Assessment in the Mathematics Classroom >

Interpreting Evidence of Learning

Rubrics are an effective way to describe the qualities of a product to provide evidence of learning. There are two types of rubrics that are particularly effective for classroom assessment: generic rubrics and analytic trait rubrics.

The format of a rubric can be daunting for a young student. Reformatting it into a “dart board shape (bull's eye)” and rewording the rubric in “kid-friendly language” goes a long way in inviting students into the assessment process. A sample of such a rubric can be found in Suggestions for Using Rubrics with Young Children.

Rubric elements
Whether the rubric is generic or outcome specific, it will have three main elements: features of understanding, levels of understanding and descriptors of understanding. These three elements together form the criteria for the learning tasks.