Module 6
Assessing Intended Outcomes

Use of Rubrics for Assessment: A Catholic Origin

The word "rubric" is derived from the Latin word "rubrica" which in the middle ages signified the red earth used by carpenters to mark on wood the line to follow in cutting it. Another origin of the word can be traced to scribes who would write in red the instructions for church service books, missals, etc. They would also write in red the actions to be performed by the priest during a service, as opposed to the actual words he must say (which were written in black). The words written in red were the "stage instructions", while the words in black were the "script". Later, headings of chapters, sections or other divisions in a book such as lines separating text, were also printed in red. Soon the red colour, which at first was used exclusively for writing the titles, was also used as indicators or descriptors on the written page. For additional information on the origin of the word rubric, click on CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Rubrics.

The modern day use of rubrics is grounded in Catholic historical tradition. The use of rubrics is still used in liturgical collections to distinguish between the formula of the prayers and the instructions that regulate their recitation. In the Catholic tradition, the word rubric has become the consecrated term for the rules and instructions concerning liturgical service.

While the details may differ regarding the exact origin of the word "rubric", the one common element is the use of red ink to mark or signify something of importance. In the educational sense, rubrics are still markers of things that are important. Rubrics are the headings that teachers use for evaluation, such as "Reading Comprehension" under which you might place the various "criteria" like inferencing, recognizing the main idea, vocabulary, etc. Rubrics also contain "assessment descriptors", which are often words or phrases printed on a grid according to a scale, which indicate concrete examples or telltale signs of what to look for at each "level" of the performance.

Today, we maintain the spirit of the original meaning of rubric since the term still refers to a general rule or guide for judging something of importance. More specifically, a scoring rubric consists of a fixed scale and a list of the characteristics for describing performance for each of the score points on the scale. Since rubrics describe levels of performance, they provide important information to teachers, parents and others interested in what students know and are able to do. Perhaps most importantly, rubrics provide a clear statement to students, teachers and parents on what is considered important and worth learning, even before the learning has occurred.

Rubrics: A Companion Tool For Multiple Intelligences

A truly Catholic philosophy of assessment is less concerned about showing students how smart they are, and more concerned about showing how they are smart.

In an online article on multiple intelligences, Father Ronald Nuzzi (1997) writes: "once educators incorporate multiple intelligence strategies into the teaching repertoire, it becomes important to rethink the approach to assessment." Rubrics present teachers with wonderful opportunities to incorporate a Catholic view of assessment. Rubrics allow teachers to individually assess students in all areas of intelligence, and to develop their specific talents, or as the disciple, Paul would put it, their specific "gifts of the spirit", which of course differs for every student.

While experts like Gardner (1983), Jones (1997) and Nuzzi (1997) would not deny the need to educate children in all the areas of intelligence, they recognize that it is more important to discover where a particular student's intelligence lies and developing that, rather than spending excessive amounts of time and effort trying to eradicate so-called weaknesses. Paul shows us how our gifts are unique and different for each person, therefore, it would not be good Catholic pedagogy to focus on intelligences where a particular student is not likely to reach a so called "standard" or "norm". While Catholic educators today recognize the need to remediate areas of student weakness, such efforts should not be made at the expense of developing and celebrating each and every child's gifts.

Like the great disciple Paul, Gardner [also] takes human differences seriously…. Gardner refuted the long-standing convention that intelligence is a static reality, fixed at birth and measurable through standardized testing. . . . Consequently, the use of rubrics - defined standards to which students' work is compared - is highly recommended within MI education." (Jones, 1997)

It is not a far stretch of the imagination to suggest that Paul would approve of rubrics. Rubrics focus on the development of a student's individual gifts, and provide valuable information allowing for the remediation of weaknesses. Therefore, the main purpose of rubrics should be to point out what students know and where they have succeeded, as opposed to what they don't know and where they have failed.

• What is the origin of the word rubric? How does modern day use of rubrics reflect Catholic tradition?
• What are the benefits of rubrics in addressing the Catholic goal of educating and assessing the "Whole Child"? Where do standardized tests fall short of this goal?
• What do you think Nuzzi means when he says MI theory should be cause for us to "rethink the approach to assessment"?
• What is the main purpose of rubrics in instruction and assessment?
• How can the use of rubrics make us more knowledgeable and celebratory of each child's gifts?

A Catholic approach to assessment needs to reflect the diversity of intelligences, and rubrics are a valuable tool for accomplishing that end. Think of a lesson or topic that you recently taught and use the following questions as a reflective guide: (i.e. please refer to MI Section of Module 4).

