Assessment of Student Learning - Minnesota State University Moorhead

Designing Rubrics

Several assessment methods require the use of a rubric. A rubric is an instrument that allows an evaluator to rate some type of student work. Many faculty use rubrics as a normal part of their grading. For assessment purposes, a rubric is closely related to the stated learning outcomes. A single evaluator may use the rubric to evaluate student work or several evaluators can use the same rubric to rate the same work. An assessment rubric can be tied directly to the grading rubric an instructor might use in a class.

The development and accurate use of a rubric can lead to insightful assessment data. Rubrics must be valid and they must be reliable. To be valid, the rubric should accurately identify the elements of student learning one is assessing. To be reliable, the rubric should clearly and carefully state the expectations of student learning so that multiple evaluators may use the rubric and arrive at the same results.

Sample Rubrics

The following is a rubric that could be used to evaluate a student’s proficiency in oral communication. Presumably, an evaluator(s) would use the rubric to assess a speech given by a student. This is an example of a holistic rubric; its use would identify the general level of competence in oral communication, but it would not pinpoint the specific strengths or weaknesses in the writing.

Score	Qualities
1	The purpose and thesis of the presentation were not clearly stated, but were implicit; the speaker had a general understanding of the audience; little supporting material was used from low quality sources and it was not cited appropriately; the presentation had easily identifiable main points, but lacked internal structure; language was weak, unclear or wordy; delivery relied too much on notes and lacked spontaneity; group presentation lacked focus and speakers were not individually effective.
2	The purpose and thesis of the presentation were not clearly stated, but were implicit; the speaker had a general understanding of the audience; little supporting material was used from low quality sources and it was not cited appropriately; the presentation had easily identifiable main points, but lacked internal structure; language was weak, unclear or wordy; delivery relied too much on notes and lacked spontaneity; group presentation lacked focus and speakers were not individually effective.
3	The purpose and thesis of the presentation were clearly stated, but the presentation strayed from its central point; the speaker had the general idea of his/her audience but did not present information effectively for that audience; an appropriate amount of supporting material was used, but it was of medium quality and not always cited appropriately; the presentation was organized, but the speaker sometimes strayed from this organization; language and delivery could have been more effective; the group presentation lacked some coherence, but the individual speakers were effective.
4	The purpose and thesis of the presentation are clearly understood and serve to focus the speech; the speaker clearly understood his or her audience and spoke appropriately and ethically with the audience in mind; an appropriate amount of high quality supporting material was used for the presentation and clearly cited; the presentation had a clear and deliberate organizational structure; the language was powerful and effective; delivery was clear and powerful; the group presentation was well-structured and effectively executed.

A more detailed rubric could be developed for each component of a speech or other learning outcomes. For example, to evaluate the student’s use of supporting material, the following rubric could be used:

Score	Qualities
1	No supporting material was used.
2	Little supporting material was used from low quality sources and it was not cited appropriately.
3	An appropriate amount of supporting material was used, but it was of medium quality and not always cited appropriately.
4	An appropriate amount of high quality supporting material was used for the presentation and clearly cited.

And the following rubric could be used to evaluate the student’s organizational structure:

Score	Qualities
1	The organization lacked any structure.
2	The presentation had easily identifiable main points, but lacked internal structure.
3	The presentation was organized, but the speaker sometimes strayed from this organization.
4	The presentation had a clear and deliberate organizational structure.

Though more difficult and time-consuming to use, the more detailed rubrics can clearly identify the specific strengths and weaknesses of student speeches. General, abstract, or vague rubrics may be easier to administer, but they do not provide the quality of insight that a more detailed rubric can provide.

Programs will have to develop rubrics in a way that provides meaningful information. Rubrics can be a powerful tool to evaluate portfolios, embedded assessments, and student responses to interview questions. For embedded assessments, assessment rubrics can match the grading rubric to maximize efficiency.

Additional Information

Although several of these sites are written for a high school audience, they provide useful information for understanding and creating rubrics:

Creating Rubrics: Inspire your students and foster critical thinking by Teacher Vision
Teacher Helpers Assessment and Rubric Information by School Discovery
Teacher Created Rubrics for Assessment by University of Wisconsin-Stout

Teacher Created Rubrics for Assessment by University of Wisconsin-Stout