1. Designing Rubrics
Nancy Allen, Ph.D.
College of Education
Office of Faculty Development
Qatar University
Adapted from: Baggio, C. (n.d.). Tips for designing rubrics. Retrieved on May 29, 2007, from
www.sdst.org/shs/library/powerpoint/rubrics.ppt and

2. Designing Rubrics
Students as Self Assessors
Teachers as Focused Coaches

3. What is a rubric?
A rubric is a guideline for rating student
performance.
Benefits:
 The rubric provides those doing the assessment with exactly
the characteristics for each level of performance on which
they should base their judgment.
 The rubric provides those who have been assessed with
clear information about how well they performed.
 The rubric also provides those who have been assessed with
a clear indication of what they need to accomplish in the
future to better their performance.
Asmus, E, (1999). Rubrics. Retrieved on May 29, 2007, from
http://www.music.miami.edu/assessment/rubrics.html

4. What is a rubric?
Quality Continuum
A rubric must define the range of possible
performance levels. Within this range are different
levels of performance which are organized from the
lowest level to the highest level of performance.
Usually, a scale of possible points is associated with
the continuum where the highest level receives the
greatest number of points and the lowest level of
performance receives the fewest points.

5. What is a rubric?
A rubric is a lesson in quality
A public declaration of expectations
A communication tool
A self-assessment tool for learners
A gauge for examining performance
A self-fulfilling prophecy

6. What is a rubric?
Quality PERFORMANCE POINTS POINTS
Continuum LEVEL
Excellent 4 90-100
Good 3 80-89
Satisfactory 2 70-79
Needs 1 60-69
Improvement
Clearly 0 <60
unsatisfactory

7. Rubric vs. Checklist
Checklist for a friendly letter
______ Date, flush left at top
______ Address
______ Greeting
______ Body
______ Salutation
______ Signature

8. Rubric vs. Checklist
Checklists have not judgment of quality.
Checklists can only be used when
“present or absent” is a sufficient
criterion for quality.

9. Rubric vs. Checklist
Rubrics include descriptors for each
targeted criterion.
Rubrics provide a scale which
differentiates among the descriptors.

10. What is a rubric?
Descriptors
Each level of performance should have descriptors
which clearly indicate what is necessary to achieve
that level of performance.
Example
Organization of Thought (4-points): “Work is clearly
organized and includes a diagram or step-by-step
analysis.”
criterion point value descriptor

11. The parts of a rubric:
R u b r ic
S t a n d a r d s o f E x c e l le n c e C r it e r ia I n d ic a t o rs

12. Determining Standards of
Excellence
How many degrees of quality should
you include?
Should you use language or numbers?
If language, what descriptive terms
should you use?
Should you weigh the items?

13. Criteria
The specific areas for assessment
Focus areas for instruction
Clear and relevant
Age appropriate
Form and function represented
Objectives

14. Indicators
Descriptors of level of performance for
the criteria
Conclusion includes whether the findings
supported the hypothesis, possible sources of
error, and what was learned from the experiment.
Clear, observable language
Examples for learners

15. How do rubrics alter
instruction?
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.

16. Whom does a rubric assist?
It is a feedback system for students to judge a
product or performance.
It is a feedback tool for teachers to provide clear,
focused coaching to the learner.
It is a system that promotes consistent and
meaningful feedback over time.
It is a communication tool for parents.

17. What makes a quality
RUBRIC?
An even number of If points… clear to
standards of students upfront
excellence
Deliberate sequence
Clear essential of criteria
criteria
Realistic number of High interjudge
criteria reliability
Explicit, observable Tested out with
indicators students

18. What makes a good judge?
Knowledge and
experience with
specific skill
Practice with rubri.
Objectivity
Questions rubric in
advance to be sure
all participants
understand

19. How do I get started?
Critique current
models.
Ask students to
define “quality” in
relation to specific
product or
performance.
Translate into a
modest rubric.

20. Expert Input
Experts agree:
 Rubrics are hard to design.
 Rubrics are time-consuming to design.
 “A rubric is only as useful as it is good. Using
a bad rubric is a waste of time…”
--Michael Simkins in “Designing Great Rubrics”
Experts disagree:
 How to design a “good” rubric
Bottom line: Is it working for you and for your
students?

21. Holistic Or Analytic—Which To
Use?
HOLISTIC
Views product or performance as a whole;
describes characteristics of different levels of
performance. Criteria are summarized for
each score level.

