Once determined, the design principles may be addressed by paying attention to the indicators and suggestions listed vertically in the column beneath the selected heading. They are thin columns drawn between the vertical columns. When used in a rubric, the skinny columns allow a teacher to honor a student's improvement from an initial review to subsequent reviews when the improvement was not adequate to advance the student to the next level of competency. It was invented to encourage students ranking at the highest proficiency to continue to look for ways to make their work outstanding. It has no indicators listed.
Rubrics are like training wheels to a learner.
If used effectively, rubrics develop a strong sense of student ownership in their achievement. Therefore, you may use these materials freely, as is, if you are a full-time teacher or administrator for work within a school district. For all other uses, in part or whole, permission must be granted by the author.