Checklists, rating scales and rubrics are tools 1.

Encourage students to assist with

that state specific criteria and allow teachers constructing appropriate criteria. For
and students to gather information and to example, what are the descriptors that
make judgement about what students know demonstrate levels of performance in
and can do in relation to the outcomes.  They problem solving?
offer systematic ways of collecting data about
specific behaviors, knowledge and skills.  

  1. Ensure that checklists, rating scales

and rubrics are dated to track progress
The quality of information we acquire over time.
through the use of checklists, rating scales
and rubrics is highly dependent on the quality  
of the descriptors we choose for assessment.
Their benefit is also dependent on students’ 1. Leave space to record anecdotal
direct involvement in the assessment and notes or comments.
understanding of the feedback provided.
 
 

Note that the purpose of checklist, rating 1. Use generic templates that become
scales and rubrics is to: familiar to students and to which various
descriptors can be added quickly,
 provide tools for systematic depending on the outcome(s) being
recording of observations assessed.
 provide tools for self-assessment  
 provide samples of criteria for
students prior to collecting and
1. Provide guidance to students to use
evaluating data on their work record the
and create their own checklists, rating
development of specific skills, strategies,
scales and rubrics for self-assessment
attitudes and behaviors necessary for
purposes and as guidelines for goal
demonstrating learning
setting.
 clarify students’ instructional needs
by presenting a record of current  
accomplishments.
So what is the difference between these tools
  and when do we use it?
So what are the TIPS for developing these Checklist is a list of sequential behaviors
tools?  These are: arranged in categories used to determine
whether the child exhibits the behaviors or
1. Use checklists, rating scales and skills listed. Usually it offers a yes/no format in
rubrics in relation to outcomes and relation to student demonstration of specific
standards. criteria.  They may be used to record
observations of an individual, a group or a whole
  class.

1. Use simple formats that can be (9) ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST - YouTube 

understood by students and that will (Links to an external site.)
communicate information    about
student learning to parents.

1. Ensure that the characteristics and

descriptors listed are clear, specific and
observable. What are the advantages of using checklists?  

 
1. Easy to use and update
2. Require little training
3. Available whenever evaluation is 6. Can describe the child’s steps toward
needed understanding or mastery
4. Flexible and can be used with a variety
of assessment strategies  
5. Behaviors can be recorded frequently
What are the disadvantages of using rating
  scales?  

What are the disadvantages of using 1. Highly subjective (rater error and bias
checklists?   are a common problem)
2. Rater may rate a child on the basis of
1. Can be time consuming their previous interactions or on an
2. Teachers find it difficult to adapt emotional rather than objective basis
teaching and evaluation behaviors to 3. Ambiguous terms make them unreliable
include checklists raters: raters are likely to mark
3. If there are too many checklists, the characteristics by using different
teacher can be overwhelmed with interpretations of the ratings  
assessment and record keeping
4. Teachers may not consider assessments  
with checklists as valid measures
How to develop quality rating scales?
5. Checklists do not indicate how well a
child performs
1. Identify the learning outcomes that the
  task is intended to assess
2. Determine what characteristics of the
How to develop quality checklists? learning outcomes are most significant that
are directly observable; and scale clearly
1. Identify each action desired in the define points on the scale
performance. 3. Select the scale that is most appropriate
2. Add actions that are common error (if for the purposes of the assessment
they are useful, limited in number, and 4. Provide between three to seven ratings
clearly stated). to the scale (the number of points will
3. Arrange the desired actions  (and likely depend on how many levels of
errors, if used) in the order they are accomplishment are needed
expected to occur.
4. Provide a simple procedure for  
checking each action as it occurs.
 
