11.1 Creating a Grade Rubric
A Grading Rubric includes four primary components in order to function efficiently. The first of these components are the Levels of Achievement. These are the titles that identify the levels of mastery following along the point scale. The second component are the Point Values which align directly with the Levels of Achievement.
For example: If the highest level of achievement is "Exceptional," the point value equals 100/100. If the lowest level of achievement is "Incomplete," the point value is 0/100.
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The third component is the Criteria, which defines what content is being measured. The fourth component are the Content Boxes which contain the varied descriptions identifying what students must accomplish to meet the individual Levels of Achievement for each Criteria.
Knowing what each of these four components are, and the function they each serve, is an important first step towards creating a Grading Rubric in Blackboard. Now that you are aware of these components, go ahead and sign into your course. Locate the green Control Panel on the left below your Course Menu. Click on Course Tools to reveal the sub-menu, and then click on Rubrics.
The next screen you will see is the Rubrics page. This is where all of the rubrics for a course are created and listed for modification. To create a new rubric, click on the Create Rubric button.
First, the Rubric needs a name. Lets call it "Week 1: Assignment 1 Rubric."
Next, the Rubric needs a description as a reminder of what this rubric is for and its purpose. Something simple like "This is the grading rubric for Week 1 Assignment 1" is sufficient.
The default settings for a new Grading Rubric have the Rubric Type set to percentage, three Levels of Achievement, three rows of Criteria, and an averaged weight balanced between the Criteria.
The most measurable, student-oriented grading format includes points rather than percentages due to the simple fact that students can easily determine that 74 points out of 100 points is a C. So, the first thing to do is change the Rubric Type by left-clicking the drop down menu and changing percentage to points.
The most measurable, student-oriented grading format includes points rather than percentages due to the simple fact that students can easily determine that 74 points out of 100 points is a C. So, the first thing to do is change the Rubric Type by left-clicking the drop down menu and changing percentage to points.
Notice that the rubric updates and removes all the percentages in place. The next step is to modify the Levels of Achievement. Typically the Levels of Achievement should represent the standard A, B, C, D, F grade scale. Therefore, there should be five Levels of Achievement. Left-click the Add Column button twice to add two more columns to the Grading Rubric.
Now the columns need to be named. For this example, insert the following names starting at the column closest to the Criteria at the left of the screen.
To do this, left-click on the double drop-down arrows next to each column name and click Edit. Enter the name and then press Enter on your keyboard.
- Incomplete
- Below Expectations
- Meets Expectations
- Above Expectations
- Exceptional
To do this, left-click on the double drop-down arrows next to each column name and click Edit. Enter the name and then press Enter on your keyboard.
Next, the Criteria must be defined. Criteria is based on the requirements of an assignment or discussion. If you ask students to write an initial discussion response of 150 words, the word requirement is (or can be) a Criteria.
First, click the Add Row button to add another Criteria row to the rubric. Since the general goal of a rubric is to measure between 0 points and 100 points, the number of Criteria should divide evenly as each row measures a chunk of the total points.
For example: An assignment worth 100 points with four Criteria would mean that each Criteria is worth 25 points.
First, click the Add Row button to add another Criteria row to the rubric. Since the general goal of a rubric is to measure between 0 points and 100 points, the number of Criteria should divide evenly as each row measures a chunk of the total points.
For example: An assignment worth 100 points with four Criteria would mean that each Criteria is worth 25 points.
So, review an assignment that needs a Grading Rubric and identify the requirements to create the Criteria. Then, modify the Criteria names by left-clicking the double drop-down arrows next to each Criteria name, click Edit, modify the name and then hit Enter on your keyboard.
Next, apply points to the individual rubric boxes. Start with the first row. Locate the rubric box nearest the Criteria column on the left.
- The first box should remain at 0 as incomplete means no effort (or insufficient effort) was made by the student.
- Below Expectations should be 15 points (15/25=60%) which is a D.
- Meets Expectations should be 17.5 (17.5/25=70%) which is a C.
- Above Expectations should be a 20 (20/25=80%) which is a B.
- Exceptional is a 25 (25/25=100%) which is an A.
With all of the components renamed and points added to the rubric, the final step is to insert the written measurable requirements for each Level of Achievement for the individual Criteria. An example of a complete Grading Rubric is shown below. Take your time in reviewing how each of the boxes contain measurable language so students know exactly what they receive and why.
Filling in the content boxes for a Grading Rubric can be tricky. A lot of times an instructor may feel that a statement such as "student has included most of the required content based on the assignment instructions" is sufficient to meet a measurable rubric design. However, "most of the" does not define any measurable variable.
Always remember that a measurable Grading Rubric allows students to determine exactly what they need to complete in order to achieve a specific grade. So, if a student submitted an assignment (or discussion) that is only 100 words long, then the rubric should state where that number of words falls on the Levels of Achievement.
Additionally, measuring Criteria that is not evaluated by Course Objectives and SLO's can be a potential argument from a student. If a student is taking a class where Grammar is not measured by the course itself, then deducting points on an assignment or discussion for poor grammar could be a point of contention. Be aware of these small oversights and many exceptional Grading Rubrics will await you.
Always remember that a measurable Grading Rubric allows students to determine exactly what they need to complete in order to achieve a specific grade. So, if a student submitted an assignment (or discussion) that is only 100 words long, then the rubric should state where that number of words falls on the Levels of Achievement.
Additionally, measuring Criteria that is not evaluated by Course Objectives and SLO's can be a potential argument from a student. If a student is taking a class where Grammar is not measured by the course itself, then deducting points on an assignment or discussion for poor grammar could be a point of contention. Be aware of these small oversights and many exceptional Grading Rubrics will await you.
Next Step
When you are ready, move on to Section 11.2 Associate Grading Rubrics