Using assessment rubrics to develop values
Introduction — The intent of using assessment rubrics
I used to hate using assessment rubrics as an assessment tool because it is difficult to find the right descriptor that accurately describes my observation. However, my negative mindset about assessment rubrics changed when I saw how a teacher used them efficiently.
From the first day of the module, she showed the assessment rubrics to the students and frequently asked them to check their progress by looking at them.
I observed that her students were also developing good values and competencies as they worked together to meet the learning goals described in the rubrics.
To further elaborate on how assessment rubrics can develop values, let’s start with understanding the intent of assessment.
“Assessment helps students see where they are going, where they are, and what they need to do next”
— (Hanson, 2024).
Now that we have understood the intent of assessment let’s look at the intent of using assessment rubrics.
Think of rubrics as a menu to choose a learning target for the day
We often think of rubrics as pieces of paper with lots of words that make it difficult to find the right descriptors. Imagine looking at the student’s performance and then quickly looking for the right descriptors from the rubrics.
More often than not, I do not know what grades to give when my observation falls between two competency levels. It can be stressful to decide quickly which level to give when I have many more students to observe.
Instead of considering the rubrics as an assessment tool consisting of a thousand words, why not consider it a guide to help the students decide their learning target?
As a student, I remember never thinking about my competency level while learning a sport. I often blindly followed the instructions and was unclear about what I was practising for.
Imagine you are learning to drive a car, and the instructor asks you to step on the accelerator while slowly letting go of the clutch pedal. Would it feel weird if you did not know the purpose of doing that?
Let’s say you know the purpose is to engage the gear so the car can move. What if the car is not moving because the car is not real? Would you know how much or how fast to release the clutch pedal? Would you even improve after many tries?
When the target is unclear to us (e.g., Not knowing the purpose of the practice), we will not be motivated to continue the practice. When there is no immediate feedback (e.g., Car is not moving), we will not know what to do next to improve.
Similarly, do our students know their current competency level? If so, that is good! But do they know what the next step looks like?
The learning goal we set for them can be insufficient to provide a good learning experience because it may be unrealistic for the students. Vygotsky (1978) introduced the zone of proximal development (ZPD), the distance between the actual developmental level.
This means that our students can only learn when they are in the ZPD. If the lesson’s learning goal is outside their ZPD, they should learn to set clear interim targets to meet the final learning goal.
For example, if dribbling the basketball across the court with the non-master hand is too difficult, they should learn to set an easier target for themselves, such as “Able to bounce at least three times consecutively.” Then, they increase their personal targets slowly.
By breaking down goals into smaller steps, students will be more motivated to meet the practice targets (Rai et al., 2024). One way to do this is to allow them to modify the descriptors in the rubrics so that they are personalised to their readiness level and learning needs.
A visual “target setting” tool promotes collaborative learning
In this ever-changing world, it is crucial that we develop soft skills such as collaboration and communication skills. The descriptors in the rubrics make it easier for collaborative learning because they give purpose to conversation among the students.
Imagine you are teaching mini tennis and want your students to discuss in a team talk during the game. When your students have such a wide range of learning needs, do you find it difficult to think of a question that is meaningful to them?
Now imagine that every student has their own personal target before the mini-tennis game. What question would you ask so that it is meaningful to them? Is it easier to think of a question now?
Using assessment rubrics to develop values
As discussed earlier, rubrics aim to make learning targets (or goals) as clear as possible. It is important to allow the students to break down each learning goal into achievable ones that are meaningful to them.
The clearer the goals, the more likely they know what to do. And the closer it is to the students’ ZPD, the more motivated they will be to learn. Collaborative learning will also become easier to facilitate when every student has a clear personal target.
Developing values such as respect, responsibility, or resilience can thus become easier if they can visualise the learning goal.
Let’s look at the rubrics below for a floorball lesson to describe how a lesson can look.
Start of the lesson — Setting learning targets
It is challenging to set a single success criterion for all students because everyone is different. Thus, the start of the lesson is a time to set personal learning targets, guided by the descriptors in the rubrics.
For example, after you have told the students, they will start the lesson with a 3v3 game, ask them to choose a progression stage from the rubrics and describe to their partners what success looks like to them.
The aim is to develop learners who understand their own readiness level and set personal targets for themselves. If they have chosen the “Exceeding” stage of progression, they should still learn to set clear personal targets instead of blindly following the descriptors as their learning goals.
