D EVELOPING ASSESSMENT RUBRICS Ai Vu, Science Coordinator Integrated Middle School Science Partnership Alameda County Office of Education Materials from this session available on the IMSS Partnership Web site.

Outcomes for CER Strand Develop and utilize a simple rubric Identify strategies to respond to student’s work Explore resources for developing FA and rubrics

Purpose Directs Rubric What was the purpose of the assessment? 1.Diagnostic: Identifies and analyzes what students already know and their line of reasoning – their current understanding as well as their misconceptions 2.Formative: Provides teachers and students with feedback about student learning without concerns about grading. It’s only formative if it is used to inform instruction. 3.Summative: Measures and documents how well students have achieved a learning target. *NOTE: Diagnostic becomes formative when the assessment data is used to inform instruction.

SAIL Model In your Science Formative Assessment book, please turn to page 21. Familiarize yourself with the definitions of the 6 stages of the SAIL model [Science, Assessment, Instruction, and Learning Cycle.]

SAIL Model On page 22-23, read about 1 stage that relates to a part of your lesson study that needs a formative assessment. Consider the connections to learning for that stage. On page 42-44, choose a category that and find 2-3 formative assessment that you’d like your groups to consider for your lesson study.

Why do you need a rubric? (alone, pair, group)

Rubric vs Scoring Guide  A RUBRIC is an established set of generic criteria for scoring or rating students’ tests, portfolios, or performances.  A SCORING GUIDE is a specific set of criteria for a particular assignment/assessment. Scoring guides generally have assigned point value and most often used for summative assessment. -Holistic Scoring- All items on a task are scored as a whole -Analytic- Each item on a task is scored individually -Component- Similar items on a task are grouped and scored together

Rubric or Scoring Guide

Rubric or scoring guide

A Rubric and Scoring Guide Describes the levels of performance student is expected to attain relative to a desired standard of achievement. Includes descriptors, or performance descriptions, which tell the evaluator what characteristics or signs to look for in a student’s work and how to place that work on a predetermined scale. Rubrics and Scoring Guides are often supplemented by BENCHMARKS, or performance samples (i.e., anchor papers) that serve as a concrete standard against which other samples may be judged.

Structure of a Rubric Components of Task Description of Dimension (Based on Introduction to Rubrics: An Assessment Tool to Save Grading Time, Convey Effective Feedback, and Promote Student Learning by Stevens and Levi 2005; Assessing Academic Programs in Higher Education by Allen 2004; and Learner-Centered Assessment on College Campuses: shifting the focus from teaching to learning by Huba and Freed 2000)

Rubric Development Determine learning outcomes Keep it short and simple (Include items; use brief statements or phrases) Each rubric item should focus on a different skill Focus on how students develop and express their learning Evaluate only measureable criteria Ideally, the entire rubric should fit on one sheet of paper Reevaluate the rubric (Did it work? Was it sufficiently detailed?) Adapted from San Diego State University

Four-Point A Four-Point Rubric or Scoring Guide: Levels of Mastery 4 = Exemplary response (Exceeds the standard) 3 = Good response (Meets the standard) 2 = Inadequate response (Below standard) 1 = Poor response (Does not meet standard)

Steps of Rubric Development STEP 1: Clarify task/performance expectations. STEP 2: Identify the characteristics of student performances. What is it that students are supposed to demonstrate (skills, knowledge, behaviors, etc.)? [components/dimensions] STEP 3: Identify how many mastery levels are needed for each performance component/dimension. Decide what score should be allocated for each level. [scale] STEP 4: Describe performance characteristics of each component/dimension for each mastery level. [performance descriptor] STEP 5: Pilot-test the rubric with a few sample papers and/or get feedback from your colleagues (and students) on the rubric. Revise the rubric. See more at:

Let’s Develop a Rubric Get in groups of 4-5 people that you haven’t talked to this week. The task is the response after the lab activity (revisit the probe- line of learning) Decide on 2-3 dimensions as group and 4 pt. descriptors for each dimension.

Test pilot rubric on Student work Divide the student work among the your group. Using the rubric your team developed, sort the student work into 4-pt piles. After all student work is sorted, have each person read through one pile. Select your anchor paper from each pile and put on top sideways. Share out the trends they notice. Have everyone read the anchor paper and make a consensus.

Reflecting on student work Were there papers that didn’t “fit” into the categories? If so, how did your group deal with them. Were there instances when your group modified the rubric? When? Why? Were there instances when your group discuss modifying the task (probe)? When? Why?

Discuss in your group: How do the results looking at student work inform classroom instruction? What instructional strategies could help the Low students understand the concepts better? What instructional strategies could lead Medium students to a more complete conceptual understanding? What instructional strategies could help challenge the High students?

Student Feedback a. The goals of the lesson – which must be clear to the student b. The student must begin to understand their level of understanding with respect to the goal c. Feedback is necessary for the student to understand the reasons for progress (or lack of it)

Student Feedback d. Feedback should help the student understand what must be done to improve e. The student must be able to use your feedback and take action f. The student must participate in their own assessment * It is active: NOT passive!

What types of the strategies for Student Feedback? Self-Assessment: “Evidence and Plan”

Think - Pair - Share What insights have you gained from today’s protocol? What modifications might you make to your own future practice? –Individual writing (3 min) –Discuss with one ‘elbow partner’ (2 min) –Whole group discussion (5 min)

Resources Intel Teach Program ents/assessing-projects/strategies/demonstrating-understanding-rubrics- scoring-guides.pdf Protocols for looking at student work by North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership

Science and Engineering Practices Which Science Practices did we use? 1.Asking questions and defining problems. 2.Developing and using models. 3.Planning and carrying out investigations. 4.Analyzing and interpreting data. 5.Using mathematics, information and computer technology, and computational thinking. 6.Constructing explanations and designing solutions. 7.Engaging in argument from evidence. 8.Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.

25 Thank You! Materials from this session available on the