|
A rubric is a marking system used by many teachers. It is a chart composed of criteria for evaluation and levels of fulfillment of those criteria. A rubric allows for standardized evaluation according to specified criteria, making grading simpler and more transparent.
Ontario
The rubric used in Ontario is a chart with five columns. The first defines the category that is being evaluated, and the other four show levels 1 through 4. Level 4 is 80%-100%. The system is used more or less throughout high schools in Ontario.
The rows are typically broken into four strands: Knowledge/understanding, Thinking/inquiry, application, and communication. Rubrics are usually only used if the school uses these four strands for marking, as it can cause unnecessary confusion otherwise. Rubrics provide a good breakdown of these four strands, but it may seem to some that each strand is weighed evenly, when in reality, they are typically not; ergo, while a student may have recieved a low mark in only one of the rows, this can lead to a dramatic decrease in their grade if that strand is weighted heavier than the others. Similarily, if one recieves a low mark in a strand that is not weighed heavily, it can have little effect on their mark.
Problems
One problem with rubrics is that each level of fulfillment encompasses a wide range of marks. For example, if two students both recieve a 'level four' mark on the Ontario system, one might recieve an 80% while the other recieves 100%.
In addition, a small change in rubric evaluation caused by a small mistake may lead to an unnecessarily large change in numerical grade. Both of these problems may be addressed by the use of finer gradations in rubric evaluations.
|
