The 1st consideration is to establish what the criteria are for attaining
each of the rubric levels. I have seen both a 4 point and a 5 point scale
used successfully, but the language needs to be fairly precise. Also, while
this makes the understanding of assessing the skill level achieved, rubrics
and grades have some other differences in terms of how they are compiled.
If the rubric is being applied to a standards-based package, there are
typically a series of tasks that are worked on by the student which provide
a holistic view of what the student has been asked to accomplish, and then,
in considering all of the work done, a rubric score is assigned to the work
completed. Along the way, there are a series of scoring and judging
techniques that can be employed to best develop a total picture of what has
been achieved by the student as well as supplying tools for the students to
better assess their own work throughout the process. Beyond the
establishment of the rubrics and the final holistic evaluation, these
techniques include checklists, self and peer assessment strategies, testing,
observations, communication between teacher and student and parent and
teacher, formal and informal observations.
When all of that is in place, the translation of the rubric score achieved
to a grade can take place. In my District, we use a 4 point rubric scale.
A '4' represents the absolute highest level of skill acquisition and
development as can reasonably expected at the age / grade level of the
student. Certainly a '4' at 5th grade would not be equated to a '4' at 12th
grade in terms of the product or products that were created by the students
at those levels, but the degree of accomplishment as is appropriate for each
level would be the same. A '3' represents high quality work; a '2'
indicates that sufficient understanding was employed of the task(s) that
were being worked on although the high standard indicated by a 3 or a 4 was
not being evidence; a '1' indicates that the work was done although the
quality was such that there is certainly a fairly uneven understanding of
what was being done and '0' in indicative of either parts of the assigned
work were not completed or there was such a poor quality of work turned in
that no skill achievement level was possible to assess.
One technique for coming up with that grade equivalent is to assign points
that can be assigned to a variety of components that make up the entire body
of assigned work being evaluated. The total number of those points, if
achieved, would represent a perfect score and would translate as the highest
letter or percentage grade possible. The remaining points would be divided
by how many other rubric levels you are dealing with. Their would then be a
range of points possible with which to assign grades within each category.
For example, if there were 21 points possible.
>
> Subject: Rubrics
> From: "Kimberly Herbert" <kimberly@wcc.net>
> Date: Wed, 23 May 2001 23:01:03 -0500
> X-Message-Number: 47
>
> I know many of you use rubrics in grading and I need your advice. I want to
> use rubrics for the different projects I will be doing with my class. I will
> be using rubrics for things like social studies or science research
> projects, writing assignments, maps, basically anything that isn’t a right
> answer/wrong answer test situation. I’m writing lesson plans and rubrics
> now, but I don’t understand how to turn the point total into a grade?
>
>
> I thought about just dividing the number of points they earn by the number
> of points possible but you get into the failing range pretty quickly.
>
> I’ve also thought about saying (this based on a 20 point rubric) 20 points
> = A+ 100; 18 points = A 95; 16 points = B+ 90; 14 points = B 85; 12 points =
> C + 80; 10 points = C 75 ; 8 points = D+ 70; 6 points = D 65; 4 points = F
> 60
>
> The third option I’ve considered is making the rubric points a type of daily
> grade that are added up at the end of the unit and divided by the total
> points and turned into a percentage grade the daily grade total would be
> equal to one test grade.
>
> How do you do it?
>
> Kimberly (kimberly@wcc.net)
>
>
>
