
Develop a Rubric

Rubrics provide teachers and students with a framework for scoring and interpreting student performance. They contain criteria related to a curriculum benchmark and reflect at least three levels of performance: 1) is working on or approaching grade-level expectations; 2) meets grade-level expectations; 3) exceeds grade-level expectations. In this activity, you will develop a rubric for one of the grade-level benchmarks in your literacy program. Use the following steps to guide you in creating your rubric. When you have finished, save your written work to submit as an assignment.
- Select a grade-level goal or benchmark for reading or writing (e.g., students will write with a clear focus and organization of ideas).
- Assign a task that reflects this benchmark.
- List characteristics of student performance at each of the three levels noted above.
- Develop a grid that categorizes the criteria you have noted for each level of performance. You may want to assign a number to each level.
- Use the rubric to assess samples of student performance on the benchmark.
- Use the results of the rubric to plan instruction.
Here is a Sample Rubric (PDF) to assist you in developing your own.
Benchmark: Students will be able to identify and understand how and why a character changes in a piece of fiction, based on what the character does or says and on what others say about the character.
Assignment: After completing a book, students will write at least three paragraphs describing how a character changed from the beginning to the end of the story.
After completing your own rubric, answer these questions:
- How did the rubric help you to assess student performance?
- Was the rubric an accurate reflection of the selected benchmark?
- What changes would you make to your rubric for future assessments?
- How will you share the rubric with your students? How could you include students in the development of other rubrics?
- What instruction will you plan as a result of using this rubric?
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Session 8: Printouts | Assignments | Resources
