Using rubrics as a marking tool Using rubrics

Using rubrics as a marking tool Using rubrics as a learning and teaching tool

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

What makes us change?

Mark allocations Assessment criteria – Ideas Mechanical skills

A complaint letter The topic sentences did not present in their writing.

A complaint letter What kind of pollution do people cause?

A complaint letter No paragraphing!

A complaint letter The closing sentence is missing.

A complaint letter The closing sentence is not appropriate.

A complaint letter The performance of less able classes Full of grammatical and spelling mistakes. Cannot organize the writing well.

What happened to our students? Not enough support? Students’ learning differences? What do the teachers want? Learning Teaching Assessment

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, 1999; Cooper & Odell, 1999; White, 1994; White, 2000).

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.

Writing program Period: January, 2008 No. of lessons: 8 -10 lessons Students information: Group 1 (6 A + 6 B) Able classes Group 2 (6 C+6 D+6 E) Less able classes Writing task: Group 1 (Narrative writing – A special person) Group 2 (Expository writing – A complaint letter)

Implementation Plan A) 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 prewriting activity.

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

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 1 st 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.

Implementation Plan Day 3 3. 1 Revise the criteria listed on the rubrics with the class. 3. 2 Students start their 1 st draft writing.

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.

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 student’s 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.

Students’ works A special person

The special people chosen by 6 A students Mother Teresa Sang Lan Yao Ming Liu Xiang Stephen Hawking Donald Tsang Pele Kam Yung Li Ka Shing Bill Gates

Assessment rubrics – A special person

The performance of the able student Special Event Concluding sentences

The performance of the average student Opening sentence Concluding sentences

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. Li school in China and he always Ka Sing is a rich businessman. give to the poor He the hasmoney more than one hundred people. schools money trillion. The dollars. His and money is can help many who live He number 10 in children the whole world, in earns China. more than 10 million dollars a day.

The performance of the average student Self reflection on organizing ideas

The performance of the less able student Topic sentence vs. supporting sentences

The performance of the less able student Using the common language to help student right better

Students’ performance – Less able classes

Survey findings

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 didn’t know what the focuses were when I wrote. I think that rubrics do not help much because I don’t have a good understanding of what the criteria mean. They are too difficult.

Interviewing with the students II am afraid may rely on the rubrics. I IIcan make use of the rubrics to havethat the Iself-checking after do not agree with you. think we not perform well without having the rubrics finishing writing task. Also I can give more concrete can studythe thoroughly andmay Iwe amare sitting forpeer the examination. opinions to my when having editing. In Also, I remember theclassmates criteria ofwhen getting amfor notto sure if every secondary school the I only paidsitting attention spelling and punctuation duringuses highpast, marks before the rubrics. peer editing. 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.

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.

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.

In the second term, we are going to… Design the writing package for each writing task that includes: a) Teacher’s guidelines b) Writing sample to illustrate the features of different genres. c) Assessment rubrics d) Student’s writing task

Thank you!