Student Project Assessment

What are some options for evaluating student technology projects?
 
What's a rubric?
 
Where can I find a rubric generator?

Assessment is an essential component of the learning process.
 
Explore Assessment: At a Glance from Edutopia. Read Urban Academy: Where Testing Is Anything But Standard to learn about assessment at one school.
 
You can find lots of great information on the Internet about student assessment. Explore some options at the following links:

• Teach-nology Links - links to alternative assessment resources
• Kathy Schrock's Assessment and Rubric Page - links to assessment resources
• NWREL Assessment Project - good information on assessment
• NCREL Assessment - good links

Exploring Rubrics for Student Assessment

A rubric is an assessment tool that provides the criteria for evaluating a piece of student work. Specific levels of performance are listed along with a rating system such as need improvement, acceptable, or excellent. Rubrics can be used by both students and teachers. For a silly look at rubrics, check out the AsWeSeeIt Rubric Page. Try the following general rubric links.

• The Staff Room - provides rubrics to projects in all academic areas.
• Rubrics - links
• About.com Rubrics - links

Using Rubric Generator

A rubric generator is an online or software-based tool to quickly creating rubrics. In some cases, the outline, structure, or template is provided and the user simply enters the criteria. In other cases, the rubric is automatically created and the user just makes modifications. Read the article called Automating Authentic Assessment With Rubrics: Technology... The Future of Education? to learn about the philosophy of using automated assessment tools. Although this article was writing a while ago, the technology is finally here to support the idea. Try the first two rubric generators below. Then, explore the other options.

• Rubistar - this free rubric generator helps you create rubrics from templates in six different areas
• Teach-nology Rubric Generator - learn to create a dozen different types of rubrics.
• Rubric Construction Set - create a 3, 4, 5, or 6 objective rubric
• Rubrics Web Page - download a demo of an "off-line" rubric builder
• Rubric Processor - download the software for creating rubrics

Rubrics Information and Examples

• PBL Checklists - checklists for various grade levels in the areas of writing, science, oral presentation, multimedia projects
• Assessing Multimedia Reports - multimedia
• Sample Rubrics - topics include Autobiographical Incident, Firsthand Biography, HyperStudio Presentation, Collaboration, Editorial, Paper Based Interview, Research Report, Report, Web Page
• Rubrics and Templates - example rubrics
• Technology Rubric Sources
• Elementary Assessment Tools
• Secondary Assessment Tools
• All from the same place:
  • Sentence Starters for Learning Logs
  • Daily Assessment Tools
  • Reflection Checkpoint
  • I-Search Reflection
  • Reflection Assessment

 

Build an Activity

Try two different rubric generators. Compare and contrast the pros and cons of each tool. Which would you recommend? Why?

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