Provide Clarity with Single-Point Rubrics

How much time do you spend putting together rubrics for assignments? If you're like most instructors, a thoughtful, well-made rubric requires substantial investment, and includes information unlikely to help students (is it useful for students know the criteria for a "0" on any assignment?). What if you could provide students with all of the relevant information for success on an assignment that a traditional rubric imparts without having to painstakingly describe each point? The single-point rubric does just that. It includes a description of the standards for mastering the content, and also allows you  to give detailed feedback on both where students exceed and fall below expectations.

Concerns (Areas that need work)	Criteria (Standards of performance)	Advanced (Areas that exceeded expectations)
	Criteria #1 Description of evidence of mastery of material
	Criteria #2 Description of evidence of mastery of material
	Criteria #3 Description of evidence of mastery of material
	Criteria #4 Description of evidence of mastery of material

Gonzalez, J. (2014, October 09). [Single point rubric]. Retrieved February 15, 2017, from http://www.brilliant-insane.com/2014/10/single-point-rubric.html

The single point rubric gives students a clear target for mastery of material, with all of the information regarding low performance stripped away. This type of rubric allows for clarity in establishing standards as well as flexibility in grading. The downside is lack of specificity in assessment. It's great for grading, but not so good at reliably assessing students, relative to a more analytic rubric.

An additional caveat is the type of grading this rubric addresses. Single point rubrics lend themselves to a no-grades system in the classroom and are typically used to encourage student reflection and self-guided mastery of material, not a traditional "A" to "F" grading scale. Also, using this kind of rubric may require more writing when grading an assignment than a traditional rubric but, again, allows flexibility in addressing areas in which students need to improve.


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