Once a professor has decided on appropriate grading standards (see Grading Standards on the Classroom Assessment Techniques main menu) to represent the expectations of satisfactory achievement, how can s/he make those standards explicit for students and for self? One way is to build and use Grading Rubrics. Building a rubric brings to a professor's consciousness (1) what the main traits of an assignment are and how they contribute to the assignment's goal, and (2) exactly what level of performance is expected for satisfactory demonstration of each trait. Using the rubric publicly allows students to assume responsibility for their own learning by engaging them in conscious self assessment.

A Grading Rubric

Click here for one example     of a grading rubric.

The rubric presented here is built on grading standards for a college writing assignment (click on Grading Standards on the main menu of Classroom Assessment Techniques). It includes the primary traits of completeness, clear argumentative position, good critical thinking, correct disciplinary knowledge, and others. One example of an assignment to which this rubric applies can be examined by clicking here.

A professor might use the rubric by saying, "When I grade your papers, I will be using this sheet to record how well I see the assignment as fulfilling these expectations. You write one, too, and turn it in with your assignment. I won't look at yours until I'm done with mine. I'll give them both back to you. I'd very much like to have a conversation with you on items where we differ significantly in our judgments."