Module 5: Assessing Product

Think again about yourself as a tester. When you are being assessed and/or evaluated, don’t you want to know what your evaluator is looking for? It is natural to ask, “What criteria is my work being compared to?” The same is true of our students. They also want and deserve to know how we decide what grades they receive. Sharing our grading criteria through the use of student-friendly rubrics is one way to do this. When we design our rubrics, it is critical that our students fully understand the criteria we have selected. Moreover, when we allow our students to participate in the creation of the rubric, the result is an increased level of ownership and involvement. Again, differentiation for individual needs is crucial. We must also make sure that ELLs fully understand the criteria (first language (L1) support might be especially necessary here) within the grading rubric and that we are following the District grading guidelines for ELLs.

Below you will find some research-based instructional practices.  As a reminder, by showing examples and non-examples of exemplary work, students will know exactly what is expected of them. In addition, there are many resources available to create rubrics for any assignment and any student.