This handout contains information on freely available sites with information and practical resources related to English language teaching with assessment guides and rubrics in the areas of:

Glossary and definitions.

Articles and resources.

Choosing and using rubrics.

 

Glossary and Definitions

Following are some common terms and definitions associated with rubrics.

Assessment, alternative:Alternative assessment is a type of evaluation that directly evaluates learners' language skills. Paper-pencil tests show a learner's knowledge about the language. Different types of alternative assessment show a learner's ability to use the language. They also give learners a role in their own evaluation process.

Assessment, analytic vs. holistic: Analytic rubrics identify and assess the components of a finished product. Holistic rubrics assess student work as a whole.

Assessment, formative: A relatively informal assessment that takes place during the process of learning, as opposed to the end. The purpose is to provide feedback,which helps guide the learning process.

Assessment, summative: Formal testing or evaluation at the end of a learning period to measure what a student has learned.

Checklist: A list of performance criteria for a particular activity or project on which an observer marks a student's performance. The observer can be the student (self-monitoring and self-assessment), a peer (peer assessment), a teacher, or someone outside the class (an expert, visitor, a parent, an administrator, etc.).

Criteria/ guidelines: Standards set in advance and shared with the learner that establish how a performance will be evaluated. Peer assessment: Learners evaluate each other's work, using guidelines set for the assigned task.

Performance-based assessment: Assessment of learners' performance on an oral, written, or integrated skills task. May include projects, skits, improvisations, things that have been constructed, artwork, etc.

Portfolios: A systematic collection of learners' work over a period of time. It demonstrates learner progress and is evaluated according to pre-set criteria.

Rubric: A scoring guide, often in checklist or table format. It can be on paper, on a chalkboard, in digital format, on an overhead transparency, etc. It may apply to individual, pair, or group work.

Self-assessment: A process in which learners evaluate their own work based on pre-set criteria.

 

Articles and Resources

Following are some resources to help you understand rubrics and checklists, and to build or select some that could be of use in your class(es). The first site has a very good series of five introductory articles from Teacher Vision. The sites that follow are listed in alphabetical order. They provide examples of ready-made rubrics and access to rubric generators.

Creating Rubrics, Inspire Your Students and Foster Critical Thinking (Teacher Vision) http://www.teachervision.fen.com/page/4521.html

1. The Advantages of Rubrics: Defines rubrics, gives an easy-to-understand example, and lists their advantages.
2. Create an Original Rubric: Takes you through the process step-by-step.
3. Analytic vs. Holistic Rubrics: Describes these two types of rubrics and discusses the advantages of each.
4. How to Weight Rubrics: Shows how you can apply weights to different criteria, making some elements more important than others.
5. Student-Generated Rubrics: Depicts how one teacher elicited student input in creating rubric for an integrated science, math, reading, and writing project.

Performance Assessment for Language Students (PALS)
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/DIS/OHSICS/forlang/PALS/rubrics/index.htm
Scales for speaking, writing, and presentational tasks. Also includes explanation for each rubric and a scoring guide.

Project Based Learning and Checklists
http://pblchecklist.4teachers.org/
Has age-appropriate, customizable project checklists for written reports, multimedia projects, oral presentations, and science projects.The use of these checklists keeps students on track and allows them to take responsibility for their own learning through peer- and self-evaluation.

RubiStar
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/Generates rubrics. Registration may be required but there is no cost.

Rubric Builder
http://landmark-project.com/classweb/tools/rubric_builder.php3This Rubric Builder enables teachers to build effective assessment rubrics and to make them available over the World Wide Web.

Teach-Nology, Rubric Makers
http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/This Rubric Maker enables teachers to build effective assessment rubrics and to make them available by print.

Rubrician
http://www.rubrician.com/Ready-made rubrics by content areas (Language Arts, Math, Performing Arts, Physical Education, Social Studies, Technology, Science, Writing).

Rubrics for Teachers
http://www.rubrics4teachers.com/Ready-made rubrics.

Rubrics for Web Lessons
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/rubrics/weblessons.htmAn overview of rubrics and rubric creation resources, by Nancy Pickett and Bernie Dodge.

Teacher Created Rubrics for Assessment
http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/rubrics.shtml Ready-made rubrics for Cooperative Learning Rubrics, Research Reports, Writing, Math, Art, Science, Oral Presentations, Primary Grades, Web Page and ePortfolios, Creating Your Rubrics, and for Video and Multimedia Projects.

Uncle Harold's Show-Me-Rubric on Task Design
http://arc.missouri.edu/pa/harold.html A table with categories of the different functions that a rubric can serve, by Ned Miller.

 

Choosing and Using Rubrics

Step 1: Identify your target class or learner(s). What are your goals for using the rubric (academic, affective, class management, etc.)? Will an analytic or a holistic rubric best measure the results of those goals? Read more about the difference in the first set of articles above, as needed.

Step 2: Choose a ready-made rubric or use one of the generators above to create your own rubric.

Step 3:Show your goals and rubric work to one or more colleagues for formative feedback. Revise the rubric, as needed. Prepare students for its use. Make sure they understand the goals and the way that the rubric will be used.

Step 4: Try the rubric in class.How did students perform on the goals that you set in Step 1? What went well? What might you do differently next time? Make revisions, as needed, and try again.