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##  Scoring Rubrics Part II: How? ERIC/AE Digest.                                

An earlier Digest, "Scoring Rubrics Part I: What and When?",                    described the different types of scoring rubrics and explained why              scoring rubrics are useful. This purpose of the Digest is to provide            a process for developing scoring rubrics. This Digest concludes with            a discussion of additional resources that provide examples of                   scoring rubrics and further guidance in the rubric development                  process. HOW ARE SCORING RUBRICS DEVELOPED?The first step in              developing a scoring rubric is to clearly identify the qualities                that need to be displayed in a student's work to demonstrate                    proficient performance (Brookhart, 1999). The identified qualities              will form the top level or levels of scoring criteria for the                   scoring rubric. The decision can then be made as to whether the                 information that is desired from the evaluation can best be acquired            through the use of an analytic or holistic scoring rubric. If an                analytic scoring rubric is created, then each criterion is                      considered separately as the descriptions of the different score                levels are developed. This process results in separate descriptive              scoring schemes for each evaluation factor. For holistic scoring                rubrics, the collection of criteria is considered throughout the                construction of each level of the scoring rubric, and the result is             a single descriptive scoring scheme. 
After defining the criteria              for the top level of performance, the evaluator may choose to define            the criteria for lowest level of performance. What type of                      performance would suggest a very limited understanding of the                   concepts that are being assessed? The contrast between the criteria             for top-level performance and bottom-level performance is likely to             suggest appropriate criteria for middle-level of performance. This              approach would result in three score levels. 
If greater                       distinctions are desired, then comparisons can be made between the              criteria for each existing score level. The contrast between levels             is likely to suggest criteria that may be used to create score                  levels that fall between the existing score levels. This comparison             process can be used until the desired number of score levels is                 reached or until no further distinctions can be made. If meaningful             distinctions between the score categories cannot be made, then                  additional score categories should not be created (Brookhart, 1999).            It is better to have a few meaningful score categories than to have             many score categories that are difficult or impossible to                       distinguish. 
Each score category should be defined using                      descriptions of the work rather then judgments about the                        work (Brookhart, 1999). For example, "Student's mathematical                    calculations contain no errors," is preferable over, "Student's                 calculations are good." The phrase "are good" requires the evaluator            to make a judgment, whereas the phrase "no errors" is quantifiable.             In order to determine whether a rubric provides adequate                        descriptions, another teacher may be asked to use the scoring rubric            to evaluate a subset of student responses. Differences between the              scores assigned by the original rubric developer and the second                 scorer will suggest how the rubric may be further                               clarified. RESOURCESCurrently, there is a broad range of                  resources available to teachers who wish to use scoring rubrics in              their classrooms. These resources differ both in the subject that               they cover and the level that they are designed to assess. The                  examples provided below are only a small sample of the information              that is available. 
For K-12 teachers, the state of Colorado (1998)            has developed an online set of general, holistic scoring rubrics                that are designed for the evaluation of various writing assessments.            The Chicago Public Schools (1999) maintain an extensive electronic              list of analytic and holistic scoring rubrics that span the broad               array of subjects represented throughout K-12 education. For                    mathematics teachers, Danielson has developed a collection of                   reference books that contain scoring rubrics that are appropriate to            the elementary, middle school and high school mathematics                       classrooms (1997a, 1997b; Danielson & Marquez, 1998). 
Resources               are also available to assist college instructors who are interested             in developing and using scoring rubrics in their classrooms. Kathy              Schrock's Guide for Educators (2000) contains electronic materials              for both the pre-college and the college classroom. In The Art and              Science of Classroom Assessment: The Missing Part of Pedagogy,                  Brookhart (1999) provides a brief, but comprehensive review of the              literature on assessment in the college classroom, including a                  description of scoring rubrics and why their use is increasing in               the college classroom. Moskal (1999) has developed a web site that              contains links to a variety of college assessment resources,                    including scoring rubrics. 
