Using Rubrics to Teach and Assess Writing

David Davis

Why use a rubric?

· Rubrics can simplify assessing writing for instructors and demystify grading standards for students. They establish grading criteria on a predictable scale that can be used both to evaluate writing and to teach students good writing traits.

· Rubrics can take a huge range of customizable forms, and they can be designed to reflect a range of traits. They can also be designed in collaboration with students to involve them in the assessment process.

How to make a rubric:

· Write an assignment.

· Establish criteria for assessing the assignment. What do you want the students to demonstrate the assignment?

· Create a three to five level scale for evaluating the criteria from weaker to stronger.

· Share the rubric with the students before evaluating the assignment.

How to use a rubric:

• Rubrics can be used as grading devices. In some cases, faculty will manage their grading time by using rubrics strictly as evaluation tools and making minimal comments on student papers.
• Rubrics can be used as standard criteria in conjunction with individualized comments on student papers to demonstrate where the student’s work conforms to and deviates from the standard. This works well when students can revise their work.
• Rubrics can be used in writing workshops to demonstrate how to critique and improve writing traits. Have the students read the rubric and a sample assignment, and then have them assess the assignment according to the rubric. Discuss what traits they observe and how they would improve them.
• Rubrics can be used to involve students in the grading process by generating a class rubric. Have them determine the grading criteria and the assessment scale. This invests them both in the process of assessment and in the evaluation of the learning product.

Example assignments and rubrics:

This assignment is an essay for a 300-level literature class. Because the paper can take a range of forms, I’ve used an analytical rubric to establish a standard set of grading criteria. The rubric is used to grade the final paper, and the abstract and anticipatory exercises are ungraded.

The theme for this year’s Society for the Study of Southern Literature meeting in Nashville is “southern poverty,” and they are looking for essays that examine how writers have portrayed poverty in the South.

They request 500 word abstracts by December 6, and 3,000 to 3,500 word papers are due on the day of our final exam. They seek essays that argue a unique and provocative thesis, engage a vibrant scholarly conversation, use sources responsibly and accurately, and aggressively interpret one or more texts.

Grading Rubric

	1	2	3	4	5
Content	The thesis is undetectable. Evidence does not support a specific point, and analysis is vague.	The thesis can be found, but it is elementary. Evidence is obvious, and analysis is unsophisticated.	The argument has a thesis and some evidence to support it, but analysis is underdeveloped.	The argument is coherent and persuasive. Thesis, evidence, and analysis are effective.	The argument is sophisticated and convincing. Thesis, evidence, and analysis work seamlessly and persuasively.
Research	Paper shows few signs of research beyond material that may have been covered in class. Documentation may be missing or incorrect.	Paper shows a few signs of research, although the methods may be incomplete or clumsy and sources may be documented incorrectly.	Paper shows some signs of research. It has a critical methodology, correctly documented secondary sources, and textual analysis.	Paper shows appropriate signs of research. It has a critical methodology, correctly documented secondary sources, and textual analysis.	Paper demonstrates initiative and resourcefulness in research. Methodology is sophisticated, sources are documented correctly, and analysis is convincing.
Structure	The paper rambles, and the structure is difficult to follow.	The paper has a vague structure but has problems with order or transitions.	The paper has a beginning, middle, and end. Transitions connect the points.	The paper has an effective structure with good beginning and end and smooth transitions.	The structure is clear and fluid, and the argument unfolds in an interesting and engaging way.
Style & Mechanics	Style is clumsy or stilted. Several passages are awkwardly worded, and many sentences have surface errors.	Style is inconsistent. A few passages are awkwardly worded, and some sentences have surface errors.	Writing is clear with few awkward passages. The paper has few grammatical errors or misspellings.	Writing is clear and effective with almost no awkward passages. The paper has almost no surface errors	Writing is elegant and suited to scholarly discourse. Sentences have no surface errors.
Interest	The topic is cliché or otherwise boring.	The topic could be interesting, but the writer has taken a predictable approach.	The topic is interesting, although not entirely creative or unique.	The topic is interesting, and the paper holds the reader’s attention.	The topic is fascinating, and the paper is exciting and original. It deserves broader consideration or conference presentation.

Grading scale: A+=25, A=24, A-=23, B+=22, B= 21, B-=20, C+=19, C=18, C-=17, D+=16, D=15, D-=14, F≤13

Assignment 3

This is an example of a holistic rubric, one that describes the attributes of a paper at each level of grading. I use this type of rubric in writing workshops with first-year students.

In The Shame of the Nation, Jonathan Kozol argues that American schools have become systematically resegregated and that funding inequality and high-stakes testing create a cycle of educational failure.

You are a member of the Bibb County school board, and you fear that Kozol's analysis may accurately describe Macon schools, so you study the problem. As an elected official, what, if anything, could you or should you do to change the situation? Present your plan in a fifteen hundred word report to the school board. A good plan will be practical, will have measureable results, and will be politically savvy.

Rubric for Assignment 3

Each category describes the characteristics of a paper in the center of a specific grade range. A paper may have some characteristics in more than one category, but its ultimate grade will reflect the preponderance of its characteristics.

A paper:

· Explains the nature of the school inequality in Bibb County and offers a reasonable plan to address the problem.

· Uses elegant, formal language indicating a well developed sense of style.

· Paragraphs are well developed and special function paragraphs work correctly.

· Contains no distracting surface errors in grammar, mechanics, and spelling.

· The school board implements the plan and names an elementary school in your honor.

B paper:

· Offers a plan to address school inequality in Bibb County, but the terms are inadequate to meet the circumstances.

· Paragraphs show few problems with unity, organization, coherence, and development. Special function paragraphs adequately fulfill their roles.

· Uses clear, engaging language with an appropriate tone.

· Contains almost no distracting surface errors in grammar, mechanics, and spelling.

· The school board has a clearer understanding of the issues, but it cannot adequately respond.

C paper:

· Gives the school board a plan, but important elements of the plan are vague and the likelihood of success is doubtful.

· Paragraphs show some problems with unity, organization, coherence, and development. Special function paragraphs may not adequately fulfill their roles.

· Contains some distracting surface errors in grammar, mechanics, and spelling.

· The school board debates the plan but takes no action on it.

D paper:

· Gives a rambling discussion of the issues with few useful suggestions.

· Contains confusing stylistic flaws and poorly organized paragraphs.

· Uses language inappropriate for a newspaper.

· Contains many distracting surface errors in grammar, mechanics, and spelling.

· Offers a confusing argument that does not sufficiently develop a position with sound premises.

· The school board tables the motion indefinitely.

F paper:

· A vague and rambling rant that likely defends an illogical position.

· Demonstrates serious stylistic problems, lacks organization within paragraphs, and frustrates the reader with poorly developed sentences.

· Contains numerous distracting surface errors.

· The board shuns the board member.