Assessment rubrics from tables
A sample of one I made

Making generic assessment rubrics from tables, a process which I described on a previous page, enabled me to build the assignment-specific grading guide below in a few minutes.

To make this image load faster, I eliminated a few colored rows from the sample sections. I think you can still get a pretty good idea how I put the segments together even without those rows.

A few comments about how I use the rubrics

I give students copies of my assessment rubrics when I give assignments. Then students know what they will be graded on.

To save me time, I have students insert copies of the rubrics into papers they submit electronically. Thirty seconds saved on a paper isn't much, but if you're grading 50 papers, the savings amounts to 25 minutes. Also, students can't say they didn't know the evaluation standards if they have to insert the form into their papers.

I use colors in my rubrics because I color code various kinds of information and activities to make retrieval easier for me. I use a black and white laser printer, so I don't worry about using up colored ink. (The printer is a dozen years old and as long as it works, I'm not getting a color printer!)

I indicate on the assessment rubrics the percentage of total points for each writing component. I can keep the same proportions throughout the year but make each paper worth a larger portion of the students' grades as they gain experience writing.

For example, an early paper might be worth 50 points, while an end-of-course paper might be worth 300. That seems to me to be a fair compromise between maintaining my standards and giving students time to earn a good grade.