Using rubrics

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Using rubrics as a marking tool
Using rubrics as a learning and teaching tool
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Problems we faced

• School Examinations
• ?The rubrics that we designed to assess students
  papers did not work.
• ?The performance of the students ?the expectation
  of the teachers

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What makes us change?
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Mark allocations
Assessment criteria Ideas
Mechanical skills
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A complaint letter
The topic sentences did not present in their
writing.
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A complaint letter
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A complaint letter
No paragraphing!
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A complaint letter
No paragraphing!
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A complaint letter
The closing sentence is missing.
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A complaint letter
The closing sentence is not appropriate.
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A complaint letter - The performance of less
able classes
? Full of grammatical and spelling mistakes. ?
Cannot organize the writing well.
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A complaint letter - The performance of less
able classes
? Full of grammatical and spelling mistakes. ?
Cannot organize the writing well.
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What happened to our students?
Students learning differences?
Not enough support?
What do the teachers want?
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Teachers Belief

• Rubrics have the potential to
• scaffold students writing.
• Rubrics can be a learning tool more
• than just an assessment tool.

Having students engage in a process of ongoing
evaluation that provides precise and detailed
information about what is expected for a
particular assignment, as well as guidance on how
students can improve their writing on that
assignment (Cooper,1999Cooper
Odell,1999White,1994 White, 2000).
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Rubrics as learning tools

• Applying writing and assessment rubrics in the
  learning tasks.
• ?Backward mapping content and context input and
  language input.
• ?Criteria for marking and assessment.

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Writing program

• ? Period January, 2008
• ? No. of lessons 8-10 lessons
• ? Students information
• Group 1 (6A 6B) Able classes
• Group 2 (6C6D6E) Less able classes
• Writing task
• Group 1 (Narrative writing A special person)
• Group 2 (Expository writing A complaint letter)

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Implementation Plan

• For able classes
• Day 1
• 1.1 Use the articles from the textbooks to
• illustrate the ideas of topic
  sentences(s),
• supporting sentence(s) and concluding
• sentence(s).
• 1.2 Provide more reading materials and
• demonstrate the use of the graphic
  organizer.
• 1.3 Students work in groups and finish the pre-
• writing activity.

• For able classes
• Day 1
• 1.1 Use the articles from the textbooks to
• illustrate the ideas of topic
  sentences(s),
• supporting sentence(s) and concluding
• sentence(s).
• 1.2 Provide more reading materials and
• demonstrate the use of the graphic
  organizer.
• 1.3 Students work in groups and finish the pre-
• writing activity.

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Identifying key parts of a text
Identifying topic sentences and details
Building up cohesive text with topic sentences
and support details
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Implementation Plan

• Day 2
• 2.1 Help students build up the concept of the
  
• relationship among topic sentences,
• supporting sentences and concluding
  sentences.
• 2.2 Introduce the rubrics and explain the
  criteria to
• the class (the 1st time) .
• 2.3 The first tryout on using rubrics to assess
  a piece
• of writing.
• 2.4 Generate the grading from each group and
  have a
• debriefing activity with the class.

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Implementation Plan
Day 3 3.1 Revise the criteria listed on the
rubrics with the class. 3.2 Students start their
1st draft writing.
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Implementation Plan

• Day 4
• 4.1 Demonstrate how to assess students writing
  by
• using rubrics.
• 4.2 Students work in groups and try to highlight
  the
• topic sentence(s), supporting sentence(s)
  and
• concluding sentence(s).
• 4.3 Discuss with the children about the
  appropriateness
• of those sentences.
• 4.4 Students work individually and do the peer
  editing
• according to the criteria mentioned.
• 4.5 Collect students perception on using
  rubrics during
• their writing process.

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Implementation Plan

• Day 5
• 5.1 Revise the criteria listed on the rubrics
  with
• the students again.
• 5.2 Work with the whole class in order to use
  rubrics to
• assess the students writing.
• 5.3 After analyzing the writing with the
  students,
• students grade their own writing.
• 5.4 Students do the self-regulation /
  self-evaluation on
• their writing.
• 5.5 Conduct the students questionnaires.

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Students works

• A special person

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The special people chosen by 6A students
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Assessment rubrics A special person
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The performance of the able student
Special Event
Concluding sentences
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The performance of the average student
Opening sentence
Concluding sentences
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The performance of the average student
Although he has a lot of money, he is not
selfish. He is so rich and generous. He has built
a lot of school in China and he always give the
money to the poor people. The schools and money
can help many children who live in China.
Li Ka Sing is a rich businessman. He has more
than one hundred trillion dollars. His money is
number 10 in the whole world, He earns more than
10 million dollars a day.
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The performance of the average student
Self reflection on organizing ideas
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The performance of the less able student
Topic sentence vs. supporting sentences
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The performance of the less able student
Using the common language to help student right
better
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Students performance Less able classes
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Students performance Less able classes
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Survey findings
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(No Transcript)
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Interviewing with the students
I think that rubrics are really helpful because
I only need to read the rubrics to know the
requirements before writing. Then, I just follow
them to write and I can get satisfactory results
at last. Comparing it to the time in Primary 5
when there were no rubrics, I got lost sometimes
and I didnt know what the focuses were when I
wrote.
I think that rubrics do not help much because I
dont have a good understanding of what the
criteria mean. They are too difficult.
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Interviewing with the students
I am afraid that I may rely on the rubrics. I
may not perform well without having the rubrics
when I am sitting for the examination. Also, I
am not sure if every secondary school uses
rubrics.
I can make use of the rubrics to have the
self-checking after finishing the writing task.
Also I can give more concrete opinions to my
classmates when we are having peer editing. In
the past, I only paid attention to spelling and
punctuation during peer editing.
I do not agree with you. I think we can study
thoroughly and remember the criteria of getting
high marks before sitting for the examination.
I think that rubrics does not help me much
since there is not much difference between now
and before. I think that I have already been
able to finish a writing task in the way that
rubrics teach.
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Teachers reflections

• ?The questionnaires indicate that simply handing
  out and explaining the rubrics can help students
  understand what are expected of them in the
  writing, but translating the knowledge into
  actual writing is very demanding.
• ?The details on the rubrics will motivate the
  students to pay close attention to specific
  requirements for the task.
• ?It is advisable to reduce the number of criteria
  of rubrics, especially for the less able
  students.

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Teachers reflections

• ?Many students find the language of some rubrics
  too difficult to understand. There are many
  jargons. In practice, teachers should adapt
  the rubrics to the proficiency level of the age
  group they're working with. The sentence pattern
  / vocabulary used on the rubrics should be more
  comprehensive and student friendly.
• ?Students lack the skills in doing the peer
  editing and self-regulating. It is worth crating
  more opportunities for practice.

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In the second term, we are going to

• Design the writing package for each
• writing task that includes
• Teachers guidelines
• Writing sample to illustrate the features of
  different genres.
• Assessment rubrics
• Students writing task

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Thank you!