Question

"For many standardized tests, scorers are asked to use grading rubrics to score essay sections. Which threat to validity might grading rubrics help reduce?"

Answer 1

A rubric, at its most basic, is a tool to define the expectations of a particular assignment with ways to indicate different levels of effectiveness in meeting those expectations. It is this last aspect, the gradations of quality, that differentiates a rubric from its simpler counterpart, the checklist.

There are four main components of a rubric:

• Task description

• Scale

• Dimensions

• Descriptions of the dimensions

To illustrate, for assessment of the essay section:

• The task description is writing an essay on a particular topic

• The scale is:

  • Excellent,

  • Competent

  • Needs work

• The dimensions of the assignment include:

  • Organization

  • Clarity

  • Argument

  • Grammar

• The descriptions outline what a student needs to do to get a certain score for a certain dimension

It is with these components themselves that we already start to see how a rubric could be clear and helpful or murky and frustrating.

Grading rubrics help reduce bias in grading one particular dimension of the task.