Rubrics in Education1
Rubrics in Education1
Rubrics in Education1
in Education
Old Term, New Meanings
T
of categories, criteria for assessment, and the gradients for presenting and evaluating
learning. When grading a student’s essay, for example, a teacher may apply a rubric for
its quality of organization, giving a 3 for Advanced Proficient, 2 for Proficient, and a 1
for Partially Proficient. Other criteria that could be rubrics include the use of exam-
ples, paragraph structure, grammar, and overall quality.
Yet, like many terms in education, the meaning of rubric is confusing. For example,
Wiggins defines a rubric as “one of the basic tools in the assessor’s kit. . . telling us what
elements matter most” (1998, p. 153). Schmoker states that a rubric “simply means a rule or guide. . . by
which students’ performance or product is judged. It nails down the criteria, making them available to
schools, teachers, parents, and students and providing clear direction and focus” (2006, pp. 70-71). And
Guskey explains that rubrics “are specific guidelines that can be used to describe students’ work in read-
ing, writing, mathematics, and other content areas” (1994, p. 25). The term, apparently, can refer to almost
anything: rule, guide, criterion, or description that is used to assess the
A SOPHISTICATED PRIMER
progress of students in their academic subjects, as well as the grading system
for assessing each criterion.
The term rubric has been used in English since the 1400s, making it as old as it is interesting. The root
of rubric refers to the color red or red earth. The Oxford English Dictionary gives an example of the term used
in 1607: “this marrow of a deer in sheep’s milk with rubric and soft pitch, drunk every day, helps the diges-
tion and obstructions.” Another meaning, closer to how it is currently used in education, is the heading of
a chapter or division of a book, written or printed in red ink or underlined in red for emphasis. In 1658,
Phillips stated that a rubric is “a noted Sentence of any Book marked with red Letters.”
The Catholic Church has long employed the term for the directions for conducting the Mass, which are
printed in red and inserted into liturgical books. Foxe in 1583 explained that a rubric is part of “the whole
Canon of the Masse, with the Rubricke thereof, as it standeth in the Masse/booke.” John Wesley, the founder
of the Methodist church, stated that “as a Minister, I teach her Doctrines. I use her Offices. I conform to
her Rubricks.”
And in law, a rubric is a heading or title of a statute or section of a legal code (again, originally printed in
red ink). In 1634, Kirk explained that “When this Act came to be heard in open Parliament, his Majestie
BRUCE S. COOPER is is a professor of education leadership and policy in the Graduate School of Education at Fordham Univer-
sity, New York City. ANNE GARGAN is a former faculty member at Fordham University and a consultant to school districts and their
leaders.
In addition to helping students know what they dents — those thinking “outside the box” and be- Wiggins, Grant P.
need to do to achieve a certain grade, rubrics have yond the rubric — will be penalized. Assessing
other benefits: Student
MAKING THE MOST OF RUBRICS Performance:
1. A rubric can help teachers think carefully Despite all of their problems, using rubrics is a Exploring the
and critically about what they are teaching major step forward in education. School leaders Purpose and
and what students need to learn. need to provide the time and training to help all Limits. San
The rubric is a predetermined set of categories. teachers understand the purpose of rubrics and their Francisco, Calif.:
Whatever the subject or project for which it’s used, relationship to quality teaching and learning, as well Jossey-Bass,
a rubric will help teachers consider what’s important as how to design and use rubrics. School leaders, 1998.
for them to teach and how to determine the level at curriculum directors, and instructional coaches
which students have learned what’s been taught. need to provide exemplars so they can be reviewed,
analyzed, and discussed at various faculty gatherings
2. Rubrics can make the expectations and to help create a shared level of expectation.
standards for performance clear to students, Educators must communicate with and educate
parents, teachers, educators, and others. other stakeholders about the purpose and value of
Using rubrics forces educators to spell out what rubrics in guiding student work. Parents, business
they’re teaching and the standards they’ll use to and community members, and other stakeholders
grade students’ performances. Sharing the rubric should understand that, while rubrics may never re-
with students and parents allows them to see just place letter and numeric grades, they do reveal con-
what is expected of them. siderably more about what students know and can do.
In these days of national standards and accounta-
3. Rubrics provide opportunities for reflection, bility, teachers need to ensure their students meet cer-
feedback, and continued learning. tain criteria. The rubric can be used as the basic ar-
Using rubrics in education may be a clear sign of chitecture for courses, assignments, and assessments
real progress both in constructing students’ assign- to ensure that all students reach proficiency. K