Creating and Using Rubrics for Assessment

Learn more about rubrics and alternative assessments in our online courses, online certificates, and graduate degree.
In this Section

Tools and Ideas for Creating Your Rubrics

Many of these rubrics grew out of a long-term commitment to building alternative assessments in our Instructional Design, and Math Specialist and Teaching and Assessing Writing online courses.

What's New?

Video Conferencing Rubric

Our Top Five Rubrics

  1. Online Discussion
  2. ePortfolio
  3. Video Project
  4. Middle School/High School Group Work
  5. Elementary Teamwork

Quick Links to Rubrics

 

Presentation Rubrics

Video Conferencing Rubric
Maggie Rouman's rubric assesses real-time sessions to foster community, present topics, and enhance learning.  

Podcast Rubric
Ann Bell's rubric helps students assess what makes a good podcast. 

PowerPoint Rubric
10 performance categories

Oral Presentation Rubric (Word doc)

VoiceThread Participation Rubric (pdf)
Michelle Pacansky-Brock's general formative assessment is used when students view a mini video lecture/presentation. Contributions are rated on originality, comprehension, and clarity.

Oral Presentation Checklist
4Teachers.org provides an online tool to customize the checklist for your grade level

Effective Project Presentations
Buck Institute for Education (BIE) rubric for high school presentations

Poster Rubric

Speaking and Writing Rubrics bilingual education (English and Spanish)
Spanish Partial-Immersion Program Rubrics for Writing and Speaking in English and Spanish for Grades 1-5

Social Media Project Rubrics

Wiki Rubric
Criteria for assessing individual and group Wiki contributions.

Blog Rubric
Assess individual blog entries, including comments on peers' blogs.

Twitter Rubric
Assess learning during social networking instructional assignments.

Discussion, Teamwork, and Group Work Rubrics

Online Discussion Board Rubric
Criteria for assessing the ability to share perspectives, refine thoughts through the writing process, and participate in a meaningful discussion

Primary Grade Self-Evaluation Teamwork Rubric (PDF)
Features of a sandwich to graphically show the criteria

Upper Elementary Teamwork Rubric
Karen Franker's rubric includes six defined criteria for assessing the team and individual responsibility

Middle School/High School Collaboration Rubric
Six defined criteria for collaboration with strong performance descriptors

ePortfolio and Web Page Rubrics

These rubrics are related to our Instructional Design courses.

e-Portfolio Rubric
Electronic portfolio rubric created by Joan Vandervelde includes 7 categories with 4 levels of achievement

Web Page Rubric
Joan Vandervelde's rubric details 9 categories for evaluating a web page

CyberFair Peer Review Student Web Page Rubric
Online feedback form for CyberFair Project.

Concept Map and Graphic Organizer Rubric

Graphic Organizer and Mind Map Rubric 
Concept map diagram rubric to assess a visual storyboard of a final project or to chart a flow of work and ideas by Karen Franker

Storyboard Rubric
Concept map and/or storyboard specification of instructional sequencing and messaging details.

Video and Multimedia Project Rubrics

These rubrics are related to our Elearning and Online Teaching course and flipped classroom course.

Video Project Rubric 
Joan Vandervelde lists criteria for video production and editing

Multimedia Project Rubric 
Rubric developed by Caroline McCullen, Jamie McKenzie, and Terrie Gray

Virtual Simulations and Games Rubric

Assessing Student Learning in Virtual Simulations and Serious Games
A grading rubric created by Ann Bell with 6 performance criteria

Research Process Rubrics

Research Process Rubric - Elementary
Karen Franker's rubric to assess planning, gathering, organizing and citing information in grades 3-5

Research Process Rubric - Middle School
Karen Franker's rubric assesses performance with the research process

Rubric for Research Process 
Joyce Valenza's rubric assesses 5 research performance areas for high school students

Research Process Reflection
Joyce Valenza's Question Brainstormer encourages students to ask focus questions and reflect on the research process

Academic Research Writing and APA Formatting Rubric
Kay Lehmann's rubric for high school or college level

Writing Rubrics

These rubrics are related to our Teaching and Assessing Writing courses.

Student-Friendly Writing Rubric

Samples of Student Writing, Scored With a 6+1 Trait Rubric
An extensive archive of assessment materials associated with the 6-Traits assessment approach.

NWREL's Six Traits of Writing Rubric
English and Spanish versions of the 6-Traits of Writing Rubric and other rubrics for listening, public speaking, and reading

Writing Rubrics K-12 - Opinion/Argument, Narrative, and Informative/Explanatory

Research Paper Rubric (Word doc)

Rubric for Scoring Effective Writing (Word doc)

Persuasive Essay Rubric (Word document)

Reflective Writing Rubric (PDF)

Reflection Paper Rubric (PDF)

Historical Fiction Essay Rubric (pdf)
Blake Green's history class rubric.

Rubrics for Middle School
Includes invention report, book talk, persuasive essay,  and autobiographical event essay

Autobiographical Rubric (PDF)

Math and Science Rubrics

These rubrics are related to our Math Specialist courses.

Math Rubrics
4 levels of math understanding with performance criteria

NCTM Math Standard Rubric (pdf)
Performance criteria for problem-solving reasoning and proof communication connections representation

Science Rubric (pdf)
Performance criteria for the use of scientific tools, science reasoning and strategies, science concepts and use of data and communication

Scientific Report Rubric
Easy to modify for any kind of high school research report

Physics Project Rubric
A good example of a performance rubric tuned a specific project. Easy to adapt to other subjects.

Rubrics for Primary Grades

Kindergarten Rubrics
Assess literacy development

Kindergarten Rubrics
Evaluates communication, fine muscle development, emergent reading and writing, large muscle development, math development, creative arts, personal development, and work habits, play, and social skills.

Primary Grade Self-Evaluation Teamwork Rubric (PDF)
Features a sandwich to graphically show when all criteria are met

Third Grade Venn Diagram Rubric

Tools for Creating Your Rubrics

These tools are explored in our e-learning course.

Rubistar
Choose a topic and create a new rubric based on a template. Save and edit your rubric online.

Rubric Template
Insert the task and criteria into this template.

Rubric Template (Word doc)
Word document template to download and modify to meet authentic assessment needs (University of West Florida).

Quick Rubric

iRubric develop rubrics and access them from anywhere

Single-Point Rubric (Word doc)

Rubric Generator
Build your own grading rubrics online by filling out a form. You can include a graphic and print the rubric.

Readings about Authentic Assessment
Helpful background information about rubric design and implementation in the classroom.