One of the most important tools in a teacher’s toolbox is the ability to make a solid and reliable rubric. Rubrics not only help students prepare assignments, but they also provide teachers with a fair, measured, and fast method for assessment.
There are many ways to make a rubric and this guide will demonstrate how to make a quick and easy rubric for grading nearly any assignment in any subject area. In fact, rubrics are so versatile, there is no subject, from kindergarten through college, that wouldn’t benefit from a rubric. Rubrics are so easy, they can be used in public schools, private schools, and homeschools.
When making a rubric, there are various methods and important tips to keep in mind. First, to make a rubric, one must have some word processing program or suite of programs like Microsoft Office, Microsoft Works, or even the free OpenOffice suite of products.
A teacher’s rubric can be created using an Excel (or an Excel program clone) Spreadsheet or inserting a table in Microsoft Word.
For simplicity sake, this guide will show teachers how to make a rubric using Microsoft Word (or its equivalent).
1. Make a list of categories to assess.
Before making your rubric, you should prepare a list of items that you plan to assess. For most projects, you probably have some assessment in mind. What is it that you want to grade? What is the purpose of the assignment? Are you grading effort, creativity, teamwork, or product?
You should have several options on hand ranging in difficulty from easy to challenging. The goal of a rubric is to not only assess a student’s performance in a certain skill, but to alert the student as to what will be graded.
2. Create a table with space for your assessment categories and descriptions.
In Microsoft Word, and other word processing programs such as OpenOffice, select the insert table feature from the menu bar. Microsoft Word will give you an option to fill in the number of rows and columns.
You should have the following rows:
- A top row for the point totals in each column.
- Middle rows equal to the number of assessment categories.
- A bottom row for earned point totals.
You should have the following columns:
- A far left column with assessment category descriptions.
- A number of columns equal to top number of points able to be achieved.
So, for example, if your assignment had three assessment categories, such as Skill, Creativity, and Teamwork that can each earn a maximum of 3 points, you would need to enter 5 rows and 4 columns.
In the far left column, you would list each of your rubric’s assessment categories in the middle rows. In the remainder of the columns, across from each category, you will list the requirements to receive the maximum number of points through the minimum number of points.
In the top row, you would list 3 through 1 for each of the sets of rubric criteria.
The bottom row, you would save for the point totals.
3. Fill in your rubric and place a grade chart at the bottom.
Once you have your chart, fill in the corresponding squares of your rubric as described above. Then, put a grading chart at the bottom so students can easily see what number of points represent an A, B, C, D, and F.
4. Distribute your rubric.
Now that you’ve created the rubric, give it to the students before the assignment is due.
One of the most beneficial measures for students is when they can begin their project with the end in mind. Since the rubric represents the end of the project and how they will be assessed, it is important to give the students the rubric ahead of time so that they can complete their assignments in competence (and maximize the number of points they can achieve on the rubric).
Finally, using a free service such as the grant-funded Rubistar is also a simple, fast, and efficient way to create rubrics. Not only does the site format your rubric for you, but it also has pre-set rubrics for various subject areas. So, now that you’ve read “How to Make a Rubric,” get out there and assess those students.
Also, don’t forget to share your success below with a comment!
