The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Rubrics

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RUBRICS - not only do they allow for teachers to understand how they are grading their projects, but they are also helpful to students themselves to understand exactly what is expected from them. A good rubric can only be formed from a good project— meaning a good project should already have the bones which allow for a rubric to be realized. What makes a good rubric? What makes a bad rubric? Let's discuss.


 A GOOD RUBRIC IS...

  • Clear
  • Concise
  • Detailed
  • Not too complicated
EXAMPLE

This rubric is clearly labeled, with understandable and relevant categories as well as a 1-4 scale that students will already be familiar with, most likely. Each category is detailed, but easily understandable for the student. This rubric may have too many categories, but other than that it is reliable and helpful. 

A BAD RUBRIC IS...
  • Unclear
  • Wordy
  • Not wordy enough
  • Unhelpful
EXAMPLE

This rubric is unclear. The side categories are somewhat difficult to understand, as well as not having nearly enough detail for students to rely on as they write their paper. This rubric isn't very helpful to students, and might not even be very helpful to the teacher who created the assignment.

A well written, articulated rubric is essential to teachers in order to accurately grade assignments, but most importantly a well written rubric is helpful to students. If students are too shy to ask you questions, or if they don't have a chance to reach out to you, the rubric is a great fall back for students to use to answer most of their assignment questions. Students will know how far to push themselves for the grade that they want, and they can look at what they currently have and compare what grade they might expect. As I become a teacher, this is definitely a skill I will be working on. 

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