•Testsand quizzes that include

constructed-response items?
•Reflective assessments (reflective
journals, think logs, peer response
groups, interviews)?
•Academic prompts with a FAT-P
(format, audience, topic, purpose)
clearly stated?
•Culminating performance assessment
tasks and projects?
A rubric is one authentic
assessment tool which is
designed to simulate real life
activity where students are
engaged in solving real-life
problems.
A rubric is a formative type of
assessment because it
becomes an ongoing part of
the whole teaching
and learning
process.
When a rubric is well-defined,
learners know exactly what is
expected of them and how
they can achieve
the top grade.
A rubric is a scoring guide
that enables the teacher to
make reliable judgments
about student work and
allows students to self-
assess.
•is based on a continuum of performance
quality, built upon a scale of different
possible score points to be assigned
•identifies the key traits or dimensions to
be examined and assessed
•provides key features of performance for
each level of scoring (descriptors) which
signify the degree to which the criteria
have been met
Validity requires that all of these elements
be aligned:
•The understandings/learning goals/power
standards
•Performance objectives (Know-Do)
•Driving question
•Performance Task(s)
•Student products/performances
•Assessment criteria
1. Make a list of the things you want
students to accomplish as a result
of your instruction.

2. Decide what type of rubric you

want to use.
• Criterion-based Performance Lists

• Holistic Rubrics

• Analytic Trait Rubrics

 List the criteria, elements, or traits of a
performance
 May have point values assigned to

each item on the list

 Do not contain a detailed description of

the performance levels

 May be judged using Yes or No
You are a restaurant critic who has
been assigned the task of evaluating
your waitperson. With a partner (or as
a group) design a checklist of qualities
upon which you would judge a
waitperson’s performance.
 Yes No
Promptly greets patron  
Attentive to patron’s needs  
Courteous  
Friendly, but not overly so  
Delivers the food while still hot  
Gets the order right  
Calculates the check correctly  
 Provides an overall impression of a
student’s work
 Yields a single score for a product or

performance
 Is well-suited to judging simple

products or performances
 Does not provide a detailed analysis

of the strengths and weaknesses

The editor of the restaurant magazine is not
satisfied with the checklist and has asked
for you to create a holistic rubric with which
to give the waitperson a score from 3 to 1.
Take the criterion-based performance
checklist and use it to help you determine
the levels in your holistic rubric.
3 The waitperson greets patrons promptly, and is
courteous and friendly, but not overly so. He/she
takes the order accurately and serves the food while it
is still hot. He/she is attentive to the patron’s needs
and calculates the bill correctly.
2 The waitperson is not quite as prompt or courteous.
He/she may be unfriendly or overly so. He/she may
forget minor parts of the patron’s order or serve the
food slightly cool. He/she neglects the patrons or
miscalculates the bill.
1 The waitperson is not prompt. He/she is rude or
unconcerned with patron’s needs. He/she gets the
order wrong or makes the patrons wait . Many
mistakes are made in the bill.
 Divides the product or performance into
distinct traits and judges each separately
 Is better suited to judging complex

performances involving several dimensions

Provide more specific information or

feedback
 Helps students better understand what

quality of work is expected.

 Is more time-consuming to learn and

apply
After seeing your evaluation of his wait staff
in the magazine, the owner of the restaurant
asks you to design an analytic-trait rubric by
which he can assess his people. Use the
information from your checklist and from
your holistic rubric to create this
assessment.
 Greeting Attentiveness Service Billing
10% 15% 60% 15%
3 The waitperson The waitperson is The waitperson The
greets patrons attentive to takes the order waitperson
promptly. patron’s needs. accurately and calculates the
serves food bill accurately.
promptly.
The waitperson The waitperson is The waitperson The
2 lets patrons sit somewhat attentive makes a minor waitperson
for a few to patron’s needs. mistake in the makes a minor
minutes before order or does not mistake in the
greeting. serve food bill.
promptly.
The waitperson The waitperson The waitperson The
1 lets patrons sit totally ignores the gets the order waitperson
for several needs and requests wrong or serves completely
minutes before of patrons. the food cold or miscalculates
greeting them. both. the bill.
 Collaboration Rubric

20%

20%

20%

40%
7th Grade Math Rubric – Graphic Representations
 This Is My Country! Criterion-Based Performance List

 
Yes No Points 

Student has chosen a name for their new  

country. (5 points)
 
Student has identified five requirements  
for citizenship. (10 points total, 2 points each)
 
Student has justified the reason for each  
of the five requirements. (10 points total, 2 points each)
 
Student has presented the requirements  
to a small group of students. (5 points)
  
Total Points /30

Final Grade _________

•The teacher commits to teaching quality.
•The teacher commits to assisting the

student self-assess.
•The focus is on each product and/or

performance.
•The labels are removed from students.
•Specificity appears in all communications.
•Everyone gives and receives feedback.
 Identify exactly what you are assessing.
 Identify the characteristics of what you are

assessing.
 Describe the best work you could expect using

these characteristics. This is the top category (4).

 Describe the worst acceptable work. This is the

lowest acceptable (2).

 Describe unacceptable work. This is the lowest

category (1).
Develop descriptions of the intermediate work (3).
•Find a rubric that most closely matches your
performance task.

• Evaluate and adjust to reflect your instruction,

language, expectations, content, students
Criteria
Descriptors
Performance levels
The rubric that you choose to use must
assess what you set out to assess.

Align your goals and your assessment

for a true picture of what the student
can do.

Show the rubric to the students

BEFORE they start to work on the
product or performance.