Developing Rubrics within the Context of Assessment Methods

Peggy MakiSenior ScholarAssessing for LearningAAHEpmaki@aahe.org

Rubrics

Rubrics establish a basis upon which you ascertain how well a student is achieving or performing or using or integrating “x”

Raters use these to judge work Professors use them to give students

feedback Students use them to develop work and to

understand how their work meets those standards

What are the key elements in a rubric?

Levels of achievement

Criteria that distinguish good work from poor work

Descriptions of criteria at each level of achievement

Examples of Levels of Achievement

Verbal or numerical rankings (such as conceptual understanding is apparent; conceptual understanding only adequate; conceptual understanding not adequate; does not attempt conceptual understanding

Mastery levels (levels of attainment) Holistic (one score overall); analytic National standards for scoring Departmental standards for scoring (developed

through consensus)

Examples of Criteria for Conceptual Attainment in Fundamental Mathematics

Conceptual understanding apparent Consistent notation, with only an occasional

error Logical formulation Complete or near complete

solution/response

Ways to Derive Rubrics:

Develop through consensus with colleagues

Derive from examples of student work (A-F)

Derive from knowledge about transition from novice to expert

Draw on students’ experiences

Format for Scoring Sheet

Level Level Level Indicators

Trait 1

Trait 2

Trait 3

Trait 4

Trait 5

Develop a rubric for one outcome:

Where You Seek Evidence…

Course-embedded

In-class

Out-of-class

Off-campus

On-line

Some Methods That Provide Direct Evidence

Student work samples Collections of student work (e.g.,

Portfolios) Capstone projects Course-embedded assessment Observations of student behavior Internal juried review of student

projects

Direct Evidence (continued)

External juried review of student projects

Externally reviewed internship Performance on a case study/problem Performance on problem and analysis

(Student explains how he or she solved a problem)

Direct Evidence (continued)

Performance on national licensure examinations

Response to critical incident Locally developed tests Standardized tests Pre- and post-tests Essay tests blind scored across units Mapping

Methods That Do Not Provide Direct Evidence but May Be Combined with Other Methods – Indirect Methods

Faculty publications (unless students are involved) Courses selected or elected by students Faculty/student ratios Percentage of students who study abroad Enrollment trends Percentage of students who graduate within five-

six years Diversity of student body

Focus groups (representative of the population)

Interviews (representative of the population)

Surveys

Other sources of information that contribute to your inference making: NSSE results, grades, participation rates or persistence in support services, course-taking patterns, majors

Identify Methods that Will Assess Your Outcome Statement Using Your Rubric: