WRITTEN REPORT IN EDUC 80: ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING

PROCESS IN DEVELOPING AND USING RUBRICS

Submitted by:

ATIBAGOS, QUIMAH
DEUNA, TRISHA MAE
DOMONDON, CLARE GIFT
JOBO, NICOLE ANN
JUSTOL, JESSA MEA
LLEGADO, ANGELA MAE
LOPEZ, CATHERINE

Bachelor of Secondary Education

(Major in Filipino)
Second Year

Submitted to:

Ms. Aila Joy V. Madlansacay, MaEd

Instructor

April 18, 2023

Topic Outline
• Definition and Purpose of Rubric
• Types of Rubric
• Process in Developing Rubric
• Advantages and Disadvantages of using a Rubric
• Challenges in using Rubrics
• How to utilize rubrics effectively

Learning Objectives:
● Define what a rubric is and understand its purpose in education;
● Identify types of rubric and how they differ from one another;
● Understand the step by step process in developing a rubric;
● Know the advantages and disadvantages of using a rubric;
● Analyze the challenges in using a rubric and;
● Reflect on how to utilize it effectively in the teaching and learning process.

What is a Rubric?
➔ commonly known as “criteria sheets” or “grading schemes”, is a type of scoring
guide that assesses and articulates specific components and expectations for an
assignment.

➔ It is a tool with an explicit range of performance standards that is used to interpret

and mark students’ work against those rather than assigning a single subjective score.
This can be designed for any content domain.

➔ A well constructed rubric identifies the ff: 1.) Criteria: the aspects of performance
(e.g., argument, evidence, clarity) that will be assessed; 2.) Descriptors:
characteristics associated with each dimension (e.g., argument is demonstrable and
original, evidence is diverse and compelling); 3.) Performance levels: rating scale
that identifies students’ level of mastery within each criterion. (Carnegie Mellon,
2001)

What is its Purpose?

Rubrics is a helpful tool in grading tasks at any education level however, it needs to be
crafted and implemented correctly! To achieve this, an individual should first know its
importance and their purpose in creating one:
Rubrics as an Assessment Tool

- The main purpose of a rubric is its ability to assess a work or performance fairly and
consistently from student to student. It is a one size fits all tool that can be used for just about
any assignment and any course.

Rubrics as a Means to Improve Learning

- Cox, Morrison, and Brathwaite in 2015 stated that a rubric is a reflective ethos on work that
produces, fosters communication and completes the learning cycle. This only means that a
student should not only read a rubric once, but utilize it as a way to reflect, analyze, and
improve their work. This makes a rubric for students to use not only as a form of feedback
but as an opportunity to use the feedback to be better in their future work.

Rubrics as a Communication Tool

- Rubrics should have clearly stated performance indicators so that both students and
teachers have the same expectation towards the activity, thus, creating transparency in
grading. Teachers can also monitor students’ progress and communicate it to their students
effectively by using this set of criteria.

Types of Rubrics

1. Analytic Rubric — two-dimensional rubrics with levels of achievement (product)

listed in the leftmost column and assessment criteria (level of performance) as rows.
Written in a table form, each of the criteria is scored individually.
 Table 1. Example of an Analytic Rubric

Parts of Analytic Rubrics

1. Title
2. Description – this should ideally be placed at the top of the rubric to remind students
of the task without having to look in several places for all the assessment
information. At a minimum, a summary of the task should be provided.
3. Criteria/Components – – outline the various parts of the task clearly so that students
can easily see what is expected. Weighting the criteria reflects differential levels of
importance (e.g., the referencing style is likely to be less important than the critical
analysis component of an essay). Indicative weightings are helpful for illustrating the
relative importance of distinct criteria as this helps guide students’ efforts in
completing the task, as well as markers in assessing it.
4. Scale and Scoring – a continuum that describes the level of performance on the
task. The number of different levels is variable and depends on the type of
distinctions you want to make between the levels of performance. For example, you
may wish to indicate only achievement or nonachievement (two levels) or you may
wish to distinguish between levels of proficiency (4-5 levels; see examples below).
However, 3-5 levels are commonly used as the more levels you have, the more
difficult differentiation between the levels becomes. Descriptions should be clear, use
unambiguous language and explicitly relate to achievement. Depending on needs
and/or preferences, numerical values may or may not be attached to achievement
levels, although it needs to be noted that doing so would restrict the possibility to
differentially weight the criteria. They may use different kinds of indicative labels or
even grades.
5. Performance Descriptor (specified) – these should describe the relative differences
in performance between the levels. In cases where numerical values are attached to
either achievement levels or criteria, the wording of the descriptors needs to be
prioritised.
 2. Holistic Rubric — single criteria rubrics (one-dimensional) used to assess
participants' overall achievement on an activity or student-work based on predefined
achievement levels; performance descriptions are written in paragraphs and usually
in full sentences.

