{"id":1528,"date":"2015-09-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-10T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thecornerstone.wpengine.com\/easy-rubric-tweaks\/"},"modified":"2021-11-16T20:18:42","modified_gmt":"2021-11-17T00:18:42","slug":"easy-rubric-tweaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/truthforteachers.com\/easy-rubric-tweaks\/","title":{"rendered":"Working and conferencing with a rubric: easy tweaks for effort + quality"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m always in search of\u00a0simple, time-saving rubrics<\/a>\u00a0that make it\u00a0easier for kids to understand how they\u2019re being assessed. Today, I\u2019ve invited middle school principal and former\u00a0Language Arts teacher Dennis Kafalas<\/a> to share some awesome strategies he\u2019s developed for making your rubrics easier to use AND higher quality. Thank you, Dennis!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Correcting student work with a rubric drives me crazy: the criteria is generally vague; most students only care whether or not the holistic score is a passing grade, and many get by without giving their best. For me, the worst feeling in the world is to pass back papers thinking and feeling something\u2019s missing, that the best intention of the lesson missed its mark.<\/p>\n

While I still get exasperated at times with rubrics, I\u2019ve made some easy and helpful changes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have kids redo unacceptable work until they reach level 3<\/h3>\n

Quality has to be non-negotiable. For example, all students are told that at least 3 score in all grading categories on a 5 point rubric is acceptable. Any criteria that scores below acceptable (3) is recorded as incomplete. Students aren\u2019t given a grade for the entire project until that section is redone.<\/p>\n

Does that create a problem? Yes, because it means I have to spend more time with them on improving their work, which takes a while. I know there\u2019s pressure to cover the curriculum and time is valuable, but I\u2019ll take quality over quantity any time.\u00a0Over time, though, they learn that doing it right is better than always redoing.<\/p>\n

And if they refuse? They earn a low D for the project with the option to redo at any time, even after the new marking period begins. Of course, parents are notified and are usually supportive of the opportunity to improve a grade.<\/p>\n

The easiest way to grade with this rubric to use this scale: all 3\u2019s equal a 90 grade; 3\u2019s and 4\u2019s equal a 95, and all 5\u2019s equal a 100. Using this scale makes it easy for them and me. There\u2019s no trying to decide what combination of scores is passing or not.<\/p>\n

Give\u00a0motivated students a higher level to strive for<\/h3>\n

To challenge my motivated students, I\u2019ve added this standard for all categories, \u201cExceeds grade level expectation.\u201d On a rubric score of one to five, this is the highest score, and separates the very good from the great. All it takes, too, is for one student to ask how to earn it, and others will follow, making the classroom dynamic more productive and focused.<\/p>\n

\"Working<\/p>\n

Include\u00a0a process criteria in your rubric<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve also added a process criteria, an idea I\u2019ve borrowed from the book, How to Create and Use Rubrics for Formative Assessment and Grading<\/a>\u00a0by Susan M. Brookhart (ASCD, 2013). Essentially, this is an effort grade. From start to finish, effort, care, and attention to task are incorporated into the activity. The process criteria of the rubric is scored as part of the overall grade. For example, the highest score (5) in the process criteria reads, \u201cStudent effort demonstrated care and concern for quality of product.\u201d An unacceptable score reads, \u201cStudent effort was inconsistent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The benefit of a process criteria is that students who might not be confident about the assignment are happy that their attempt to do their best will be rewarded. Those students who don\u2019t give their best earn an incomplete and must redo those sections to which they didn\u2019t fully apply themselves, which is only fair. To me, a process grade adds an element of real world expectation: you must attempt to do your best \u2013 always!<\/p>\n

Adding a process criteria was the best move I could\u2019ve made. More students stay on task and ask questions about their work before completing it. In fact, I have to allow more class time for on-the-spot conferencing, which saves correcting; I\u2019m able to teach in the moment and prevent errors. Overall, I\u2019m more aware of students\u2019 needs; the quality of the student work improves, and we get better at using rubrics as the year goes along.<\/p>\n

Create\u00a0a rubric\u00a0version that\u2019s simpler for kids \/ parents to understand<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve also made the language of the rubric parent- and student-friendly. What reads as a 5 score on the formal, teacher designed rubric, \u201cQuestion is logically and accurately restated with a complete, relevant answer that speaks to reader (audience)<\/em>\u201d is rewritten for students as, \u201cAnswer to question is right; writer makes readers understand why the answer is important (audience).<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Using direct, non-teacher talk works better \u2014 and is actually hard to do \u2014 but worth it.\u00a0Students who, in the past, never even bothered to read the rubric, now work closely with it.<\/p>\n

\"extended-response-rubric-for-classroom-600x437\"<\/a>
Click here to download a free editable Word version of this rubric in Google Docs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Have student practice using the rubric by evaluating benchmark papers<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve gotten into the habit of leaving high quality papers with their rubric scores in the class for students to review. In the past, it was hard to explain to students why they earned their grade and how to improve it. Using quality student work allows me to occasionally let students compare their work to the benchmark piece, and it makes it easier to talk about what needs to be improved. Working off benchmark papers makes my talk with students focused and to the point, another time saver!<\/p>\n

Keep adapting\u00a0rubrics until they\u2019re\u00a0genuinely useful tools<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve learned that rubrics are scoring guides, but they are not set in stone. The tweaks I\u2019ve mentioned here have changed my grading dynamic. Initially, rubrics were just a way to score students\u2019 papers or projects. Now, by expecting quality and effort, and by adding a challenge, my students and I spend a lot of time working, talking and conferencing with the rubric in mind. I\u2019m convinced that tweaking a rubric to fit one\u2019s teaching personality is a smart move.<\/p>\n

How do you use rubrics with students? Have you found any strategies to make them easier to use and more useful? Please share your experiences or questions for Dennis and I in the comments.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m always in search of\u00a0simple, time-saving rubrics\u00a0that make it\u00a0easier for kids to understand how they\u2019re being assessed. Today, I\u2019ve invited middle school principal and former\u00a0Language Arts teacher Dennis Kafalas to share some awesome strategies he\u2019s developed for making your rubrics easier to use AND higher quality. Thank you, Dennis! Correcting student work with a rubric … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":132159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teaching-tips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTruth For Teachers | Working and conferencing with a rubric: easy tweaks for effort + quality<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/truthforteachers.com\/easy-rubric-tweaks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Truth For Teachers | Working and conferencing with a rubric: easy tweaks for effort + quality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019m always in search of\u00a0simple, time-saving rubrics\u00a0that make it\u00a0easier for kids to understand how they\u2019re being assessed. 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