What Is a Rubric

PARTNERSHIP

What is a Rubric?

A rubric is a series of narrative statements describing the levels of quality of a product or performance. A rubric is a scoring tool that lists the criteria for the varying levels of performance on a task, performance, or program characteristic where more objective methods of rating are not appropriate. While similar in nature, rubrics within PRISM are tools for rating aspects of a PRISM strategy or partnership where numeric tabulations do not always apply, but where there are qualitative differences in the level of targeted performance or implementation of a strategy.

Each PRISM rubric has four levels: Beginning, Emerging, Developing, and Accomplished. These levels apply to the several strands, or indicators, for each strategy or partnership. The professional development rubric, for example, has strands for leadership, policies, resources, etc. For each indicator (strand), there is a brief written description of the different levels of performance based on performance criteria. They are constructed by combining descriptions of different qualities of performance.Each set of descriptions reflects a different level of performance on that indicator.Raters use these descriptions to determine their level of accomplishment on each indicator. The ratings may be “Beginning” for some and “Developing” or “Accomplished” for others. A rating at any level except “Accomplished” can be used to guide improvement.

Uses of rubrics:

They help define what is quality within the area being rated.
They can be used to articulate the same target goals for improvement for everyone.
They provide the ability to track change or improvement over time.
They provide a common set of definitions across all PRISM regions.
They are a useful communication tool among the various partners within PRISM.
They are vital to the PRISM Leadership Team and PRISM RCCs for self assessment and planning.

September 1, 2004

Rubric Rating Form

PRISM Rubric for:______

Indicator / Current Rating* / Evidence for rating / GOAL: Target Rating* / Date for Target Rating

*1=Beginning, 2=Emerging, 3=Developing, 4=Accomplished

PRISM Partnership Rubric

Indicators / Beginning / Emerging / Developing / Accomplished
Commitment to Partnership and Shared Vision / Partners’ vision is dictated by individual needs. / Partners join a partnership, and a vision emerges that individual needs may be met in a collaborative way. / Partners recognize the “value added” of a partnership through working together, and consent to a common plan and a vision that are supported by the partnership. / Partners commit to the partnership for the purposes of meeting individual needs as well asachieving common partnership goals based on a mutually-developed shared vision.
Common Goals / Partners are aware of common goals, but are mainly concerned with their own individual goals. / Partners provide input to develop an implementation plan that combinesindividual goalsand common partnership goals. / Partners collaborate on an implementation plan to achieve common partnership goals. / Partners use a mutually-developed implementation plan to achieve common partnership goals. Within this plan, each partner will have its own pathway to success that is contextually appropriate.
Communication / Communication occurs mainly among the people who participate in RCC meetings. The purpose is on sharing information and beginning to understand partnership goals. / Communication expands sporadically into each partner institution. Most communication focuses on sharing individual needs; however, some discussion takes place related to common partnership goals. / Communication becomes two-way via coordinating committees. It provides a pathway to share and modify individual goals to promote progress toward common partnership goals. / Communication is deliberate and consistently shared throughout schools and colleges. It provides a consistent pathway to implement common partnership goals.
Contributions of Partners / Partners don’t always understand how institutions work and make decisions that, although well intentioned, either cannot be implemented or only in a limited fashion. / Partners are learning that each institution is unique and can contribute something of value to the partnership. / Partners understand the complexities of each other’s institutions, but stronger partners are the leaders and make most of the contributions. / Partners respect and value contributions made by each partner, and build on each other’s strengths to promote partnership goals.

PRISM Partnership Rubric

Indicators / Beginning / Emerging / Developing / Accomplished
Learning is Collegial and Collaborative / Partners come together to work on specific projects; however, roles are formalized and fixed. / Partners try new roles as either learners or teachers as a result of collaboration. / Partners assume the expanded role of both teacher and learner as a result of collaboration / Partners trust and respect each other so that all are learning, and are able to make contributions through collaboration that strengthen the partnership goals.
Decision Making / Partners are represented by staff who have no authority to make changes, so decision making is left to each institutionand no decisions can be made toward the partnership goals. / Partners are represented by staff with limited authority, and decisions are made at those specific levels that contribute to the partnership goals. / Partners with authority representtheir organization to make decisions that promote individual and institutional goals,but are less committed to making decisions for partnership goals. / Partners with authority representtheir organization to make decisions that promote individual and institutional goals, as well as partnership goals. Decision-making is also made at each subsequent and appropriate level.
Responsibility and Accountability / Partners areonly responsible and accountable for their own goals, and are becoming aware that the partnership goals may help them meet their own goals. / Partners agree to assume roles of limited responsibility as a result of the emerging awareness of achieving own goals through common partnership goals, but all agree that accountability remains with the lead or strongest partner. / Partners commit to new roles of shared responsibility as a result of commitment to partnership goals, but through an unspoken understanding or lack of communication one partner emerges as accountable for project. / Partners hold themselves responsible for contributing to the partnership goals and accountable for the shared vision, as appropriate for the strengths of each partner(e.g., the level of commitment and specific contributions made by each institution).
Change and Sustainability / Partners recognize or even recommend that change is needed, but no individual efforts are able to support change that is more than short-term. / Partners work together to identify and agree on necessary changes that meet individual and common partnership goals. / Partners work to effect change that contributes to progress toward common partnership goals. Some of these changes last during the life the grant; however, many are not yet sustainable. / Partners collaborate on common partnership goals resulting in change that is sustained beyond the grant.

September 1, 2004