Table 2. Example of a Holistic Rubric

Parts of Holistic Rubrics

1. Title
2. Description – this should ideally be placed at the top of the rubric to remind students
of the task without having to look in several places for all the assessment
information. At a minimum, a summary of the task should be provided.
3. Scale and Scoring – a continuum which describes the level of performance on the
task. The number of different levels is variable and influenced by many
considerations, although 3 – 5 is commonly used. Descriptions should be clear, use
unambiguous language and explicitly relate to achievement. Depending on needs
and/or preferences, numerical values may or may not be attached to achievement
levels. Different kinds of indicative labels or even grades may be used, with some
potential examples including:
● Advanced, Proficient, Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory
● Highly Competent/Sophisticated, Competent, Partly Competent, Not Yet
Competent
 4. Performance Descriptor – these should describe the relative differences in
performance between the levels. In holistic rubrics, given that all assessed criteria are
added to a single cell, it is essential to ensure that descriptors are concisely written
and make sense within the context of the assessment, are mutually exclusive and are
not ambiguous. In cases where numerical values are attached to either achievement
levels or criteria, the wording of the descriptors needs to be prioritized.

Process in Developing Rubrics

A good rubric needs to be designed with care and precision in order to truly help teachers
distribute and receive the expected work thus, here are the six steps that one should follow in
creating their own rubrics:

Step 1: Define Your Goal

Decide the type of rubric you'd like to use, and that will largely be determined by your goals
for the assessment. You should then ask yourself the following questions:
1. How detailed do I want my feedback to be?
2. How will I break down my expectations for this project?
3. Are all of the tasks equally important?
4. How do I want to assess performance?
5. What standards must the students hit in order to achieve acceptable or exceptional
performance?
6. Do I want to give one final grade on the project or a cluster of smaller grades based
on several criteria?
7. Am I grading based on the work or on participation? Am I grading on both?

Define first your goals to be reached then choose a type of rubric to craft.

Step 2: Choose a Rubric Type

There are many variations of rubrics: Analytic Rubric, Holistic Rubric, Developmental
Rubric, Checklists, etc. (Analytic and Holistic Rubric are the two widely used in the teaching
field). However, it can be helpful to at least have a standard set to help you decide where to
start so just choose one rubric type.

Step 3: Determine Your Criteria

Master the learning objectives for your unit or course then brainstorm a list of knowledge
and skills you would like to assess for the project. Group them according to similarities and
get rid of anything that is not absolutely critical. Try to stick with 4-7 specific subjects for
which you'll be able to create unambiguous, measurable expectations in the performance
levels. You'll want to be able to spot the criteria quickly while grading and be able to explain
them quickly when instructing your students.

In an analytic rubric, the criteria are typically listed along the left column.

Step 4: Create Your Performance Levels

Once you have determined the broad levels you would like students to demonstrate mastery
of, you will need to figure out what type of scores you will assign based on each level of
mastery. Most ratings scales include between three and five levels. Some teachers use a
combination of numbers and descriptive labels like "(4) Exceptional, (3) Satisfactory, etc."
while other teachers simply assign numbers, percentages, letter grades or any combination of
the three for each level. You can arrange them from highest to lowest or lowest to highest as
long as your levels are organized and easy to understand.

Step 5: Write Descriptors for Each Level of Your Rubric

Here, you will need to write short statements of your expectations underneath each
performance level for every single criteria. The descriptions should be specific and
measurable. The language should be parallel to help with student comprehension and the
degree to which the standards are met should be explained.

Again, to use an analytic essay rubric as an example, if your criteria was "Organization" and
you used the (4) Exceptional, (3) Satisfactory, (2) Developing, and (1) Unsatisfactory scale,
you would need to write the specific content a student would need to produce to meet each
level.

A holistic rubric would not break down the essay's grading criteria with such precision.

Step 6: Revise Your Rubric

After creating the descriptive language for all of the levels (making sure it is parallel,
specific and measurable), you need to go back through and limit your rubric to a single page.
Too many parameters will be difficult to assess at once, and may be an ineffective way to
assess students' mastery of a specific standard. Do not be afraid to revise as necessary.

When can you use rubrics?

