Greetings!
This month's topic is Effective Rubrics for Assessment. Although it took me a while to learn to use rubrics, I found them to be an excellent tool to help my students understand what to do to demonstrate their learning.
In the main column, I share my process for using rubrics. As a bonus, you'll find a link to a rubric for assessing rubrics. To the right, you'll find characteristics of effective rubrics and resources I recommend.
For principals, I describe Innovation Configurations and provide a couple of links if you are interested. They are a twist on rubrics, allowing you to assess your school improvement efforts.
I've been busy this winter, traveling to Tennessee and New York for on-site professional development. But I've also been expanding my presentations online, providing a Skype talk for two groups of teachers, and a WebEx session for teachers in Phoenix. I love connecting with teachers, even if I don't see them face-to-face.
If you know other schools or districts that might be interested in my work, please feel free to give them my contact information:(609) 474-4677 or bcgroup@gmail.com. I'm planning my summer and fall schedules now.
Barbara
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How to Use Rubrics
When I was teaching, I found rubrics to be an effective tool. They helped me clarify what I was looking for, both for me and for my students. But they can also be challenging--to write and to use. On the right, you'll find characteristics of effective rubrics, but here let's talk about how I created and used rubrics.
First, I decided on my grading scale, whether it was A-B-C-D-F or Excellent, Good, and Needs Work. This  depends on your purpose. Next, I wrote the criteria for the top grade. This would be exceptional work that goes above and beyond standard expectations. Then, I wrote the lowest category--what would it look like if a student totally "blew it" on the assignment? Following that, I wrote the middle category, with it falling in between the top and bottom. From there, I wrote any further gradations I might have. Here's a rubric for your rubrics.
Next, I taught my students the criteria, using it as part of the assignment. I wanted them to clearly understand what I was looking for. Then, I showed samples of what "good" would look like. I used samples from the prior year, and showed several examples at the varying levels, guiding students through the process of determining the "grade."
Over time, I shifted to students helping me develop the rubrics. That built ownership, and gave them a clearer perspective of the assignment. It also increased self-direction.
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Principal's Perspective
Rubrics are also an important part of school change. No matter what initiative you are pursuing, you need a way to evaluate whether it is working. An Innovation Configuration is essentially a rubric for evaluating school or district-based initiatives. You can find a sample here, and a video about Innovation Configurations here. As you are working to improve any part of your school, I'd encourage you to write a rubric to help you assess your efforts.
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