1. Using Rubrics to Teach and Assess Skills Across Disciplines
Catherine C. Saldutti, EduChange, Inc.
Catherine LoMonico, Berkeley-Carroll School

2. What are Cross-Curricular Skills?
Techniques, strategies and routines that students perform in order to learn
They create a framework for processing concepts
When internalized, they may be applied across the curriculum in various contexts
Be sure to distinguish between concepts and skills, defining both.
Types of common skills: writing, reading, graphing, homework, oral presentation

3. Why Collaborate?
Students may get confused if teachers use different strategies or language to define a very similar skills set
Skills may be defined too specifically in each discipline for students to make connections
Students can use the same rubric for a project occurring once per discipline
We need to “zoom out” in order to articulate skills so that they can be useful umbrellas
Skills must be practiced. Sometimes teachers simply cannot conduct several iterations of the same skill even though they calue it. SOultion? Have all teachers in the same team use the same teaching and assessment tools, so that students practice the skill more than once. This also helps space out big presentations and projects so that students are not swamped with several similar but not quite connected projects at the same time of the year (end of the quarter or trimester)

4. Two Types of Skills Rubrics
Graduated Holistic Rubric
Supports developmentally appropriate “leaps” as students approach a grade level benchmark
The same rubric format and language can be used to graduate from quarter to quarter, and from grade level to level
Standards-Based Rubric
Maintains the same standard throughout a course or grade level
Provides the option of assessing only certain criteria in a single assignment
When does it make sense to use which type of rubric?
Writing –Catherine
Graphing--Me

5. Professional Development in Your School
Articulate common skills across disciplines
Benchmark skills from grade level to grade level
Graduate rubrics to attain grade level benchmarks over time, in developmentally appropriate ways
Identify how to teach and practice skills
Develop assessment tools
Collect data to evaluate our pedagogy and assessment tools
Refine the tools to meet new needs or clarify past confusions

6. Contact EduChange: Catherine Saldutti: Catherine@educhange.com
Catherine LoMonico: