfalls of Grading Rubrics

Rubrics, as with most tools that evaluate in some way, have inherent problems.
Some of those problems are detailed below.

1 Language May Be Difficult

To someone outside the field of writing, for example, words such as
“transitions” and “voice” and “controlling idea” and so forth sound
foreign as they are part of a technical jargon the student is not
familiar with, but the rubric assumes that familiarity.

2 Too Abstract
An “A” is for an excellent paper; a “B” for a “good” one. What does
that mean, exactly? What does an excellent paper look like? The language
meant to clarify this difference fails to do so because in part the language
can be difficult, as discussed above, to anyone outside of the field of study;
often, also, the language and concepts are vague. What exactly does
“excellent” mean in terms of writing?

3 The Dividing Line between Grade Levels Is Blurred

A related problem to this vagueness of terms is the unclear
differentiation between grades. When does organization stop being a

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How To Design A Rubric That Teachers Can Use And Students Can Understand

“B” level “strong” and move into a C grade’s “formulaic”? The differences
between two levels of grades and deciding that difference can be difficult
for teachers, let alone students.

Overall, the main problem with a grading rubric is that it is grounded on the
assumption of a deep understanding of the field that only specialists within it
possess, which is why rubrics are typically designed by teachers with teachers in
mind as an audience. We do the grading and are the ones who will use the rubrics
for the purpose of grading, after all. But as many instructors give out the grading
rubric now, either with the assignment itself or with the course syllabus, it is also
important that students understand how these standards are applied to writing.

Avoid the Pitfalls of Grading Rubrics

1 Clarify Terminology
A major problem for novices in general is their unfamiliarity with the
lingo of the field related to their recent entrance into the field and
academic life in general and truly understanding the technical
language. Grading rubrics are often replete with technical language of a
discipline. Therefore, the teacher should be aware that she will have to
clarify the terminology of the rubric when she introduces it. Showing clear
examples of what makes a good “controlling idea” will go a long way in
clarifying the rubric.

2 Give Examples
Showing examples of the largely abstract rubric applied to actual
student work is important for complete understanding of it. What is the

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How To Design A Rubric That Teachers Can Use And Students Can Understand

difference between an “A” and a “B” anyway? Well, better than talk in
generalities about the dividing line between “excellent development” and
just “good development,” the instructor can show examples from past
student papers that demonstrate excellent development as opposed to just
good.

3 Apply the Rubric to Model Papers

With some training in understanding the language of the rubric and
use of examples, students can develop a strong intuition about the
difference between an “A” and a “B” paper. After some training in how
to interpret and apply the rubric, students can be remarkably adept at
assigning grades to sample papers, often hitting close to the assessment
the instructor would have given. I have sometimes had students participate
in mock “grading sessions” much like teachers participate in, “grading” past
student work which have had names removed and which students have
given prior consent to use. These kinds of grading sessions will occur after
the beginning part of a term, after students have gotten to know each other,
learned the rubric, and practiced working in groups. Often insightful
discussion occurs in such sessions, with students supporting the grade
they assign with clear rationale and coming to a reasoned agreement with
each other.

4 Rate Peers’ Work

The next step is to rate peers’ work. The week a paper is due, I have
students work together, reading each other’s papers, and discussing their
strengths and weaknesses. Again, training has already taken place in
courteous discussion on how to use the rubric, and students are clear that

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How To Design A Rubric That Teachers Can Use And Students Can Understand

they are responding as readers, how the paper works for them as readers
rather than as teachers--they are not really assigning grades. Valuable
peer feed back.

5 Apply the Rubric to Their Own Work

This is the hardest step off all. But after weeks of looking at sample
and peer work, students are now trained enough to turn a more
objective eye on their own papers. Especially if they have taken a
“break” from them for a couple of days, students will now be able to turn a
more trained eye on their own papers and pick out concerns in
development and sentence structure, for example, that they hadn’t noticed
before because they now have a stronger understanding of what good
writing is. Techniques such as having students set the work aside for
awhile, reading aloud, and visualizing their audience all help students
develop the ability to self-edit and revise their own work in accordance with
the standards set forth in the rubric.

Rubrics can be opaque and confusing, even to trained teachers. However, by

teaching students the language of the rubric and discipline, providing examples of
student writing at different levels, and applying the rubric to other students’ and
their own work, students will develop a strong understanding of the rubric as well
their understanding of good writing.

What are some ways you use to teach students

about the grading rubric and standards?
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How To Design A Rubric That Teachers Can Use And Students Can Understand

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