“…greater quality of learning
can be ensured by putting the control over learning in the place where learning is occurring, namely in the mind of the learner.”
– Allwright (1988)
It has been repeatedly emphasized that
the starting point for a lesson should be student goals. The next step towards
“putting control over learning….in the mind of the learner” is the use of rubrics.
What is a rubric?
A rubric is a table that lists the criteria
for an assignment. “Rubrics are designed to provide clear descriptions
of what is expected at each level. Often the same items used in a checklist can be transformed into a rubric.” (EFF
website).
How does this relate to family
literacy?
Most, if not all, K-12 classrooms are using rubrics. Parents are expected to understand the purpose of a rubric and to assist their child
with using them. Take a look at the parent newsletter from Providence’s
Martin Luther King Elementary School’s principal for examples of rubrics being used for writing (page 2): Writing rubric Look at page 4 of Providence’s Grade
7 science curriculum for more rubrics: Science rubric.
Why use a rubric?
Rubrics help ESL students to articulate
their goals and to identify concrete and manageable steps to reach a goal. With
the use of rubrics, ESL students are given a tool to help them self-evaluate their work, make changes, and identify areas
where they need help. A rubric provides students with rich and highly descriptive
feedback about their strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, a rubric can help a
student see when a goal has been achieved.
Rubrics also provide several benefits for
the adult ESL teacher. With rubrics, a teacher can communicate their expectations
to students and show them what those expectations look like. Teachers can use
rubrics to demonstrate to students how their prior knowledge connects to a current lesson, describe what mastery looks like,
and provide evidence of student achievement. A rubric provides greater
validity in assessing the merits of an assignment. Since the criteria are identified
and shared, there is less room for subjectivity. Students’ work can
equally be compared to a standard. Using a rubric substantially reduces the amount
of time a teacher needs to spend evaluating assignments.
When should a rubric be used?
When a teacher wants to know how well a
student can complete a task or prepare a product, a rubric should be used. It
can be a very simple rubric. All RIFLI teachers should become familiar and knowledgeable
about rubrics. All teachers can implement their use with their students as well
as help parents understand them so that they can better help with the children’s homework. Children’s teachers will see them brought in with their students’ homework. ESL Computer Teachers can use them to gain knowledge and feedback about their students’ technology
skills (see link below).
Steps to creating and using a rubric:
There are two methods for creating and
using a rubric. The first is that the teacher solely creates the rubric. The second method is that the teacher solicits student input into the creation of
the rubric. Students have the opportunity to fully internalize the criteria with
this second method.
Teacher created rubrics:
Determine the essential skills for assignment
Look at models of other rubrics (see links
below)
Create the rubric
Share with students and discuss the rubric
Distribute rubric with assignment
Students self-evaluate and revise assignment
to meet the highest quality criteria on rubric
Students submit their assignment and rubric
Teacher evaluates assignment and completes rubric
Teacher hands back assignment with completed
rubric
Rubrics created with student input:
Show students examples of good and poor
work
Discuss the characteristics that make up
the good and poor work
List the characteristics of good work
Discuss the best and worst levels of quality
Create the rubric based on input
Have students evaluate the previous examples
using the rubric
Distribute rubric with assignment
Periodically have them refer to rubric
for their assignment
Students self-evaluate and revise assignment
to meet the highest quality criteria on rubric
Students submit their assignment and rubric
Teacher evaluates work and completes rubric
For further reading on rubrics, please
visit the websites listed in the Recommended Resources article.