 
 Teaching students to use descriptive words,
Rating Scales are used by the teachers to such as always, usually, sometimes and never
indicate the degree or frequency of the helps them pinpoint specific strengths and needs.
behaviours, skills and strategies displayed by Effective rating scales use descriptors with
the learner.  It state the criteria and provide clearly understood measures, such as frequency.
three or four response selections to describe the
 
quality or frequency of student work.
Scales that rely on subjective descriptors of
 
quality, such as fair, good or excellent, are less
What are the advantages of using rating effective because the single adjective does not
scales?   contain enough information on what criteria are
indicated of these points on the scale.
1. Used for behaviors not easily measured  
by other means
2. Quick and easy to complete Rubric use a set of criteria to evaluate a
3. User can apply knowledge about the student’s performance.  They consist of a
child from other times fixed measurement scale and detailed
4. Minimum of training required description of the characteristics for each
5. Easy to design using consistent level of performance.  These descriptions focus
descriptors (e.g., always, sometimes, rarely, on the quality of the product or performance and
or never) not the quantity.  Rubrics are commonly used to
evaluate student performance with the intention allow students to see the progression of mastery
of including the result in a grade for reporting in the development of understanding and skills
purposes.  Rubrics can increase the consistency
and reliability of scoring.  

(9) Rubrics for Assessment - YouTube (Links to To have a good start, we will first define what
quality work looks like based on the learning
outcomes.  We have to use exemplars of
achievement to demonstrate to students what an
excellent or acceptable performance is.  Once we
have established the standard, it is easy for us to
define what exemplary levels and less-than-
an external site.) satisfactory levels of performance look like.  The
best rubrics must have three to five descriptive
  levels to allow for discrimination in the
evaluation of the product or task.
What are the advantages of using rubric?  
 
1. Provide guidelines for quality student
work or performance What to consider when developing a rubric?
2. Flexible: can be designed for many uses
and ability levels  What are the specific outcomes in the
3. Easily modified task?
4. Can be used by both teacher and  Do the students have some experience
student to guide student’s efforts prior to with this or a similar task?
completion of the a task  What does excellent performance look
5. Can be translated into grades and can like?  What are the qualities that distinguish
be used to discuss with parents and students an excellent response from other levels?
 What do other responses along the
 
performance quality continuum look like?
What are the disadvantages of using rubric?    In each description qualitatively
different from the others?  Are there an
1. Some difficulty in determining scoring equal number of descriptors at each level of
criteria quality.  Are the differences clear and
2. Teachers may focus on excessively understandable to students and others?
general or inappropriate scoring criteria  
3. Teachers might us predetermined
criteria, rather than basing scores on So we have to begin by developing criteria to
examples of student work describe the ACCEPTABLE LEVEL.  Then use
4. Teachers might inappropriately focus Bloom’s taxonomy to identify differentiating
on the quantity of characteristics, rather criteria as you move up the scale.  The criteria
than the indicators of quality work should not go beyond the original performance
5. Holistic rubrics might lack validity and task, but reflect higher order thinking skills that
reliability students could demonstrate within the
parameters of the initial task.
 
 
How do we develop rubrics and scoring
criteria? Therefore, when developing the scoring criteria
and quality levels of a rubric, we consider the
  following guidelines.
Rubrics are increasingly recognized as a way to  
both effectively assess student learning and
communicate expectations directly, clearly and
concisely to students.  The inclusion of rubrics in  Level 4 is the Standard of excellence  
a teaching resource provides opportunities to
        Descriptions should indicate that all aspects
consider what demonstrations of learning look
of word exceed grade level expectations and
like, and to describe stages in the development
show exemplary performance or understanding.
and growth of knowledge, understanding and
skills.  To be most effective, rubrics should         This is a “WOW!”
 

 Level 3 is the Approaching standard

of excellence

        Descriptions should indicate some aspects

of work that exceed grade level expectations and
demonstrate solid performance or

        understanding.

        This is a “YES!”

 Level 2 is the Meets acceptable

standard.  

      This level should indicate minimal

competencies acceptable to meet grade
level expectations.  Performance and
understanding are emerging

       or developing but there are some errors and

mastery is not thorough.

        This is a “ON THE RIGHT TRACK,

BUT. . .”.

 Level 1 Does not yet meet acceptable

standard.

        This level indicates what is not adequate for

grade level expectations and indicates that the
student has serious errors, omissions or

        misconceptions.  

        This is a “NO, BUT . . .”

        The teacher needs to make decisions about

appropriate intervention to help the
student improve