The purpose of this blog was for me to develop a means of sharing what I feel are some of my best practices as I develop and utilize feedback from experts in the fields of education and more specifically the arts. I am so pleased with the feedback that I have been receiving regarding my rubrics. There are some very interesting and meaningful points that have arisen from discussions on Linked in and Edmodo. Teachers have opened several discussions regarding the measurement of qualitative elements (see STAR and PRIDE in Participation Rubric) through quantitative means. Additionally, there have been several questions regarding the timeline for use of the rubrics. I hope to share some of those discussions here, as I believe the feedback is useful to anyone trying to improve their assessment tools.
Special thanks to Dr. David Knauss, Ph.D. from Linked in for all of his valuable feedback.
Specificity
When creating a rubric, the descriptions of each level need to be extremely specific. When including an element that is not otherwise described, the specific description of each element should be included in that actual level of achievement for this category. For my performance rubric, my original "excellence" level or top level of achievement was described as follows:
Scholar is engaged in classroom activities, exuding the principles of S.T.A.R. and P.R.I.D.E. while going above and beyond expectations.
In reviewing this, and looking considering peer responses, I realized that this is so general that a student would not understanding what they actually have to do in order to receive a 5 on this rubric. I altered the definition to be even more specific:
Scholar is engaged in classroom activities and learning as demonstrated through S.T.A.R. and P.R.I.D.E.
Excellent demonstration of S.T.A.R.:
Excellent demonstration of P.R.I.D.E.:
For the rubric to be effective, scholars must understand the words and expectations. In this case, I would devote part of a lesson to close reading of this rubric. An understanding of the wording and expectations within this rubric are key to scholar success and growth. The principles in this rubric are reinforced throughout our school, which makes this an easier task, but is a subject that needs to be re-visited on a regular basis throughout the school year.
Applicaitons
Several readers asked me how often and how I utilize this rubric. In general, when evaluating participation, I record a grade or evaluate on a daily basis. In the beginning of the year, this can be a serious challenge, but once scholars become accustomed to the expectations and their definitions, the implementation process becomes much easier. Once most scholars have a solid understanding of the expectations, most scholars achieve and maintain a level 4 or 5. In general, at this point, I make mental note or jot brief comments throughout the class period on ways in which scholars are not achieving excellence within the parameters of the rubric.
At least once weekly (depending on our schedule, sometimes bi-weekly) I sit down with each and every scholar to conduct a 1 on 1 conferencing session. This normally takes place during the independent practice portion of the class, as other students are working. This is a perfect time to address scholar performance on the rubric, as well as to develop next steps for improving performance toward excellence. All of our data, interims and conferencing is color coded, to organize our scholar levels by tier. They are quantitatively and qualitatively described as follows:
These numbers and descriptors are not the end-all for student achievement. They allow us to better organize our scholars into effective teaching groups, and also to identify patterns and trends within and across classes, content areas, grades and the school.
When we work with the scholars, we try to focus on SMART goals, a topic I will address in a later post. Most importantly, it is key that these goals are achievable, measurable, and time oriented. Additionally, the strategies used to make the improvement need to be reasonable as well.
As the year progresses, and with greater practice, this all becomes much smoother. During class, you can easily provide a student with an opportunity to change their behavior on the spot. If a student is not tracking the speaker, for example, you may offer them the opportunity to focus, which demonstrates responsibility and integrity. For me, it's not until a student ignores these opportunities, or actively chooses a different outcome that the grade changes.
Keep Developing.
I am considering are dividing this rubric into two separate rubrics, one to evaluate S.T.A.R. and another for P.R.I.D.E. Although the two are closely related, would it be better to divide and evaluate them separately Would it be a better place to start, and then move to a combined rubric as the year progresses?
The most important thing I have learned as I go through the process of sharing my material with the world is that this work is never complete. There is always room for improvement. Once again, I greatly appreciate all of the feedback I have received, and look forward to more discussions.
Here is my revised (and hopefully improved) rubric:
Special thanks to Dr. David Knauss, Ph.D. from Linked in for all of his valuable feedback.
Specificity
When creating a rubric, the descriptions of each level need to be extremely specific. When including an element that is not otherwise described, the specific description of each element should be included in that actual level of achievement for this category. For my performance rubric, my original "excellence" level or top level of achievement was described as follows:
Scholar is engaged in classroom activities, exuding the principles of S.T.A.R. and P.R.I.D.E. while going above and beyond expectations.
