TLPI—03/26/07

Rubrics/All Classes 5:00-6:45 Nuts and Bolts 6:45-6:55

Ebony Eyes—revisions due 4/2 Lesson Plans—will return 4/2 Ethnographies—will return 4/2 Scavenger Hunt—all evidence due 4/2

Thematic Units 6:55-8:00 Essential Questions Objectives 5E Lesson Plan—will email format this week

Rubrics

What are rubrics?

Why use rubrics?

How do you create rubrics?

What Are Rubrics?Tools for teaching and assessing that . . .

List the performance categories for a piece of work (WHAT) . . .

And articulate levels of achievement or quality, from excellent to poor (HOW WELL) . . .

And provide criteria for each level of achievement or quality (HOW TO)

Why Use Rubrics? Powerful tools for teaching and assessment

Help teachers articulate requirements

Make expectations clear – no surprises

Show students how to meet expectations

Allow students to monitor and improve performance

Why Use Rubrics? Allow students to judge work quality

Spot and solve problems in their own and others’ work = metacognition

Increase sense of responsibility for their own work = agency

Fewer “Am I done yet?" and “Is this good enough?” questions = judgment

Why Use Rubrics? Reduce time spent evaluating student work

Front load teacher’s work

Circle an item in the rubric vs. struggling to explain the flaw or strength

Provide consistent feedback about student strengths and areas for improvement.

Allow ongoing assessment by student and peers

Why Use Rubrics? Accommodate heterogeneous classes

Gradations of quality can be "stretched" and adapted to reflect a range of student abilities

Students work to the rubric

Criterion referenced—all can succeed

Why Use Rubrics? Easy to explain to students and parents

Everyone knows what student needs to do to be successful

Allows students to articulate what they have learned

Students and parents understand how the grade was calculated

How Do You Create Rubrics?

1. Look at models

2. List performance categories

3. Articulate levels of achievement or gradations of quality

4. Provide the criteria for each level of achievement or quality

5. Test and revise

Step 1—Look at Models

Look at rubrics created by other teachers

Don’t re-invent the wheel—ADAPT!

Decide on a format that suits your needs

Looks at models of work created by students and decide what constitutes quality work—more powerful if done with students

Step 2—List performance categories

With or without students, decide characteristics and features of a quality project

Decide on the level of complexity and specificity—form fits function

General Rule: 4-6 categories

Performance Categories

Content

Organization

References from scholarly literature

MUGS

APA format

Step 3—Articulate Levels of Achievement or Gradations of Quality

Describe the best and worst levels of quality, then fill in the middle levels based on your knowledge of common problems and the discussion of “not-so-good” work

General Rule: 3-4 levels or gradations

Levels of Achievement orGradations of Quality

4exemplary

3proficient

2progressing

1incomplete

Content

Organization

References from scholarly literature

MUGS

APA format

Step 4—Provide the criteria for each level of achievement or quality

Use clear and specific language

Beware of subjective terms, like “creative beginning” or “accurate measurement” unless you discuss or specify

Avoid unnecessarily negative language, like “boring” or “poor”

Criteria for each level of achievement

4exemplary

3proficient

2progressing

1incomplete

Content

Organization

References from scholarly literature

MUGS

APA format

Step 5—Test and Revise

Give test versions to students and ask them to assess their own progress on the task or project

Solicit their feedback and improve the rubric--promptly

Make clear that they are part of this development phase—not graded yet

Step 6—Use it!

For student self assessment Allow students revise their work after

assessing themselves For peer assessment

Requires some coaching so students give each other specific and useful feedback

You may need to hold students accountable for their assessments of a classmate's work by having them sign off on the rubric they use.

For teacher assessment of student work

Rubrics—Web Sites and References

http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/rubrics.shtml#math

http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/ho.html

http://www.middleweb.com/rubricsHG.html

Brewer, R. (1996). Exemplars: A Teacher's Solution. Underhill, VT: Exemplars.

Marcus, J. (1995). "Data on the Impact of Alternative Assessment on Students." Unpublished manuscript. The Education Cooperative, Wellesley, MA.

Marzano, R., D. Pickering, and J. McTighe (1993). Assessing Student Outcomes: Performance Assessment Using the Dimensions of Learning Model. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Perkins, D., H. Goodrich, S. Tishman, and J. Mirman Owen (1994). Thinking Connections: Learning to Think and Thinking to Learn. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Thematic Units

“Backward Planning” = working from front to back to middle

Develop 2-4 Essential Question = front

Write 2-4 Objectives = front

Brainstorm Culminating Project & Rubric = back

Brainstorm 6 Lesson Plans (3 five-step, 2 ITB, 1 5E (optional) = middle

What is an Essential Question?

A question that lies at the heart of a subject, unit, or curriculum, and promotes inquiry and uncoverage of a subject.

Essential questions do not yield a single straightforward answer; they are open ended and produce different plausible responses.

An essential question should be overarching in scope.

Upcoming Assignments

MI inventory graph/reflection—due 4/9 as you would ask your math/science students

to graph, either by hand or in Excel, and reflected upon in terms of how accurately

it (1-2 paragraph limit)

One five-step lesson from your thematic unit—due 4/9

Bring unit planning material to class for the next 3 weeks