Relevant User-friendly Benchmarks Reinforcing Instruction Cultivating Success

Relevant, User-friendly Benchmarks; Reinforcing Instruction; Cultivating Success

Teaching as a Subversive Activity l Have Humanities faculty instruct Math, Math instructors Business, … l Limit teachers to three declarative sentences per class, and 15 interrogatives l Prohibit teachers from asking any questions to which they already know the answers l Require all teachers to take a test prepared by students on what the students know

Today’s Objectives 1. Getting the lay of the land 2. Showing you the sights 3. Leaving you with the tools for flying solo…. sort of

I can’t explain it. It just wasn’t an A paper. ~ pre-rubric educators

Getting the Lay of the Land: Defining The Jargon Rubric l l a guide used to score performance assessments in a reliable, fair, and valid manner generally composed of: l dimensions for judging student performance l a scale for rating performances on each dimension l standards of excellence for specified performance levels (SRI International)

Why Rubrics? 1. Provide students with expectations about what you will assess 2. Inform students on the standards they must meet/work towards meeting 3. Indicate to students where they are in relation to course/program goals 4. Increase your consistency in ratings or performance, products, or understanding 5. Gather data to support grades

Jargon Cont’d Authentic Assessment l meaningful, real-life learning experiences l includes: l l l recording evidence of the learning process applications in products and performances integrations of new knowledge reflecting on one's own progress interpreting meaning (Herberger College of the Arts, Arizona State University)

Jargon Cont’d l Analytic Rubric: outline or list of major elements that students should include in a finished work l Highly prescriptive l Holistic Rubric: less objective than analytic; levels pre-determined and you assign l Highly subjective l Annotated Holistic Rubric: hybrid of above; defined quality levels plus commentary l Reduces ambiguity, increases efficiency, and allows students to see road to improvement (IMHO)

Validity is Key l Reliability: measures educational objectives as consistently as possible l Relevance: measures educational objectives as directly as possible l Utility: provides formative or summative results effectively - clear implications for evaluation and improvement

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. ~ Abraham Maslow

Add Rubrics to Your Toolkit; Don’t Throw Out Other Tools Rubrics are best used when: l Assignments are multi-faceted; combining lower and higher order skills l Your subjectivity is/could be called into question l Assessing an action or combination of actions rather than a thing

Let’s Not Reinvent the Wheel There are current and authoritative resources that can save you immense amounts of time Ontario College Writing Exemplars l developed by the Heads of Language (HOL) with funding from School/College/Work Initiative program of the Ontario Ministry of Education College Diploma and Certificate Program Standards l from the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities

2. Showing You the Sights We’re taking the economy tour… Five Questions – That’s It!

Question 1: What dimensions ensure highest quality? Hint: Can include knowledge, skills & abilities/Content specific or life-long goals Consideration: Students may experience difficulty with course specific mixing with lifelong goals Most Common Misstep: Learning outcomes don’t match assessment ¡ LO = critical thinking; assessment dimensions = format, mechanics, and citation style

Some Usual Dimensions From high school, students are familiar with categories: l Knowledge and Understanding l Thinking l Communication l Application

Some Usual Dimensions Or adopt a learning theory Bloom’s Taxonomy l Knowledge l Comprehension l Application l Analysis l Synthesis l Evaluation Big 6 l l l Task Definition Info Seeking Strategies Location and Access Use of information Synthesis Evaluation

Question 2 How many levels of achievement/performance to include? Hint: Give yourself some wiggle room Consideration: Letters vs. levels vs. descriptors ¡ A, B, C, D vs. 1, 2, 3, 4 vs. unacceptable, marginal, proficient, exemplary vs. novice, apprentice, proficient, distinguished Most Common Misstep: Using too many levels of achievement