We know how important a rubric is for the assessments that we are trying to give to our
students. However, it is also important to learn that we are not ought to use them every single
time. Thus, it’s necessary to be aware on what occasion you should use rubrics as an
assessment tool. See some of the following example of tasks and scenarios:

For oral presentations

- Here are some oral presentation/activities that rubrics are commonly used to grade:

1. Impromptu Speech: A common activity wherein students are asked to speak in public or in
front of an audience without prior notice. One is given with little or no preparation at all, yet
almost always with some advanced knowledge on the topic.

2. Extemporaneous Speech: This involves little preparation, as the speaker may use notes or
cards to give his talk. It is still necessary that speakers will still use their own words and talk
naturally.

To help students evaluate individual contributions to group tasks.

- By having rubrics as their guide, students can assess objectively the contributions their
members or partners have made for the assigned task.

Can be used as a self-assessment tool for students to assess and improve their personal
work/performance.

- One can use this to reflect on their work and improve it for the next task to be done.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Rubric

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Rubrics can help instructors save time Rubrics may not fully convey all of the
grading by allowing them to refer to a information that the instructor wishes
substantive description rather than writing students to know.
long and tedious comments.

Rubrics can reduce the uncertainty that can They may limit students' imagination if they
accompany grading, reducing grade feel obligated to complete the assignment
complaints. exactly as specified in the rubric.

Rubrics help instructors organize and clarify Rubrics may lead to anxiety if they include
their ideas. too many criteria.
Reference: (Carnegie Mellon, “Benefitting from Rubrics”; ION, “Benefits of a Rubric”)

Challenges in using Assessment Rubrics:

1. When learning outcomes relate to higher levels of cognition (ex. evaluating,

creating), it will be kind of difficult to specify criteria and standards with exactitude.
This can be a particular issue in tasks requiring creativity or other hard to measure
capabilities. (same scenario with different dimensions of learning outcomes:
cognitive, psychomotor, affective)
2. Assessment rubrics are inherently indeterminate (Sadler, 2009), specifically when it
comes to translating judgments on each criterion of an analytic rubric into marks.
3. Breaking down the assessment into detailed criteria may increase marking workload
for teachers, and may result in: 1.) Distorted grading decisions; 2.) Students become
over-dependent on the rubric and less inclined to develop their own judgment in
creating a substance work (Boud, 2010).

How to utilize rubric effectively:

1. Discuss the assessment rubrics with students during class time. This will help both
concerned in refining and improving rubrics if ever there’ll be common
misunderstandings and misconceptions about it.
2. Make sure that the rubrics are prepared ahead of time and are readily available for
students before they begin to work on their activity; this will truly contribute to their
learning as they complete the task.
3. Frame your assessment feedback to students through rubrics so they can clearly
understand where they have succeeded/performed less well about the task.
4. Practice using it in class; have students assess their own learning and their peer’s
work. By doing this, we can support learning and at the same time, expose them to
the value of having an assessment rubric.
5. One should not always rely on rubric as a tool for assessing an activity or task. An
instructor must be able to discern when, why, and how a rubric should be used. If
 successful in this part, it can help you to save time in grading, both short-term and
long-term.
6. As a student, don’t just scan or read the rubrics once and forget the other details. One
can utilize rubrics at its best if he or she pays attention to its content for this will
serve as a guide for one to be more aware of his or her own learning process and
progress.
7. Don’t stress yourself in printing out your crafted rubrics in a bunch of papers and
distribute them to students individually. As 21st century learners and teachers, we can
utilize technology in a way that rubrics can easily be emailed to students for their
own convenience. In this way, they can also go back and see the content of the
rubrics in full detail.
 References:
Angelo State University. (2023). Creating Rubrics to Evaluate Student Work. Retrieved from:
https://www.angelo.edu/faculty-and-staff/instructional-design/online-teaching/section_64.

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9FCxw

Center for Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Types of Rubrics. Retrieved from:

https://resources.depaul.edu/teaching-commons/teaching-guides/feedback-grading/rubrics

/Pages/types-of-rubrics.aspx#developmental

Cornell University. (n.d.). Using Rubrics. Retrieved from: https://teaching.cornell.edu/teaching-

resources/assessment-evaluation/using-rubrics

Eduflow. (2016). Why are Rubrics so Important? Retrieved from: https://medium.com/peergrade

-io/why-are-rubrics-so-important-299f624b0ed6

Roell, Kelly. (2023, April 5). How to Create a Rubric in 6 Steps. Retrieved from https://www.

thoughtco.com/how-to-create-a-rubric-4061367

Teaching at UNSW. (2023). Using Assessment Rubrics. Retrieved from: https://www.teaching.

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