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Rubric

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A rubric is a scoring guide that describes several levels of quality for each part of a task, so work can be scored consistently.

Topic: Measurement and data collection

In plain terms

Rubrics are useful when an answer is not simply right or wrong, such as a paragraph, an oral presentation or a conversation. Each row is a trait, like organization or use of evidence, and each column is a level, often 1 to 4, with a description of what work at that level looks like. Clear descriptions make scores more reliable across raters.

How it shows up in an IEP

Rubric goals should name the rubric and the score: "will score 3 or higher on each row of a 4-point paragraph rubric on 3 of 4 writing samples." Keep the same rubric all year, or progress cannot be compared.

Example

Related terms

  • Work sample (permanent product)A work sample is a lasting product of a student's work, such as a writing piece or completed worksheet, that can be scored after the task is done.
  • Written expressionWritten expression is the ability to communicate ideas in writing, including planning, organizing, writing sentences and revising.
  • Constructed responseA constructed response is a question students answer in their own words, such as a short written explanation, rather than choosing from options.
  • CriterionThe criterion in an IEP goal is the level of performance that counts as success, such as 80% accuracy, 60 words per minute, or 4 of 5 opportunities.

On IEP Atlas

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