6 reasons why you should Try a Single-Point Rubric
A format that delivers students with personalized feedback and works to have them from focusing solely to their grade.
As educators, we know the effectiveness of a good rubric. Well-crafted rubrics facilitate clear and meaningful resume help communication with our students which help keep us accountable and consistent within our grading. They’re important and meaningful classroom tools.
Usually once we talk about rubrics, we’re referring to either a holistic or an analytic rubric, even though we aren’t entirely knowledgeable about those terms. A holistic rubric breaks an assignment down into general levels from which a student is able to do, assigning a standard grade for each level. For example, a holistic rubric might describe an A essay making use of the following criteria: “The essay has a clear, creative thesis statement and a consistent argument that is overall. The essay is 2–3 pages long, demonstrates MLA that is correct formatting grammar, and offers a complete works cited page.” Then it might list the criteria for a B, a C, etc.
An analytic rubric would break all of those general levels down even further to include multiple categories, each along with its own scale of success—so, to carry on the example above, the analytic rubric may have four grades levels, with corresponding descriptions, for every single for the following criteria points: thesis, argument, length, and grammar and formatting.
Both styles have their advantages and have now served classrooms that are many.
However, there’s a third option that introduces some exciting and game-changing potential for us and our students.
The rubric that is single-point a different way of systematic grading in the classroom. Like holistic and analytic rubrics, it breaks the facets of an assignment down into categories, clarifying to students what kinds of things you anticipate of those inside their work. Unlike those rubrics, the single-point rubric includes only guidance on and descriptions of successful work—without listing a grade, it may seem like the description of an A essay within the holistic rubric above. When you look at the example below, you can see that the rubric describes what success looks like in four categories, with space for the trained teacher to spell out the way the student has met the criteria or how they are able to still improve.
A single-point rubric outlines the standards a student has got to meet to complete the assignment; however, it leaves the categories outlining success or shortcoming open-ended. This relatively new approach creates a host of advantages for teachers and students. Implementing new ideas inside our curricula is never easy, but let me suggest six main reasons why you ought to provide the single-point rubric a try.
1. It provides space to think about both strengths and weaknesses in student work. Each category invites teachers to meaningfully share with students whatever they did really well and where they could would you like to consider making some adjustments.
2. It doesn’t place boundaries on student performance. The rubric that is single-pointn’t you will need to cover most of the areas of a project which could go well or poorly. It offers guidance after which allows students to approach the project in creative and unique ways. It will help steer students away from relying a lot of on teacher direction and encourages them to generate their own ideas.
3. It really works against students tendency that is rank themselves and also to compare themselves to or contend with each other. Each student receives feedback that is unique is specific in their mind and their work, but that can’t be easily quantified.
4. It will help take student attention off the grade. The look with this rubric emphasizes descriptive, individualized feedback throughout the grade. As opposed to focusing on teacher instruction to be able to shoot for a particular grade, students can immerse themselves when you look at the experience of the assignment.
5. It makes more flexibility without sacrificing clarity. Students are still given clear explanations for the grades they earned, but there is way more room to take into account a student taking a project in a direction that a holistic or rubric that is analyticn’t or couldn’t account for.
6. It’s simple! The single-point rubric has much less text than other rubric styles. The chances which our students will actually see the whole rubric, think on given feedback, and don’t forget both are much higher.
You’ll notice that the recurring theme in my list involves placing our students in the center of your grading mentalities. The ideology behind the single-point rubric inherently moves classroom grading away from quantifying and streamlining student work, shifting student and teacher focus in the direction of celebrating creativity and intellectual risk-taking.
If you or your administrators are worried about the not enough specificity involved with grading with a rubric that is single-point Jennifer Gonzales of Cult of Pedagogy has established an adaptation that incorporates specific scores or point values while still keeping the main focus on personalized feedback and descriptions of successful work. She offers a short description for the scored version along side a tremendously template that is user-friendly.
As the single-point rubric may require it also creates space for our students to grow as scholars and individuals who take ownership of their learning that we as educators give a little more of our time to reflect on each student’s unique work when grading. It tangibly demonstrates to them that individuals have confidence in and value their educational experiences over their grades. The dwelling associated with the rubric that is single-point us as educators to focus toward returning grades and teacher feedback to their proper roles: supporting and fostering real learning within our students.