In reviewing this, and looking considering peer responses, I realized that this is so general that a student would not understanding what they actually have to do in order to receive a 5 on this rubric. I altered the definition to be even more specific:
Scholar is engaged in classroom activities and learning as demonstrated through S.T.A.R. and P.R.I.D.E.
Excellent demonstration of S.T.A.R.:
- Sit up: Scholar is sitting on their bottom with feet on the floor, hands away from the face and others; appropriate materials are out on the desk.
- Track the Speaker (performer): Scholar is actively engaged with the speaker or performer as indicated through eye contact and body position
- Asks and Answers Questions: Scholar asks and questions the thinking of others to engage conversation and deeper understanding. Scholar volunteers to answer questions and responds when called upon by others.
- Respect others and the classroom: Scholar is physically and emotionally respectful of their peers, the classroom, materials and the teacher.
Excellent demonstration of P.R.I.D.E.:
- Perseverance: Scholar works through struggles, possibly with the support of the teacher or peers. When work becomes challenging, the scholar seeks out new solutions.
- Responsibility: Scholar takes responsibility for their work, whether good or bad, and looks for solutions to difficulties.
- Integrity: Scholar demonstrates honesty and moral principle in the classroom as demonstrated through peer interactions.
- Discipline: Scholar follows the rules of the classroom, codes of behavior and accepts consequences.
- Enthusiasm: Scholar demonstrates an eagerness to learn and an interest in their work.
For the rubric to be effective, scholars must understand the words and expectations. In this case, I would devote part of a lesson to close reading of this rubric. An understanding of the wording and expectations within this rubric are key to scholar success and growth. The principles in this rubric are reinforced throughout our school, which makes this an easier task, but is a subject that needs to be re-visited on a regular basis throughout the school year.
Applicaitons
Several readers asked me how often and how I utilize this rubric. In general, when evaluating participation, I record a grade or evaluate on a daily basis. In the beginning of the year, this can be a serious challenge, but once scholars become accustomed to the expectations and their definitions, the implementation process becomes much easier. Once most scholars have a solid understanding of the expectations, most scholars achieve and maintain a level 4 or 5. In general, at this point, I make mental note or jot brief comments throughout the class period on ways in which scholars are not achieving excellence within the parameters of the rubric.
At least once weekly (depending on our schedule, sometimes bi-weekly) I sit down with each and every scholar to conduct a 1 on 1 conferencing session. This normally takes place during the independent practice portion of the class, as other students are working. This is a perfect time to address scholar performance on the rubric, as well as to develop next steps for improving performance toward excellence. All of our data, interims and conferencing is color coded, to organize our scholar levels by tier. They are quantitatively and qualitatively described as follows:
- Tier 4: (76-100%) Excelling
- Tier 3: (50-75%) Proficient
- Tier 2: (25-49%) Approaching Proficiency
- Tier 1: (0-24%) Emerging
These numbers and descriptors are not the end-all for student achievement. They allow us to better organize our scholars into effective teaching groups, and also to identify patterns and trends within and across classes, content areas, grades and the school.
When we work with the scholars, we try to focus on SMART goals, a topic I will address in a later post. Most importantly, it is key that these goals are achievable, measurable, and time oriented. Additionally, the strategies used to make the improvement need to be reasonable as well.
As the year progresses, and with greater practice, this all becomes much smoother. During class, you can easily provide a student with an opportunity to change their behavior on the spot. If a student is not tracking the speaker, for example, you may offer them the opportunity to focus, which demonstrates responsibility and integrity. For me, it's not until a student ignores these opportunities, or actively chooses a different outcome that the grade changes.
Keep Developing.
I am considering are dividing this rubric into two separate rubrics, one to evaluate S.T.A.R. and another for P.R.I.D.E. Although the two are closely related, would it be better to divide and evaluate them separately Would it be a better place to start, and then move to a combined rubric as the year progresses?
The most important thing I have learned as I go through the process of sharing my material with the world is that this work is never complete. There is always room for improvement. Once again, I greatly appreciate all of the feedback I have received, and look forward to more discussions.
Here is my revised (and hopefully improved) rubric:
