1. Creating Dynamic Rubrics

2. Creating Dynamic Rubrics
Objectives:
Discuss how to write standards-based rubrics
Identify strategies for teaching students to use rubrics to guide their work

3. Need to Knows?

4. Overview Rubric should assess the Final Product of the Project.
Assess smaller assignments within the project by using other means.
Rubric should be given early in the project.
Rubric should be connected to standards, so that strong performance on final product corresponds to student mastery of standards.
--Many rubrics attempt to assess students as opposed to the product—this makes it difficult to hold students to an industry standard final product and also makes it challenging to involve community in the assessment. Someone who is not a teacher should be able to assess the product based on its quality.
--The smaller assignments within the projects that we often refer to as “scaffolding” should be tied directly into the final product in some way. The rubric is the guideline for this scaffolding and the smaller assignments may not be used as a formal or summative assessment but should be considered formative assessment working towards the rubric (more on this later during the scaffolding workshop)
--The rubric doesn’t have to be handed out the FIRST day of the project but should be developed and ready to go by the time the project is rolled out. Like everything else the teacher should work to create a NTK for the rubric to prompt students to ask for the criteria.
--We strongly suggest that you include the standards on the rubric on the far left-hand side where the criteria is listed so that students, parents, administrators, and district personnel can see the correlation between the final product and the content standards. Listing the standards can also help you as a teacher make sure you are aligning the criteria of the product and the state standards.

5. 4 Steps to Creating Your Assessment
Identify the standards and objectives students will learn in the project
Align the final product of the project to the standards
Identify the criteria for the final product
Write the rubric

6. 1. Identifying Standards You Will Assess
How much time you will spend on each standard for this course? (curriculum mapping guide)
What standards will you include?
Example :
6. Stability in an ecosystem is a balance between competing effects.
a. Students know bio diversity is the sum total of different kinds of organisms and is affected by alterations of habitats.
Most teachers in any environment, traditional, PBL, or otherwise cannot “cover” all standards required. A curriculum map outlining how much time teachers anticipate spending on each key standard can help as you prepare for your project—if you would only spend 1-2 days in a traditional environment, you probably don’t want to spend 2 weeks on that one objective. Once you have identified the standard(s) for the project and approximately how much time you would spend, then you move on to the next step.

7. 2. Align the Final Product with the Standard
WHO might need to have this knowledge?
WHY might they need this information?
What might this person DO with this knowledge?
SAMPLE:
Analyze the effects of the Industrial Revolution on England, the United States, Japan, etc.
-Environmentalist
To identify the effects of industrialism on a developing nation
Create ways to prevent the negative effects of industrialism, share with government or people these effects
- Economist
To make current market predictions according to previous trends
Share the information with stockholders or businessmen looking to do business in industrializing nations
- Politician
To make political arguments for or against international tariffs or ethical labor laws
Create a bill or modify voting, work on a committee or push an issue with other politicians
Organisms have a variety of mechanisms to combat disease (human immune response).
- Doctor
To diagnose patients and share information with patients about their diseases
Inform patients or share knowledge with other doctors
- Drug company, marketing department
To understand how their product can effect people
Explain to doctors or clinics how this drug can help patients in a pamphlet or other written work (drug rep could verbally share this information with potential clients as well)
- Center for Infectious diseases, military specialist, or other government representative
To understand what the potential dangers are of disease on the health of the nation
Create an information packet or pamphlet about dangers of germ warfare or other publication
YOUR STANDARD HERE:
Standard
Student role
Scenario
Product
Breaking down your standard can help you make sure you align your project idea with the standards and keep it authentic as well. This is an example of the steps you might take to make sure you are aligned Identify what your standard is you want to address Ask yourself who cares? Who in the real world might actually need to have this knowledge? That helps you identify the student role for the project Ask yourself WHY this individual might need the information—what scenarios would require them to have the information and the scenarios your brainstorm become the context for the project. Once the person has the knowledge, what might they actually DO with that information—that is what becomes the final product. Walking through these questions can make sure you align the standards, the student role, the scenario, and the final product to make sense for the student as well as for you as the teacher.

8. 3. Identify the Criteria for the Project
DO the project yourself (or at least walk through the steps of the project)
Visualize what the students will need to complete
Decide what is most important in the project vs. “busy work”
Determine what sources are available and needed for this project
Look at your sample and create a list of “essentials” that must be included to meet the standards and the driving question of your project (higher order thinking is reflected in final product)
Once you have aligned all pieces of the project, then you may consider doing the final product yourself as if you were a student in the class. Looking at the completed project helps you to determine what you really want and visualize what that looks like in its complete form. Once you have completed the sample, you can create a list of “essentials” that must be included and you can use that list to write your rubric.

9. Identify the Criteria for the Project (continued)
Look at your sample and highlight the items from your checklist of essentials: Example-->
Redo the sample as necessary to add further information or reflect skills from the standards or incorporate further higher order thinking

10. 4. Turning the Criteria Into Your Rubric
Start with the proficient section and list the items from your “essentials list”
Proficient
Narrative includes a overall thesis about the uniqueness of the student interviewed
Narrative includes information in a logical, sequential order
Information included has clear significance and/or relevance to the thesis
Incidents mentioned have clear description of setting
Narrative includes sensory detail and feelings of the interviewee.
When you begin the actual writing of the rubric, start with the proficient section—what does EVERY student need to know and be able to do to pass this project? What are the core elements of the project that you expect of everyone. Starting with proficient helps you set the bare minimum and then you can branch out to the advanced or the unsatisfactory columns.

11. Write More Objective Statements (that don’t look like these)
Writing the rubric
Write More Objective Statements
(that don’t look like these)
Graphics are displayed Creatively
Writing is enthusiastic and written in a fluid manner
Introduction uses an engaging strategy
Description goes ABOVE AND BEYOND in its description of the history of the event
Description includes many relevant facts or details.
Write a rubric that doesn’t require you as the teacher to assess the product—is it objective enough to give to a complete stranger and have them understand the criteria?

12. Higher Order Thinking in Your Rubric
Higher order thinking should be imbedded in the proficient and advanced column—the phrases in this rubric cheat sheet can help you insure that your students have the opportunity to strive for higher order thinking in every project. The rubric is your best tool for driving differentiated instruction and workshops if you design it correctly.

13. At first, the Students won’t read the rubric unless you support them
Getting Students to USE the Rubric
At first, the Students won’t read the rubric unless you support them
Ideas on getting the students to use the rubric:
Journal Prompts:
In the Proficient column of the Science content rubric for this project what does it mean when it says “___________________.”
The rubric for this project required you to describe the history of the event, the demography of the area, and the physical geography of the environment. Which of these have you currently completed? In the space below summarize each of the three in 1-2 sentences each.
Read through the rubric: Describe three things that you have to do in order to receive a “B” in the Math Content.
Using the journal is one way to push students to look at the rubric.

14. Reference the Rubric throughout the project
How can I get the students use the rubric to guide their work?
Reference the Rubric throughout the project

15. How can I get the students use the rubric to guide their work?
Peer Editing
Using peer edits, graphic organizers, and other visual tools can help students at they delve into the rubric. If you don’t build scaffolding support, the majority of students will not be able to meet the criteria.

16. Other Strategies???

17. Next steps
Work with your team teacher or another thought partner to create your list of “essentials” that will be placed into your rubric