Recently my class was asked to think about what the difference between a good, and a bad rubric were, meaning, what makes something a quality rubric, and what makes a rubric vague, unclear, and ultimately unhelpful?
To answer this question I want to compare two rubrics, one good, one bad, and explain the differences.
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| Source: http://southbayrobot.com/2018/09/socratic-seminar-lesson-plan-template/socratic-seminar-lesson-plan-template-rubric-examples-study-com/ |
Above is an example of a rubric for a socratic-style class discussion.
Beginning with the Preparation category, how is not understanding the reading something to dock students on? I am not a strong reader, I understand that, accept it, and make any and all efforts I can in order to get through the material. Should this rubric have been implemented when I was in a class study Shakespeare, I would have failed miserably, as reading is not one of my strong suits. Thus, as I didn't understand the reading, I came to class expecting to take notes on the discussion our class would have over the text, and make note of any key concepts or motifs that I had overlooked due to my inability to dig as deep in the text as my classmates. But, as all students do, I would sometimes zone out in the middle of these discussions, and therefore miss some ideas and notes over the material. Additionally, because I was taking notes and trying to compare the discussion to my (limited) understanding of the text, rarely, if ever, did I speak up and contribute to the class discussion. Thus, for a student like me who's struggling to understand the readings, a rubric like this will, for lack of a better term, tank their grade. At most I would have gotten a "Mastery" in listening if it was a good day, and a "proficient" every other day. Further, I would have not scored very high in both preparation and speaking, as I took class time to try to understand what I had read, versus trying to find the hidden depth as to why the curtains are blue.
A rubric like this does not account for students who have other kinds of intelligences; since this rubric is based upon one's ability to understand the reading, it solely benefits students with a verbal-linguistic intelligence.
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| Source: https://wisc.pb.unizin.org/teachonlinerubrics/chapter/types-of-rubrics/ |
Above is an example of, what I consider to be, a quality rubric.
Though this rubric is used to assess writing assignments, I believe that one can clearly see the differences and the improvements that have been made in comparison to the first rubric I provided. Specifically, this rubric takes a more holistic and open-ended look at the assessment of the material. By merely saying that, in the Focus Category, to get a high score that one must clearly state their position and give well-chosen reasons gives the student being assessed under this rubric ample opportunity to earn a high grade. With such vague language, as well as no limits on needing to have X amount of sources, or having X literary devices incorporated into the essay, the focus is more on the message of the paper and the persuasion of the author. Additionally, the language that this rubric uses to describe what is needed to receive a high score is very positive. By phrasing the description in a way that places more emphasis on the reader's ability to understand the argument versus shunning kids for grammar mistakes gives allows students to be relieved of the pressure to pass in a flawless piece of work, versus one that contains a powerful argument. Again, with the focus being on the students ideas versus their execution gives students motivation to put their full effort into an assignment they may not be passionate about.
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