My last post included the rubric for the Independent Reading Project — but there have been some requests for an overall discussion of rubrics at SLA.

This is what our online school handbook says about our rubric:

Students at SLA are assessed through a variety of means with a focus on project-based learning and our five core values of inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation, and reflection. Our students do not take the School District of Philadelphia benchmark exams; rather, they complete projects in every subject that are assessed based on the SLA rubric (see below). The descriptions in the empty boxes are filled in according to the subject and project nature.

And here’s the rubric outline, as it appears on posters throughout the school:

There are a thousand directions I could go in discussion of this rubric — but I want to focus on formatting, and how that influences student understanding.

The categories ensure that teachers provide more than just a checklist for students. Specific items or tasks can be listed in each section of the rubric, but the categories ensure there is a deeper meaning to what’s being assessed, instead of just checking that everything is in place.

Sometimes, teachers follow the format completely. Take this rubric for a calculus benchmark, courtesy of Math Teacher Brad Latimer. His description of the project:

 For the project, students had to research applications of various types of derivative functions, and then design a webpage demonstrating derivative applications. Their page had to include original problems and solutions for each type of derivative function, as well as analysis of what each derivative function represents.

The languages shifts for each level of expectations, and he also included some clarification as to what will be graded in each category. (In my own experience, the difference between “design” and “presentation” can get fuzzy when you are writing these — here it is crystal clear.)

Calculus Second Quarter Benchmark                    Name: ________________________

As with all templates, some tinkering does occur. One of the big things that teachers often change is not filling out the full rubric. (There’s debate as to whether you really need to describe what “does not meet expectations” after you’ve given clear instructions about what does.)

Here’s another example from Latimer’s classroom, where he chose only to detail the “process” section for every category.

For the project, students were partnered up, and each pair was given a different investment and credit situation. They then had to research five different options (bank, lenders, credit cards, etc) to deal with each situation. The final product was a detailed research paper which made a recommendation on the best option for their specific situation, and included mathematical justification (using exponential functions and compound interest formulas).

Algebra 2: Quarter 4 Benchmark Rubric- Applications of Exponential Functions

Name: ________________________________ Band: _____________  Partner: ____________

I think it’s relevant that this is a 4th quarter project — at this point it should be clear to many students what the expectations of the class are, and to mentally fill out the details of what exceeds, and what does not meet, the expectations of the class.

Many thanks to Brad Latimer for sharing this content and making this post possible. Let me know if there are other disciplines you would like to see materials from.