For instance, “Dodge” might mean different actions for different students. Some may wish to learn to practice change of speed, and some may wish to learn L-cut or V-cut. An example of a personal target is, “Change of speed from slow to fast into shooting zone.”
The clearer the target is, the more focused they become in the game. However, do not get frustrated if many have difficulties articulating their learning targets clearly. They had hardly ever set targets for themselves, so there will be many teething issues.
Once they are clear about the learning targets, ask them to proceed to play the 3v3 game. Constantly remind them that it is ok if they cannot achieve the target they set for themselves because you are teaching them how to set meaningful targets.
During practices — Modifying the learning goals
Practice time is the time they are receiving constant feedback: “Am I meeting the goals I set for myself?”, “Am I seeing what I visualise just now?” and “Should I modify my learning goals to be more realistic?”.
After ten minutes, stop the game for a team talk. Discuss whether they can demonstrate the target they set for themselves in pairs. Encourage them to modify the targets based on their readiness level. And then TRY AGAIN.
During the team talks, you can also ask them to discuss one rule they can modify with their opponents to make the game playable for both teams. For example, a team that is too strong may want to reduce the players to just two, making it more challenging for them.
Try to have at least one team talk during the game to adjust the learning goals towards their ZPD. Remember not to judge the targets they set because the intent is to learn how to set targets for themselves. They will improve eventually!
They develop critical, inventive and adaptive thinking skills as they modify the rules to meet their learning goals. Helping one another meet their learning goals, will also develop social and emotional competencies (SEC).
After the game, the students should be clearer on whether their targets are realistic. It would be good to ask them to help their partners to modify their target. Also, ask them to focus on their targets as they practise the skills in the skills practice.
It would be good to allow them to modify their skill practice to help them overcome some of the challenges they face during the game. If you have the time, try the game again so they can see if they are more proficient in meeting the learning targets.
End of the lesson — Evaluation and reflection
If we want our students to be self-directed, they should develop critical thinking skills. And reflection is a good way to do that (Korkowski, 2020). The end of the lesson is a time for evaluation and reflection.
Many possible questions can provoke reflections. For example, “Did you meet your target? If yes, what would a new target look like? And if not, how would you describe the new target?”
Conclusion
One of the most common problems I notice in lesson observation is unclear learning goals. Even when the learning objective is stated at the beginning of the lesson, it is seldom mentioned during the lesson.
Students also do not see the lesson objective as a goal or target they must achieve at the end of the practice tasks and the lessons. Even if they know, it is challenging to achieve one common goal when everyone has such different abilities.
Equally guilty, I seldom set clear and realistic learning goals for each student. I just gave them instructions and sent them off to practise. Then, I expect them to “work harder” or “try their best” without helping them to see what “trying their best” looks like.
Moreover, it can be frustrating for the students when we want them to help one another because they do not know precisely how to do so. Do you know how to help someone when you do not know what he needs? Likewise, if the students have no clear target, how can others help them?
Lastly, we are often encouraged to teach soft skills such as collaboration and critical thinking skills because they are important competencies that can help students do well in the ever-changing world.
Without a clear learning target, how can they collaborate with each other? If I ask you to discuss improving the school’s culture with your colleagues, do you know where to start or what to say? You might start gossiping about other teachers instead!
Therefore, instead of thinking of assessment rubrics as an additional workload, why not use them to make your life easier? Show them the rubrics at the start of the module, and use them as a guide to teach students to plan their own learning targets.
Then, ask them to work together to achieve the targets they have set for themselves. This way, they will also learn to become confident, self-directed and active learners who show concern for one another!
References
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.
Hanson, B. (2024, January 23). Uncovering the true purpose of assessment. Learner-Centered Collaborative. https://learnercentered.org/blog/uncovering-the-true-purpose-of-assessment/
Chu, S. K. W., Reynolds, R. B., Tavares, N. J., Notari, M., & Lee, C. W. Y. (2017). 21st century skills Development through Inquiry-Based Learning. In Springer eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2481-8
Rai, A., Sharif, M., Chang, E., Milkman, K., & Duckworth, A. (2024, April 12). The Secret to Accomplishing Big Goals Lies in Breaking Them into Flexible, Bite-Size Chunks. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-secret-to-accomplishing-big-goals-lies-in-breaking-them-into-flexible-bite-size-chunks/