Question 3: What is a clear description at each level? Hint: Try to determine qualitative differences that characterize work or performance. Start with B/acceptable/proficient level Consideration: Comparative language alone fails to highlight unique features, but using unique language may connote different meanings Most Common Misstep: Including value laden terms that showcase judgement, but little guidance

Question 4: What rating scheme/ weighting of dimensions do I use? Hint: Add this in a way that fits with your philosophy and course requirements Consideration: Different assignments may measure the same dimensions in differing degrees. One rubric could serve an entire course. Most Common Misstep: Using a weighted rating in your head, but not communicating it to the students

Question 5: What worked and what didn’t? Hint: Do a trial run with colleague(s) rather than one, entire class Consideration: Do you need more focus on content, format, delivery? Was one dimension weighted too heavily? Etc… Most Common Misstep: Viewing rubric as a permanent panacea

Rubrics Recap l Decide which assignments suit a rubric l Use our 5 questions as a checklist or frame l Get help/feedback/constructive criticism whenever and wherever you can l l l From colleagues From students From the literature

Flying Solo… sort of l Supporting Resources l l Will be sent as an email as it is hyperlinked Helpful Hints l l Ontario’s Ministry of Education: Secondary If you are searching most databases, try scoring rubrics as a subject search rather than relying on a keyword search. You will retrieve more precise and relevant results

If you think of any… Peggy French 905. 575. 1212 ext 3223 peggy. french@mohawkcollege. ca

Research Paper Grading Rubric For Research Component Uses: 1. To set performance expectations by distributing to students when a paper is assigned. 2. To evaluate the portion of a student’s paper related to research and information use. Beginning (0 -12 points) Proficient (13 -16 points) Advanced (17 -20 points) Creates an unfocused or unmanageable research question. Student identifies few or no relevant information tools. Formulates a question that is focused and clear. Student identifies concepts related to the topic, and identifies some useful information tools to meet the information need. Formulates a research question that is focused, clear, and complete and identifies key concepts. Student identifies most or all relevant information tools in various potential formats. 2. Access the Needed Information Effectively (20 points) Uses information tools poorly and gathers information that lacks relevance, quality, and balance. Executes an appropriate research strategy. Student solves problems by finding a variety of relevant information resources and evaluates search effectiveness. Implements a clear and focused research strategy, uses tools effectively, and finds information that directly fulfills the information need. 3. Evaluate Information and Its Sources Critically (20 points) Uses inadequate criteria to judge information quality. Student makes little effort to examine the information located for reliability. Examines information using criteria such as authority, credibility, relevance, timeliness, and accuracy, and makes good judgements about what to keep and what to discard. Compares and evaluates multiple and diverse sources and viewpoints according to specific criteria appropriate for the discipline. 4. Use Information Effectively to Accomplish a Specific Purpose (20 points) Shows little evidence of incorporating information into their knowledge base. Student uses information poorly to accomplish a specific purpose. Often uses appropriate information and evidence to support their claims and conclusions and to accomplish a specific purpose. Effectively synthesizes and integrates information from a variety of sources, draws appropriate conclusions, and clearly communicates ideas to others to accomplish a specific purpose. 5. Use Information Ethically (20 points) Inadequately cites ideas and information of others. Cites ideas and information of others with few errors. Consistently and accurately cites ideas and information of others. 1. Determine the Extent of the Information Needed (20 points) Score

Analytic Rubric Example LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT/PERFORMANCE CRITERIA/ DIMENSION Excellent Good Needs Improvement Load supported greater than 12 kg 6 to 12 kg less than 6 kg Weight of bridge less than 30 grams 30 to 60 grams over 60 grams Bridge span greater than 385 mm 360 to 385 mm less than 360 mm stops 1 or 2 times stops 3 or more times or cannot roll entire length of bridge Ability of matchbox car to roll across bridge does not stop

Email to Follow ● Sample rubrics ● Reading list ● Online pathfinder

Comparative Versus Unique ● Almost never – infrequently - almost always ● Infrequentlysometimes usually - almost always