Types of rubrics
There are four main types of rubrics you can develop:
Each differ in the time it takes to develop and grade, as well as in the amount of supplemental feedback required.
Rubric comparison table
| Feature | Analytic | Holistic | Single-point | Scoring guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to develop | Takes more time to develop | Takes more time to develop | Takes less time to develop | Takes less time to develop |
| Grading | Is fastest for grading | Some challenges when grading and differentiating | Less transparency vis-a-vis your standards | Faster for grading |
| Feedback | Provides clear performance feedback to students | May require supplementary feedback | Requires supplemental feedback as there are fewer performance descriptors | Requires supplemental feedback as there are fewer performance descriptors |
| Available in Moodle? | Yes, as Rubric | Yes, as Simple Grading | No, but you can create a template and paste into the assignment feedback comment section | Yes, as Marking Guide |
Analytic rubric
This type of rubric typically breaks down an assessment into multiple criteria and levels of performance, providing guidance for the level expected for each grade scale.
The example below illustrates how each assessment criterion is measured against three levels of performance (maximum, mid, and minimum).
| Criteria | Maximum scale (Sophisticated/exemplary performance) |
Mid scale (Competent/developing performance) |
Minimum scale (Partly/not yet component/ unaccepatble performance) |
|---|---|---|---|
Criterion 1 Weight percentage 50% |
Describes the highest level of performance expected for Criterion 1 | Describes an average level of performance for Criterion 1 | Includes most common ways students typically fail to meet expectations for Criterion 1 |
| Describes the highest level of performance expected for Criterion 2 | Describes an average level of performance for Criterion 2 | Includes most common ways students typically fail to meet expectations for Criterion 2 | |
Criterion 3 Weight percentage 25% |
Describes the highest level of performance expected for Criterion 3 | Describes an average level of performance for Criterion 3 | Includes most common ways students typically fail to meet expectations for Criterion 3 |
Holistic rubric
This type of rubric considers all criteria together to produce a single score. A description is provided for each level of performance for the overall work.
| Grade | Performance description |
|---|---|
| A (80-100) | Describes the overall level of performance expected for this grade |
| B (70-79) | Describes the overall level of performance expected for this grade |
| C (60-69) | Describes the overall level of performance expected for this grade |
| D (50-59) | Describes the overall level of performance expected for this grade |
| F (0-49) | Describes the overall level of performance expected for this grade |
Single-point rubric
This type of rubric breaks down the assessment into different criteria but instead of various performance levels, it provides a single standard expected for the criterion. There is room in this type of rubric to provide individualized feedback on areas where the student may have exceeded or fallen short of those standards. The grade/score can be determined by adding up the criteria that is present.
| Exceeds expectations | Criteria standards | Below expectations |
|---|---|---|
| Example of standard/performance that exceeds expectations. | Criterion 1 Description of the expected level of performance for this criterion |
Example of performance that falls below the standard. |
| Example of standard/performance that exceeds expectations. | Criterion 2 Description of the expected level of performance for this criterion |
Example of performance that falls below the standard. |
| Example of standard/performance that exceeds expectations. | Criterion 3 Description of the expected level of performance for this criterion |
Example of performance that falls below the standard. |
Scoring rubric
This type of rubric works similarly to a holistic rubric but allows you to assign scores directly on the rubric.
| Criteria | Expected performance descriptions | Comments | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion 1 Weight percentage 50% |
Description of the overall level of performance expected for this grade | [Instructor comments] | /50 |
| Criterion 2 Weight percentage 25% |
Description of the overall level of performance expected for this grade | [Instructor comments] | /25 |
| Criterion 3 Weight percentage 25% |
Description of the overall level of performance expected for this grade | [Instructor comments] | /25 |