Rubrics

A rubric is a tool built from a set of criteria that can be used to both guide and evaluate student performance on an assignment. When designed and used effectively, rubrics can help instructors:

• Grade more efficiently and consistently
• Align coursework with learning outcomes
• Effectively communicate expectations and what success looks like
• Precisely identify specific strengths and weaknesses in students’ work
• Guide students to do more effective self-assessment and/or peer review

Some instructors worry that using a rubric will limit students’ critical thinking or creativity. But providing students with a rubric before they begin an assignment means that students don’t have to guess what you want – it can help them better understand the parameters of the assignment and the hallmarks of excellence. With your expectations in mind, they are more likely to take risks and try new approaches – particularly if your rubric specifies this as a goal.

Components of a rubric

Effective rubrics generally consist of three core components:

• Performance Criteria: These are areas an instructor has determined to be key to student success on an assignment. They constitute the backbone of an instructor’s assessment of a student’s performance. Typically, criteria focus on the quality of the assignment’s content, methods, reasoning, communication, and/or format. To identify rubric criteria ask: What will I look at when I’m grading that will help me determine if a student is successful?
• Performance Levels: Similar to Likert scale ratings, performance levels are ratings that articulate the level of success demonstrated by the student on a particular criterion. They might be expressed in simple terms such as Complete / Incomplete, as a range of numbers or letters (e.g., 1-5 or A-F), or as a more detailed range of ratings (e.g., Sophisticated, Good, Competent, Average, Needs work, or Poor).
• Performance Descriptions: These are short descriptions of each performance level for a given criterion. For example, if the criterion is “Use of Research” and the performance levels range from A to F, the instructor would write five separate performance descriptions – one that articulates the characteristics an “A” quality use of research, one that articulates the characteristics of a “B” quality use of research, etc.

Types of rubrics

There are many different types of rubrics, each of which might be more or less suited to your particular teaching context. Most fall into one of three basic types of rubrics.

How to develop a rubric

1. Articulate your learning outcomes for the assignment. What will students learn and/or do as a result of completing this assignment?
2. Determine the type of rubric that will work best for assessing these outcomes and communicating feedback to students.
3. Identify the criteria that will help you measure whether students have met the learning outcomes for the assignment.
4. Determine the performance levels and write out the performance descriptions. Keep these as brief as possible–the fewer criteria you have, the easier it will be for students to prioritize what’s most important (and for you to grade their work).
5. Decide how and when you will share the rubric with students. To get the most use out of your rubric, share it at the same time that you introduce the assignment. Knowing from the start how the assignment will be assessed will help students approach it most effectively.

Tips for developing an effective rubric

• Limit rubric criteria to the most important aspects of the assignment.
• Use specific, descriptive language to articulate the assignment requirements and assessment criteria.
• Ensure consistency by using similar language in each section of the rubric.
• Share the rubric with students when introducing an assignment.
• Consider co-creating rubrics with your students to help them better understand their own learning.

Examples

The examples below are meant to demonstrate the basic concepts and structure of a rubric. They are not meant to apply to any particular assignment. With a particular assignment in mind, instructors will need to articulate both the criteria that will guide their assessment of students’ performance and the performance descriptions for each level.

Holistic Rubric

Level e.g., Exemplary (24)	Level e.g., Proficient (22)	Level e.g., Acceptable (20)	Level e.g., Weak (18)	Level e.g., Unacceptable (16)
Description e.g., “The presentation clearly defines and introduces the topic, includes multiple examples, and provides a detailed explanation of the relevance of the topic. It includes a bibliography of 10 sources in correct format and is well-organized and visually effective.”	Description	Description	Description	Description
Comments:
Score:

Single-Point Rubric

WAYS TO IMPROVE	EXPECTATIONS	ADVANCED
	CRITERION #1 e.g., “USE OF MATERIALS: The drawing explores the versatility of the assigned medium (charcoal), including different strategies for mark making, shading, etc.”
	CRITERION #2
	CRITERION #3
	CRITERION #4

Analytic Rubric

Criterion	Level e.g., Excellent (4)	Level e.g., Good (3)	Level e.g., Adequate (2)	Level e.g., Inadequate (1)
Criterion #1 e.g., “Problem solving”	Description e.g., “Implements all relevant problem-solving strategies”	Description e.g., “Implements several relevant problem-solving strategies”	Description e.g., “Implements one problem-solving strategy”	Description e.g., “Does not implement any relevant problem-solving strategies”
Criterion #2	Description	Description	Description	Description
Criterion #3	Description	Description	Description	Description
Comments:
Score:

Basic rubric examples Word doc

Additional resources

• Guide to creating rubrics on Canvas
• Writing@UW: What is a rubric, and how do I use it?