Rubrics and Item Analysis

They help instructors by:

• Bringing consistency to grading from student-to-student.
• Saving time with quicker scoring/grading.
• Facilitating feedback to students.
• Clarifying expectations to students.
• When rubric criteria are tied to learning outcomes in a course map, quickly assessing where students are struggling or succeeding in their learning

They help students by:

• Explaining instructor expectations clearly.
• Promoting reflection on the learning process and progress.
• Allowing for timely revision through quick, clear feedback.

• Concrete, measurable criteria.
• Performance descriptors that are both comprehensive and mutually-exclusive (no overlaps).
• Input from colleagues, assessment professionals, and students.

1. Create a table and list the measurable grading criteria in the first column with optional weights.
2. List the range for performance quality in the first row (for example, "Exceeds expectations", "Meets expectations", Approaches expectations, and "Does not meet expectations) with an accompanying points scale.
3. In each box, write descriptors that represent each level of performance.

Item analysis provides statistics on individual test questions which, when tied to learning outcomes, provide direct evidence for student learning.

When exam questions are tied to course learning outcomes in a course map, item analysis helps instructors quickly assess where students are struggling or succeeding in their learning.

Once each item (question) is mapped to a learning outcome, an assessment of learning comes down to merely looking at the aggregate scores on each item or set of items.

Visit the Sample Tools page.

Visit George Washington University or Vanderbilt University to learn about Classroom Assessment Techniques.
Or, visit the Formative Assessment page.