Rubrics

What is a rubric? When I hear this word I think of: "a set guideline of what is expected on an assignment." I was never given a rubric to work with or accompany any of my assignments in elementary school. I believe my teachers always made their objectives and expectations for each assignment clear and we, as a result, understood what to do. If we were not satisfied with our grade, we would speak with our teacher and he/she would explain how they graded that assignment and how to make it better for next time. I was first introduced to a rubric my sophomore year of high school and was a bit unsure of how to use it. It was not as developed as the ones on Rubistar and my teacher did not fully explain what it was. In my Teaching Science class with Dr. Redden last Fall, we were given an assignment in which to make a rubric for. I was unsure of what exactly I should include in mine, not being taught over the years how to do so. It is not until I entered Tests and Measurements this year that I have come to realize how important rubrics really are in the classroom. I have always envisioned teaching without rubrics because I did not know the importance they would be for students. Now that I realize this, I will make sure to always have one for each of their assignments. They will give students a clear outline of what is expected of them and how they will be graded. Rubrics are not just essential for students, but parents, teachers and administrators as well. We, as teachers, must be able to explain how each individual student received his/her grade and present those criteria in writing. This will be useful at parent/teacher conferences and meetings with the principal displaying our responsibility to lay out what we expect from students and if they have met those certain standards. If a child does poorly on an assignment, they can refer to the rubric for the information they failed to add and why they received that particular grade. Overall, I think rubrics are great. They are just a more detailed form of grading with numbers or letters. With sites such as Rubistar, this process of creating them will be not only simple, but convenient for teachers to use and expand over the years.