Steps in Making Scoring Rubrics

Guillermo Jr. L. Bello

Scoring rubrics are valuable tools for assessing student work, especially in product-based
assessments. Let’s explore their uses and benefits:
Transparency and Clarity:

 A rubric outlines specific criteria and performance levels for an assignment.

 Students gain a clear understanding of what is expected in their work.
 It helps assessors apply consistent standards when evaluating qualitative tasks.
Assessment Criteria Across Components:

 Rubrics cover various aspects of student work, including visual, written, and oral
components.
 Instructors use rubrics for overall grades, class participation, and marking
assignments.
Benefits of Rubric-Based Assessments:

 Time-Saving: Educators can reuse rubrics across semesters, streamlining grading.

Standardization:

 Students understand where their grades come from.

Assignment Design:

 Rubrics help educators assign value to different components, clarifying prompts.

Improved Student Work:

 Rubrics guide students during revisions and drafting, enhancing learning outcomes.
Confidence and Fairness:

 Students perceive rubric-based assessments as fair and identify strengths and

weaknesses.
Standardizing Learning:

 Program assessment rubrics provide insights into effective teaching techniques.

 Department chairs can use rubrics to improve courses and meet institutional criteria.
In summary, rubrics enhance assessment clarity, consistency, and student success. They are
powerful tools for evaluating diverse student work!
“Here are the Steps that will serve are your guide in developing a scoring rubric”
Step 1: Review Learning Objectives

 Identify what you want students to do or to accomplish as the learning outcomes.

 Learning objectives should be brief, clear, specific statements of what learners will be
able to do at the end of a lesson as a result of the activities, teaching, and learning
that has taken place. They are sometimes called learning outcomes.

Step 2: List Performance Criteria

 Develop a list of criteria that reflect the learning objectives and that describe the
tasks, behaviors, or elements that students are expected to demonstrate in their
product or performance. Select criteria to match your assignment or learning activity.
Step 3: Describe Levels of Quality for Each Criterion

 Describe the best and worst levels of quality for each criterion, and then fill in the
middle levels to complete the range of performance levels.

Step 4: Develop a Grid

 Use a grid format with columns and rows, listing objectives or expected performance
in the first column and descriptions of various levels of performance in the next
columns.
Step 5: Add a Descriptor or Numerical Score to Each Performance Level

 Use a descriptive word to identify each performance level, such as “beginning,

developing, accomplished, exemplary.” There are several rating scales to utilize. If you
want to score/grade the student’s work, add a number or rating to each level.

Step 6: Practice Using the Rubric

 Before using formally, verify the rubric by using it to evaluate previous student work.
Or practice with students to determine if the rubric is clear, accurate, and covers all
potential performances. Ask for student feedback on the usefulness and fairness of the
rubric
Step 7: Share the Rubric with Students
  Before students begin an assigned activity that will be assessed, share the rubric with
them to clarify what is expected in their work. Consider involving students in
developing or evaluating a rubric.
Step 8: Assess Students’ Work

 Use the rubric to guide you in assessing how well students performed, or their level of
mastery, in doing the learning activity or assignment.
Step 9: Revise the Rubric

 Keep track of the strengths and weaknesses of the rubric as you use it to assess
student work. Revise to build in detail and improve communication.
References:
https://wisc.pb.unizin.org/teachonlinerubrics/chapter/steps-to-developing-rubics/#step1
https://www.watermarkinsights.com/resources/blog/rubric-based-assessments-usage-and-
benefits
https://www.quickrubric.com/about/what-is-a-rubric
https://teaching.unl.edu/resources/grading-feedback/intro-to-rubrics/