General Information on Rubrics and Assessment

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/rubrics/weblessons.htm

Introduction

How often have you attempted to grade your students' work only to find that the assessment criteria were vague and the performance behavior was overly subjective? Would you be able to justify the assessment or grade if you had to defend it? The Rubric is an authentic assessment tool which is particularly useful in assessing criteria which are complex and subjective.

Authentic assessment is geared toward assessment methods which correspond as closely as possible to real world experience. It was originally developed in the arts and apprenticeship systems, where assessment has always been based on performance. The instructor observes the student in the process of working on something real, provides feedback, monitors the student's use of the feedback, and adjusts instruction and evaluation accordingly. Authentic assessment takes this principle of evaluating real work into all areas of the curriculum.

The rubric is one authentic assessment tool which is designed to simulate real life activity where students are engaged in solving real-life problems. It is a formative type of assessment because it becomes an ongoing part of the whole teaching and learning process. Students themselves are involved in the assessment process through both peer and self-assessment. As students become familiar with rubrics, they can assist in the rubric design process. This involvement empowers the students and as a result, their learning becomes more focused and self-directed. Authentic assessment, therefore, blurs the lines between teaching, learning, and assessment.

The advantages of using rubrics in assessment are that they:

·  allow assessment to be more objective and consistent

·  focus the teacher to clarify his/her criteria in specific terms

·  clearly show the student how their work will be evaluated and what is expected

·  promote student awareness of about the criteria to use in assessing peer performance

·  provide useful feedback regarding the effectiveness of the instruction

·  provide benchmarks against which to measure and document progress

Rubrics can be created in a variety of forms and levels of complexity, however, they all contain common features which:

·  focus on measuring a stated objective (performance, behavior, or quality)

·  use a range to rate performance

·  contain specific performance characteristics arranged in levels indicating the degree to which a standard has been met

The following are from Pareonline (Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation) and only about 2 pages long. Please review them.

Recommendations for Developing Classroom Performance Assessments and Scoring Rubrics

http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=8&n=14

Designing Scoring Rubrics for Your Classroom

http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=25

Scoring Rubrics: What, When and How?

http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=3

Implementing Performance Assessment in the Classroom

http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=6&n=2

Information Competency Rubric for CSUs

http://www.calstate.edu/LS/1_rubric.doc

Also review - http://online.bakersfieldcollege.edu/courseassessment/Section_4_Assessment_Tools/Section4_6PTA.htm

Assessment Strategies

http://www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/Frameworks/mathsci/ms5_2as1.htm#graphicorganizers

Web-based Tools for Survey and Assessment Activities

·  SurveyMonkey

·  ProfilerPro

·  Zoomerang

·  Questionmark testing software

·  Quia! Create your own quizzes and games for learning activities

·  Quizstar

·  Quiz Center create, administer, and grade quizzes online

·  Hot Potatoes - create fun activities with easy to use software

·  FunBrain.com's Quiz Lab (K-

Field Tested Learning Assessment Guide - FLAG

http://www.flaguide.org/

Assessment Primer

http://www.flaguide.org/start/start.php