22. Holistic Or Analytic—Which To
Use?
Excellent Researcher
 included 10-12 sources
 no apparent historical inaccuracies
 can easily tell which sources information was drawn from
 all relevant information is included
2 - Good Researcher
 included 5-9 sources
 few historical inaccuracies
 can tell with difficulty where information came from
 bibliography contains most relevant information
1 - Poor Researcher
 included 1-4 sources
 lots of historical inaccuracies
 cannot tell from which source information came
 bibliography contains very little information

23. Holistic Or Analytic?
HOLISTIC—pros and cons
+ Takes less time to create.
+ Effectively determines a “not fully developed”
performance as a whole
+ Efficient for large group scoring; less time to
assess
- Not diagnostic
- Student may exhibit traits at two or more
levels at the same time.

24. Holistic Or Analytic?
Analytic
Separate facets of performance are
defined, independently valued, and
scored. Facets scored separately

25. Holistic Or Analytic?
Analytic—pros and cons
+ Sharper focus on target
+ Specific feedback (matrix)
+ Instructional emphasis
- Time consuming
- Takes skill and practice

26. Task specific or general?
Task specific: Rubric designed for
and references a specific
assignment.
General: Rubric designed for and
references a type of assignment
frequently repeated.

27. Tip #1
Use as many generalized rubrics as
possible.
 Efficient
 Builds recognition of excellence

28. Tip #2
If using pre-designed rubrics carefully
consider quality and appropriateness for
your project.

29. Tip #3
Aim for concise, clear, jargon-free
language
“…in most instances, lengthy rubrics probably can
be reduced to succinct…more useful versions for
classroom instruction. Such abbreviated rubrics
can still capture the key evaluative criteria needed
to judge students’ responses. Lengthy rubrics, in
contrast, will gather dust” (Benjamin 23).

30. Tip #4
Limit the number of criteria, but
Separate key criteria.
 “Very clear” and “very organized” may be clear
but not organized or vice versa.

31. Tip #5
Use key, teachable criteria.
Key Questions: What are my objectives?
Are there other generalized objectives
that should be included?

32. Tip #6
Use concrete versus abstract and
positives rather than negatives
 Instead of “poorly organized” use “sharply
focused thesis, topic sentences clearly
connected to thesis, logical ordering of
paragraphs, conclusion ends with clincher”.
Key Question to ask yourself: Would
student know what quality “looked like”
by this description?

33. Tip #7
Use measurable criteria.
 “Includes two or more new ideas…”
instead of “creative and imaginative”

34. Tip #8
Aim for an even number of levels
 Create continuum between least and most
 Define poles and work inward
 List skills and traits consistently across
levels

35. Tip #9
Include students in creating or adapting
rubrics
Consider using “I” in the descriptors
 I followed precisely—consistently—
inconsistently—MLA documentation format.
 I did not follow MLA documentation format.

36. Tip #10
Provide models of the different
performance levels.

37. The Assignment Sheet
Link the assignment sheet and the rubric. Use
same language.
Include all non-negotiable items.
 On time
 Formatted correctly
 Follows standard conventions…
 Etc.

38. Rubrics for formative
assessment
Encourage students to “check progress”
using the rubric.
Encourage / require self-assessment
and/or peer assessment.

39. Steps in Developing a Rubric
Design backwards—rubric first; then product/performance.
Decide on the criteria for the product or performance to be
assessed.
Write a definition or make a list of concrete descriptors—
identifiable-- for each criterion.
Develop a continuum for describing the range of performance
for each criterion.
Keep track of strengths and weaknesses of rubric as you use it
to assess student work.
Revise accordingly.
Step back; ask yourself, “What didn’t I make clear
instructionally?” The weakness may not be the rubric.

40. Rubrics On Line
"Rubistar Rubric Generator" (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/)
"Teacher Rubric Maker" (
http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/)
“Rubrician” (http://www.rubrician.com/language.htm”
Rubrics for Web Lessons (
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/triton/july/rubrics/Rubrics_for_Web_Lessons.ht
)
An Online Rubric Maker (http://landmark-
project.com/classweb/rubrics/)

41. References
Andrade, H.(2000). Using rubrics to promote thinking and learning. Alexandria,
VA: ASCD.
Asmus, E, (1999). Rubrics. Retrieved on May 29, 2007, from http://
www.music.miami.edu/assessment/rubrics.html
Baggio, C. Designing rubrics: Revising instruction and improving performance.
Retrieved on March 1, 2007, from http://www.edutech.org.br.
Baggio, C. (n.d.). Tips for designing rubrics. Retrieved on May 29, 2007, from
www.sdst.org/shs/library/powerpoint/rubrics.ppt
Benjamin, A.(2000). An English teacher’s guide to performance tasks and
rubrics. Larchmont: Eye on Education.
Leavell, A. (n.d.). Authentic assessment: Using rubrics to evaluate project-based
learning. WEBLIBRARY.
Matthews, J. (2000). Writing by the rules no easy task. Retrieved on October
25, 2000 from <http://washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/articles/A63599-2000Oct23.html>
Simkins, M. (1999, August). Designing great rubrics. Technology and Learning.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Tips for developing effective rubrics.
Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.