They do it. Lewin's letter-writing task illustrates what the shift to rubrics entails. Before his students wrote their letters to the Spanish king and queen, Lewin discussed with them the characteristics of an excellent persuasive letter. Together they brainstormed specific criteria by which the letters would be evaluated. Getting the criteria right is not necessarily easy.
Writing is important, but historians can reveal their understanding in many ways.
Three Kinds of Criteria Basing assessment on explicit criteria may help demystify the assessment process for students. For teachers, however, such an approach may not be as straightforward as it first appears. When teachers use a criteria-based approach, they need to use a variety of criteria to be fair, says Thomas Guskey of the University of Kentucky, editor of ASCD's 1996 Yearbook, Communicating Student Learning. Process criteria are used to assess elements such as effort, homework, and class participation. Another troubling consequence of standards-based assessment is students' potential failure.