Rubrics in Education: Old Term, New Meanings

Abstract

The term is used widely in education. In classroom, rubric may mean set of categories, criteria for assessment, and gradients for presenting and evaluating learning. grading student's essay, for example, teacher may apply rubric for its quality of organization, giving 3 for Advanced Proficient, 2 for Proficient, and 1 for Partially Proficient. Other criteria that could be rubrics include use of examples, paragraph structure, grammar, and overall quality. Yet, like many terms in education, meaning of rubric is confusing. For example, Wiggins defines rubric of basic tools in assessor's kit ... telling us what elements matter most (1998, p. 153). Schmoker states that rubric simply means rule or guide ... by which students' performance or product is judged. It nails down criteria, making them available to schools, teachers, parents, and students and providing clear direction and focus (2006, pp. 70-71). And Guskey explains that rubrics specific guidelines that can be used to describe students' work in reading, writing, mathematics, and other content areas (1994, p. 25). The term, apparently, can refer to almost anything: rule, guide, criterion, or description that is used to assess progress of students in their academic subjects, well grading system for assessing each criterion. The term rubric has been used in English since 1400s, making it old it is interesting. The root of rubric refers to color red or red earth. The Oxford English Dictionary gives an example of term used in 1607: marrow of deer in sheep's milk with rubric and soft pitch, drunk every day, helps digestion and obstructions. Another meaning, closer to how it is currently used in education, is heading of chapter or division of book, written or printed in red ink or underlined in red for emphasis. In 1658, Phillips stated that rubric is a noted Sentence of any Book marked with red Letters. The Catholic Church has long employed term for directions for conducting Mass, which are printed in red and inserted into liturgical books. Foxe in 1583 explained that rubric is part of the whole Canon of Masse, with Rubricke thereof, it standeth in Masse/booke. John Wesley, founder of Methodist church, stated that as Minister, I teach her Doctrines. I use her Offices. I conform to her Rubricks. And in law, rubric is heading or title of statute or section of legal code (again, originally printed in red ink). In 1634, Kirk explained that When this Act came to be heard in open Parliament, his Majestie gave orders to read only rubricks of it. Red delineations, headings, and divisions--the term rubric has long and interesting history. APPLYING RUBRICS Educators today use rubric to refer to category of behavior that can be used to evaluate performance. The term is currently so popular that no one writing funding proposal would ignore laying out rubric for evaluating program's success. Today's rubrics involve creating standard and descriptive statement that illustrates how standard is to be achieved. For example, rubric for judging an essay would list everything student needs to include to receive certain grade on that essay. Generally, rubric also would specify what is needed to achieve different levels of performance, such what is needed for an A, B, etc. In addition to helping students know what they need to do to achieve certain grade, rubrics have other benefits: 1. A rubric can help teachers think carefully and critically about what they are teaching and what students need to learn. The rubric is predetermined set of categories. Whatever subject or project for which it's used, rubric will help teachers consider what's important for them to teach and how to determine level at which students have learned what's been taught. …