Tips and Tricks for Creating a Perfect Rubric

Maybe there is no such thing as a perfect rubric but that doesn’t mean we can’t try.

When searching for guidelines to make a rubric you are likely to find a plethora of websites and articles that want to teach you the basics of how to make a grid and fill it in. However, a rubric is so much more than a well laid out grid. More important than the layout is the description and criteria contained within the rubric. These descriptions are what lead to qualified, valid and reliable assessments of a student’s work.

Peergrade enables students to give each other feedback and as part of the feedback process we incorporate rubrics. We, at Peergrade, are constantly asked by teachers how to create the best rubrics possible and so we have put together a few tips and tricks to creating a great rubric. As we see it a great rubric consists of two things, the question or prompt and the corresponding evaluation scale.

Question/Prompt:

• Specific- The best feedback is specific, so lead by example and give students specifics about the criteria and the learning expectations for the assignment.
• Reinforcement- Rubrics should be assessing if students have reached their learning goals. Therefore, when creating a rubric ask questions that reinforce what has been taught in the classroom and what should be found in the assignment.

Evaluation Scales:

• Consistency- Keep the scales the same or similar throughout the rubric, even better keep the scales the same throughout the course. For example, keep to a 3 point scale, using below, meets or exceeds expectations. Do not forget to explain what these expectations are though. Not only will this help students learn how to use a rubric, it also leads to saving valuable time.
• Clear- Keep in mind the audience for your rubric. If this is a rubric for your students the language used should be be clear and student-friendly. This includes keeping evaluation scales to under five categories as to not overwhelm students.
• Descriptive: Students should be matching a description to the work rather than having to make a judgement purely on their own. Students will trust each other’s feedback more if they feel it has not been solely based on the discretion of their peers but guided by the teachers criteria. This will also lead to transparency in the grading process.

What does it look like when you use the tips above?

And what about when you fail to incorporate any of these points?

The word expectations can confuse students. Whose expectations? The teachers or the student assessing the work? This type of rubric works best if the question beforehand is explicit about what these expectations and criteria are.

The Takeaway

Rubrics can play an important role in the classroom, but before it can have any impact on the learning process it needs to be carefully constructed. Keeping the language precise and clear while keeping learning objectives in mind will put you on the right track to creating a perfect rubric.

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