In the realm of US education, a rubric is a "scoring guide used to evaluate the quality of students' constructed responses" according to James Popham.[1] In simpler terms, it serves as a set of criteria for grading assignments. Typically presented in table format, rubrics contain evaluative criteria, quality definitions for various levels of achievement, and a scoring strategy. They play a dual role for teachers in marking assignments and for students in planning their work.[2]
A scoring rubric typically includes dimensions or "criteria" on which performance is rated, definitions and examples illustrating measured attributes, and a rating scale for each dimension. Joan Herman, Aschbacher, and Winters identify these elements in scoring rubrics:[3]
- Traits or dimensions serving as the basis for judging the student response
- Definitions and examples clarifying each trait or dimension
- A scale of values for rating each dimension
- Standards of excellence for specified performance levels with models or examples
Rubrics can be classified as holistic, analytic, or developmental. Holistic rubrics provide an overall rating for a piece of work, considering all aspects. Analytic rubrics evaluate various dimensions or components separately. Developmental rubrics, a subset of analytical rubrics, facilitate assessment, instructional design, and transformative learning through multiple dimensions of developmental successions.
To create an effective scoring rubric, a five-step method is often employed:[4]
Scoring rubrics find application in individual assessments, projects, and capstone projects. They prove particularly beneficial when multiple evaluators are assessing to maintain focus on contributing attributes. Rubrics are ideal for project assessments, providing criteria for various components.
Developmental rubrics, a subtype of analytic rubrics, utilize multiple dimensions of developmental successions for assessment, instructional design, and transformative learning. They define modes of practice within a community of experts and indicate transformative learning through dynamic succession.[5]
Developmental rubrics refer to a matrix of modes of practice. Practices belong to a community of experts.[6] Each mode of practice competes with a few others within the same dimension. Modes appear in succession because their frequency is determined by four parameters: endemicity, performance rate, commitment strength, and acceptance. Transformative learning results in changing from one mode to the next. The typical developmental modes can be roughly identified as beginning, exploring, sustaining, and inspiring. The timing of the four levels is unique to each dimension and it is common to find beginning or exploring modes in one dimension coexisting with sustaining or inspiring modes in another. Often, the modes within a dimension are given unique names in addition to the typical identifier. As a result, developmental rubrics have four properties:
The term "rubric" traditionally referred to instructions on a test or a heading on a document. In modern education, it has evolved to denote an assessment tool linked to learning objectives. The transition from medicine to education occurred through the construction of "Standardized Developmental Ratings" in the mid-1970s, later adapted for writing assessment.
Scoring rubrics enhance scoring consistency, providing educators with a reliable grading tool. Grading is more consistent when using a rubric, reducing variation between students and different teachers.