Project Project Zero's Rubrics and Self-Assessment Project was supported by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. However, little research on their design and their effectiveness has been undertaken. Moreover, few of the existing research and development efforts have focused on the ways in which rubrics can serve the purposes of learning and cognitive development as well as the demands of evaluation and accountability. The Rubrics and Self-Assessment Project is based on the hypothesis that students themselves can be the source of feedback, given the appropriate conditions and supports.
Instructional rubrics have several features that support student learning.
The Historical Fiction Rubric is an example of an instructional rubric designed for use in this research. Like all of the rubrics used, it draws on district, state, and national standards as well as on feedback from colleagues and teachers. It articulates the criteria for the essay, describes levels of quality from excellent to poor, and makes suggestions for avoiding typical writing pitfalls. The expectation was that instructional rubrics, either alone or in combination with a formal process of self-assessment, would have significant effects on students' writing and learning. Before writing a first draft of each essay, students in the treatment classes were given an instructional rubric.