Implementation of Rubrics and their effect on grading and motivation

The use of rubrics in grading practice is something that has been the standard through all levels of my personal education. Rubrics help teachers with data collection and allow students to have a better understanding of the teacher’s expectations. When curriculum planning takes place, it is necessary that students are held to high expectations through rigor and standards-based instruction. “Data needs to be collected efficiently and accurately to guide teachers’ decisions in the classroom… Rubrics can be used to the benefit of students and teachers. Rubrics are a way to provide feedback and grades to students”. (Winterscheid, 2016) If the instruction is provided with the standards in mind and the students are made aware of the steps they must take to succeed, then both the educator and the learner may benefit from the use of rubrics.

It is first necessary to “Identify the proficient first level”. (Goodwin & Hubbell, n.d.) Building to or from this proficiency is difficult for students if the level has not been identified. Goodwin explains techniques in which rubrics can be used to foster motivation such as reserving the use of a “zero” grade for instances where there is not enough evidence to make evaluation because it promotes less the sense of finality and can encourage students to continue to strive for success. Through my time observing during my degree program, a professor made use of the phrase “Success builds upon Success” numerous times. Item three from the Goodwin’s 12 Touchstones, though through the discussion on rubric use/disclosure, seems to be pushing toward that phrase.

Measuring understanding against high expectations, item four in Goodwin’s 12 Touchstones, discusses the various ways that teacher and standardized test-collected data cited an increase in student achievement and possible grade inflation. “These days, it’s hard to find anyone who does not profess to hold high expectations for all students. [However, data suggests that] espoused standards aren’t reflected in classroom grading”. The value of the high grade seems to be in question, and the possible lowering of standards is used “... to prop up students’ self esteem or to avoid conflict… teachers’ grading practices may be setting a low bar for students.” (Goodwin & Hubbell, n.d.)

I know this is taking place because I am guilty of it in my music classroom. The students enroll in my class by choice and we are under a certain amount of pressure to maintain enrollment. Sticking tightly to standards has a way of applying pressure in the classroom, especially in our case where there are only three possible grades: proficient, progressing, and needs improvement. If we were able to give numerical grades, it would be easier to quantify the achievement of the students. I am guilty of lowering the bar for proficient ratings because music performance is also certainly unique in the way that students can easily excel in one area while being below standard in another. It is seemingly common in modern music education to lower the bar and find ways to ensure that every student can contribute in some way, regardless of their proficiency level.

As the years have progressed, I have placed increasing emphasis on holding my students to the standards for music set by the state of Massachusetts. It certainly speaks to my current situation that what I am really trying to help my student learn is more of a personality trait that Goodwin refers to in an article from September of 2013: “Twenty-five years of research has shown that giving students challenging goals encourages greater effort and persistence than providing moderate, “do-your-best” goals or no goals at all. However, simply setting a high bar is inadequate. Students also need the will to achieve goals … and turn failure into success through their own efforts”. (Goodwin & Miller 2013)

The personality trait he is referring to is “grit”. I believe that teachers often refer to this as resiliency but this also speaks to a sort of “mental toughness”; the ability to fall five times and get up six times. Earlier, I discussed the technique of instilling motivation within students through use of the rubric. If rubrics are used properly, they stand to provide clearer expectations in the classroom but they can also allow for low expectations if not used in a rigorous, standards based method. Providing instruction geared toward gaining proficient levels within the standards is necessary to ensure that the students benefit as well as allowing teachers cleaner and more efficient data collection.

Resources

Winterscheid, S. L. (2016). Rubrics: Effectiveness of Feedback. https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3981&context=theses

Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (n.d.). The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching. Retrieved from https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/578098/sp/176919567/mi/566607823?cfi=%2F4%2F4&menu=table-of-contents

Goodwin, B. & Miller, K. (2013, September). Grit + Talent = Student Success. Educational Leadership. https://knilt.arcc.albany.edu/images/2/29/Grit.pdf