I was thinking about the pros and cons of using rubrics. I like them because they can be created for or adapted to a variety of topics and assignments. I think they are especially useful in judging what the students learned because they contain an explicit description of what their finished product should look like. It also helps grading be more consistent and fair. I use them for all my students’ science fair work. I also use them for projects and presentations. Problems I have run into involve the design of the rubrics. I have done many edits to my rubrics over the years. It is very easy to find rubrics online but without modification, the results wouldn’t be valid. They have to be either designed from scratch or online rubrics must be adapted. Deciding the weight of each criterion is time consuming but it’s not as difficult as picking the right criteria and making sure all areas of assessment are included. I have recently discovered the importance of including sections like the following:
Typed Proposal -Hole punch and place the typed -proposal in the current version section of SRP notebook | 2 | |
Your Grade & Peer Grade – Rubric columns completed on both sides of this sheet | 2 | |
This Rubric – name, date, and block on rubric – place this rubric in front of 1st notebook divider. | 4 | |
On time – notebook presented on time | 5 | |
Edits & Modifications for Notebook Organization Are Complete | 5 |
I find the more details the better!
I agree. I seem to run across a lot of lessons where the author uses someone else's rubric - and it doesn't fit. I am very specific with my rubrics, and usually get better results because of it. I say usually because some students just won't take the time to review the rubric BEFORE they turn in their work.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that I am going to hand out a rubric at the beginning of the semester that outlines my expectations on their math assignments. Showing work, completion,.... will be some of the things that will be included for their grade. That way they will have my expectations staring at them before they hand in an assignment. I get so many scattered thoughts all over a page that I can not follow at all unless the student is sitting next to me showing me where they wrote the work.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it would work to give a list of expectations. I find it difficult to be specific in point differentiations. I know it when I see it, but it's not always an easy thing to define in English.
ReplyDeleteThe more explicit that you are from the beginning, the less confusion there will be on the students' part. Thus, less of a reason why they shouldn't understand what's expected of them.
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