The best assessment
rubrics are ones that fit your class assignments precisely.
Such writing rubrics make grading papers faster. They focus your
attention on grading writing so you are less likely to be distracted
by revising, correcting, or editing — tasks that students
should do.
The persuasive
essay rubric shows how creating rubrics from tables lets me
customize my grading guide so it aligns with the objectives toward
which I teach.
I use colors in my rubrics because I color code various
kinds of information and activities to make retrieval easier for
me. 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.
Section 1, above the yellow strip, is for identifying
the student and assignment. I have students complete this part
to save me time.
Section 2, which begins with the yellow strip,
shows what I look for in the paper's content, including the organization
and presentation. This persuasive essay rubric allots 70% of the
essay's value to the content.
Section 3 is where I record the writing mechanics
items that I use as "counts off" items for a class or
student. Whenever possible, I have an IEP
for each student's writing mechanics problems. In this persuasive
essay rubric, you will see listed just three items. The student
was allowed to have a total of three of those errors in the essay
and still earn full points for mechanics.
Section 4 is the section where I focus on writing style.
Since writing style is a fairly abstract term, I specify three
specific stylistic devices that even novice writers can understand
and attempt to use.
A comments section at the end is where I look at the writing
as a whole. It's a place to note the student's progress as a writer,
give praise, and make suggestions
for subsequent assignments.
How I use the persuasive essay rubric
I use the rubric as a guide not only for what to look for
in a paper, but for what I should ignore. My inclination
is to mark every error. Such thoroughness merely discourages students.
I do a far better job of teaching writing (with less hassle)
if I concentrate on a few problem areas at a time and make sure
students learn how to deal with those few problems. When I find
a problem in the paper, I highlight the description on the rubric.
The little comment boxes to the right of the descriptions are
just big enough for a note like "great intro" or "see
¶ 3." I try to avoid spending too much time on errors.
It's more important to offer suggestions on avoiding errors.
