Some possible prompts or questions to use for the “ticket to leave”:

 Name one important thing you learned in class today.

 What did you think was accomplished by the small group activity we did today?
 Write/ask one question about today’s content—something that has left your
 puzzled.
 Today’s lesson had three objectives (These would have been shared at the
 beginning of class and should still be available for referencing.), which of the
 three do you think was most successfully reached? Explain. Or, which was not
 attained? Why do you think it was not?
 Read this problem… and tell me what your first step would be in solving it.
 One of the goals of this class is to have all participants contribute to the seminar.
 How well do you think this was achieved today?
 Do you have any suggestions for how today’s class could have been improved?
 I used the blackboard extensively today. Was its organization and content helpful
 to you in learning? Why or why not?
 Which of the readings you did for class today was most helpful in preparing you
 for the lesson? Why?
 We did a concept map activity in class today. Was this a useful learning activity for you?
Why or why not?
 As educators, we know the power of a good rubric. Well-crafted rubrics
facilitate clear and meaningful communication with our students and
help keep us accountable and consistent in our grading. They’re
important and meaningful classroom tools.
 Usually when we talk about rubrics, we’re referring to either a holistic or
an analytic rubric, even if we aren’t entirely familiar with those terms. A
holistic rubric breaks an assignment down into general levels at which a
student can perform, assigning an overall grade for each level. For
example, a holistic rubric might describe an A essay using the following
criteria: “The essay has a clear, creative thesis statement and a
consistent overall argument. The essay is 2–3 pages long,
demonstrates correct MLA formatting and grammar, and provides a
complete works cited page.” Then it would list the criteria for a B, a C,
etc.
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
 An analytic rubric would break each of those general levels down even
further to include multiple categories, each with its own scale of success
—so, to continue the example above, the analytic rubric might have four
grades levels, with corresponding descriptions, for each of the following
criteria points: thesis, argument, length, and grammar and formatting.
 Both styles have their advantages and have served many classrooms
well. However, there’s a third option that introduces some exciting and
game-changing potential for us and our students.
 The single-point rubric offers a different approach to systematic grading
in the classroom. Like holistic and analytic rubrics, it breaks the aspects
of an assignment down into categories, clarifying to students what kinds
of things you expect of them in their work. Unlike those rubrics, the
single-point rubric includes only guidance on and descriptions of
successful work—without listing a grade, it might look like the
description of an A essay in the holistic rubric above. In the example
below, you can see that the rubric describes what success looks like in
four categories, with space for the teacher to explain how the student
has met the criteria or how he or she can still improve.
 A single-point rubric outlines the standards a student has to meet to
complete the assignment; however, it leaves the categories outlining
success or shortcoming open-ended. This relatively new approach
creates a host of advantages for teachers and students. Implementing
new ideas in our curricula is never easy, but allow me to suggest six
reasons why you should give the single-point rubric a try.
 1. It gives space to reflect on both strengths and weaknesses in
student work.Each category invites teachers to meaningfully share with
students what they did really well and where they might want to
consider making some adjustments.
 2. It doesn’t place boundaries on student performance. The single-
point rubric doesn’t try to cover all the aspects of a project that could go
well or poorly. It gives guidance and then allows students to approach
the project in creative and unique ways. It helps steer students away
from relying too much on teacher direction and encourages them to
create their own ideas.
 3. It works against students’ tendency to rank themselves and to
compare themselves to or compete with one another. Each student
receives unique feedback that is specific to them and their work, but that
can’t be easily quantified.
 4. It helps take student attention off the grade. The design of this
rubric emphasizes descriptive, individualized feedback over the grade.
Instead of focusing on teacher instruction in order to aim for a particular
 grade, students can immerse themselves in the experience of the
assignment.
 5. It creates more flexibility without sacrificing clarity. Students are
still given clear explanations for the grades they earned, but there is
much more room to account for a student taking a project in a direction
that a holistic or analytic rubric didn’t or couldn’t account for.
 6. It’s simple! The single-point rubric has much less text than other
rubric styles. The odds that our students will actually read the whole
rubric, reflect on given feedback, and remember both are much higher.
 You’ll notice that the recurring theme in my list involves placing our
students at the center of our grading mentalities. The ideology behind
the single-point rubric inherently moves classroom grading away from
quantifying and streamlining student work, shifting student and teacher
focus in the direction of celebrating creativity and intellectual risk-taking.

 If you or your administrators are concerned about the lack of specificity

involved in grading with a single-point rubric, Jennifer Gonzales of Cult
of Pedagogy has created an adaptation that incorporates specific
scores or point values while still keeping the focus on personalized
feedback and descriptions of successful work. She offers a brief
description of the scored version along with a very user-friendly
template.
 While the single-point rubric may require that we as educators give a
little more of our time to reflect on each student’s unique work when
grading, it also creates space for our students to grow as scholars and
individuals who take ownership of their learning. It tangibly
demonstrates to them that we believe in and value their educational
experiences over their grades. The structure of the single-point rubric
allows us as educators to work toward returning grades and teacher
feedback to their proper roles: supporting and fostering real learning in
our students.