Advantages of Rubrics

Many experts believe that rubrics improve students' end products and therefore increase learning. When teachers evaluate papers or projects, they know implicitly what makes a good final product and why. When students receive rubrics beforehand, they understand how they will be evaluated and can prepare accordingly. Developing a grid and making it available as a tool for students' use will provide the scaffolding necessary to improve the quality of their work and increase their knowledge.

Rubrics offer several advantages. 

• Rubrics improve student performance by clearly showing the student how their work will be evaluated and what is expected.

• Rubrics help students become better judges of the quality of their own work.

• Rubrics allow assessment to be more objective and consistent.

• Rubrics force the teacher to clarify his/her criteria in specific terms.

• Rubrics reduce the amount of time teachers spend evaluating student work.

• Rubrics promote student awareness about the criteria to use in assessing peer performance.

• Rubrics provide useful feedback to the teacher regarding the effectiveness of the instruction.

• Rubrics provide students with more informative feedback about their strengths and areas in need of improvement.

• Rubrics accommodate heterogeneous classes by offering a range of quality levels.

• Rubrics are easy to use and easy to explain.