• What intelligences did the lesson call on?
• Which students seemed most interested or intrigued?
• Which students seemed disinterested?
• Were there any behavior problems during the lesson? Were these problems possibly related to an intelligence (i.e. reading, drawing, singing, math equations, etc.)?
• What could I have done differently to connect individual students to their specific intelligences?
• How do my own multiple intelligences (my gifts) impact on how I teach and assess students? Assessment Inventories to determine my own intelligences can be found by clicking on Multiple Intelligence Inventory or Multiple Intelligences Survey.
• Develop a rubric for a concept that you just taught, or one that you will soon be teaching, which integrates spiritual intelligence. Identify the criteria, descriptors and levels (see diagram below). The following websites may prove helpful: Spiritual Intelligence , ASSESSING SQ. How does spiritual intelligence relate to The Saskatchewan Goals of Education (see Spiritual Development)?

What are the critical components of a rubric?

A rubric is a scoring guide that describes criteria for student performance and differentiates among different levels of performance within those criteria.

1. Levels: statements that describe each level of the performance. Sometimes accompanied by a number scale.
2. Criteria: the conditions of a performance that must be met for it to be considered successful.
3. Descriptors: specific, concrete examples or telltale signs of what to look for at each level of the performance.

Subject: _______________________________ Lesson or Unit: _________________________ Curriculum Reference: ______________________

For developing more sophisticated rubrics, click on any of the following websites for additional information and examples:

Elements of a Scoring Rubric Basic Reading Skills Rubric Generator Just what IS a rubric? Rubrics in the Classroom Rubrics From The Staff room of Ontario Teachers Rubric Builder RubiStar Rubrics

Shimabukuro (2000) reminds us that if Catholic pedagogy is about "teaching holistically" in order to reach the whole child, then it naturally follows that we must also "assess holistically." Application of Multiple Intelligences and use of rubrics demands that we understand and appreciate each child's gifts and that we develop and assess these gifts in a manner that is respectful of each student's God given individuality. To treat all children as being the same is the biggest affront to Catholic education that can possibly happen. Therefore, Catholic educators must take the lead in challenging the total reliance on paper and pencil tests that characterized assessment for most of the twentieth century. Such forms of assessment are "deficit-based" as opposed to "intelligence-based" because they most often emphasize "norm-referenced" criteria at the expense of "performance-based" criteria which focus on all of a student's intelligences. (Nuzzi, 1997, Shimabukuro, 2000).

Nuzzi, (1997) endorses Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory, which features a new approach to assessment. As an alternative to traditional testing, Gardner suggests the following eight ideas:

Emphasis on [authentic] assessment Assessment as simple, natural and occurring on a reliable schedule [in other words ongoing assessment] Assessment of valid, actual and necessary knowledge Use of multiple measures Sensitivity to individual differences, developmental levels and forms of expertise Use of intrinsically interesting and motivating materials Assessment as an aid to the student

All of the above criteria for a Catholic view of assessment have been very adequately met in the Saskatchewan Education Document, Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook. Develop evaluative descriptors using the following rubric format, which would allow you to formulate an assessment plan for each of the multiple intelligences. Base your rubric on a unit that you have either already taught or will soon be teaching. Use Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook as a resource and guide in accomplishing this task. Refer specifically to Chapter 4, Specific Student Assessment Techniques . Because assessment naturally flows from instruction, also refer to Instructional Approaches: A Framework for Professional Practice, specifically, The Instructional Framework and Instructional Methods.

Category	Emerging	Developing	Achieving
Verbal/Linguistic	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor
Mathematical/Linguistic	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor
Visual/Spatial	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor
Bodily/Kinesthetic	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor
Musical/Rhythmic	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor
Interpersonal	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor
Intrapersonal	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor
Naturalist	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor
Spiritual	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor	Evaluative Descriptor

Resources:

Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind. Basic Books. New York.

Jones, Doreen F. (Jan./Feb, 1997). "Multiple Intelligence and Assessment". Today's Catholic Teacher. Vol. 30, no. 4.

Nuzzi, Ronald. (Nov./Dec., 1997). "Many Ways: Multiple Intelligences Theory". Today's Catholic Teacher. Vol. 31, no. 3.

Nuzzi, Ronald (April/May 1997) "A Multiple Intelligence Approach". Momentum. Vol. 28, no. 2.

Shimabukuro, Gini. (2000). "Teaching and Learning in the Catholic School". Catholic School Leadership: An Invitation to Lead. Falmer Press. London and New York.