The resources described above represent            only a fraction of those that are available. The ERIC Clearinghouse             on Assessment and Evaluation [ERIC/AE] provides several additional              useful web sites. One of these, Scoring Rubrics Definitions &                   Constructions (2000b), specifically addresses questions that are                frequently asked with regard to scoring rubrics. This site also                 provides electronic links to web resources and bibliographic                    references to books and articles that discuss scoring rubrics. For              more recent developments within assessment and evaluation, a search             can be completed on the abstracts of papers that will soon be                   available through ERIC/AE (2000a). This site also contains a direct             link to ERIC/AE abstracts that are specific to scoring                          rubrics. 
Search engines that are available on the web may be used             to locate additional electronic resources. When using this approach,            the search criteria should be as specific as possible. Generic                  searches that use the terms "rubrics" or "scoring rubrics" will                 yield a large volume of references. When seeking information on                 scoring rubrics from the web, it is advisable to use an advanced                search and specify the grade level, subject area and topic of                   interest. If more resources are desired than result from this                   conservative approach, the search criteria can be                               expanded. RESOURCESBrookhart, S. M. (1999). The Art and                   Science of Classroom Assessment: The Missing Part of Pedagogy.                  ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report (Vol. 27, No.1). Washington, DC:              The George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and              Human Development. 
Chicago Public Schools (1999). Rubric                      Bank. [Available online                                                         at:http://intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments/Ideas                              and_Rubrics/Rubric_Bank/rubric_bank.html]. 
Danielson, C. (1997a).             A Collection of Performance Tasks and Rubrics: Middle School                    Mathematics. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education Inc. 
Danielson,                  C. (1997b). A Collection of Performance Tasks and Rubrics: Upper                Elementary School Mathematics. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education                  Inc. 
Danielson, C. & Marquez, E. (1998). A Collection of                      Performance Tasks and Rubrics: High School Mathematics. Larchmont,              NY: Eye on Education Inc. 
ERIC/AE (2000a). Search ERIC/AE draft               abstracts. [Available online at:                                                http://ericae.net/sinprog.htm]. 
ERIC/AE (2000b). Scoring Rubrics -            Definitions & Construction [Available online at:                                http://ericae.net/faqs/rubrics/scoring_rubrics.htm]. 
Knecht, R.,              Moskal, B. & Pavelich, M. (2000). The Design Report Rubric:                     Measuring and Tracking Growth through Success, Paper to be presented            at the annual meeting of the American Society for Engineering                   Education. 
Leydens, J. & Thompson, D. (August, 1997), Writing                 Rubrics Design (EPICS) I, Internal Communication, Design (EPICS)                Program, Colorado School of Mines. 
Moskal, B. (2000). Assessment              Resource Page. [Available online at: http://www.mines.edu                       Academic/assess/Resource.htm]. 
Schrock, K. (2000). Kathy Schrock's            Guide for Educators. [Available online at:                                      http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/assess.html]. 
State of               Colorado (1998). The Rubric. [Available online at:                              http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdedepcom/ asrubric.htm #writing]. 
This            Digest originally appeared as part of Moskal, Barbara M.(2000).                 Scoring Rubrics: What, When and How? Practical Assessment,                      Research & Evaluation, 7(3). [Available                                         online:http://ericae.net/pare/getvn.asp?v=7&n=3]. 
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This                publication was prepared with funding from the Office of Educational            Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under                   contract ED99CO0032. The opinions expressed in this report do not               necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI, or the U.S.              Department of Education.  Permission is granted to copy and                     distribute this ERIC/AE Digest.                                              **Title:** Scoring Rubrics Part II: How? ERIC/AE Digest.                                **Note:** For a companion Digest, see TM 031 853. Originally appeared as part             of "Scoring Rubrics: What, When and How?" by Barbara M.                         Moskal, "Practical Assessment, Research, & Evaluation," 7 (3).               **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** For full text: http://ericae.net/pare/getvn.asp?v=7&n=3.                     **Descriptors:** Elementary Secondary Education,  Grading, Performance Based                     Assessment,  Scores, Scoring,  Scoring Rubrics,  Student Evaluation          **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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