Holistic rubrics

single criteria rubrics (one-dimensional) used to assess participants' overall achievement on an activity
or item based on predefined achievement levels;

performance descriptions are written in paragraphs and usually in full sentences.

Example

Research Paper (Holistic Rubric)

Score Criteria

4 (80-100%) Research paper demonstrates complete understanding and execution of the assigned
objectives. Thesis statement/argument is clearly stated, complex and original, and the writing does not
spend excessive time on any one point of development at the expense of developing other points in the
body of the paper. Writing is also error-free, without ambiguity, and reads smoothly, creatively, and with
a purpose.

3 (70-79%) Research paper demonstrates considerable understanding and execution of the assigned
objectives. Thesis statement/argument is stated, verges on the complex and original, and the writing
shows accuracy and balance in developing body points, but may exhibit occasional weaknesses and
lapses in correctness. Writing also has some errors and ambiguities, yet does read clearly and coherently.

2 (60-69%) Research paper demonstrates some understanding and execution of the assigned
objectives. Thesis statement/argument is faintly stated and/or expected and not confident, and the
writing is inconsistent in terms of balance in developing body points, and exhibits weaknesses and lapses
in correctness. Writing also has many errors and ambiguities, and may read confusingly and incoherently.

1 (50-59%) Research paper demonstrates limited understanding and execution of the assigned
objectives. Thesis statement/argument is simplistic, unoriginal, and/or not present at all, and the writing
is unbalanced in developing body points, weak, and incomplete. Writing also has numerous errors and
ambiguities, and reads confusingly and incoherently.

Adapted from John Bean, Engaging Ideas, Exhibit 15.4: Holistic Scale for Grading Article Summaries (262)

Analytic rubrics

two-dimensional rubrics with levels of achievement as columns and assessment criteria as rows. Allows
you to assess participants' achievements based on multiple criteria using a single rubric. You can assign
different weights (value) to different criteria and include an overall achievement by totaling the criteria;
written in a table form.

Example

Research Paper (Analytic Rubric)

Standards

Criteria Adequate (50-59%) Competent (60-69%) Good (70-79%) Excellent (80-100%)

Knowledge of forms, conventions, terminology, and strategies relative to the importance of sources to
subject Demonstrates limited knowledge of forms, conventions, terminology, and strategies relative to
importance of sources to subject Demonstrates some knowledge of forms, conventions,
terminology, and strategies relative to importance of sources to subject Demonstrates considerable
knowledge of forms, conventions, terminology, and strategies relative to importance of sources to
subject Demonstrates thorough and insightful knowledge of forms, conventions, terminology, and
strategies relative to importance of sources to subject

Critical and creative thinking skills Uses critical and creative thinking skills with limited
effectiveness Uses critical and creative thinking skills with moderate effectiveness Uses critical
and creative thinking skills with considerable effectiveness Uses critical and creative thinking skills
with a high degree of effectiveness

Communication of information and idea Communicates information and idea with limited clarity
Communicates information and ideas with some clarity Communicates information and ideas
with considerable clarity Communicates information and ideas with a high degree of clarity and
with confidence

Quality of argument and writing Argument is simple and unoriginal, and the writing is weak and
inconsistent Argument takes on a fair and expected position, and the writing is moderately clear and
coherent Argument bridges on the complex and original, and the writing is clear and coherent
Argument is complex and original, and the writing is strong, fluid, and creatively coherent

Spelling and grammar Several errors in spelling and grammar A few errors in spelling and grammar
Some errors in spelling and grammar No errors in spelling and grammar

Adapted from Centre for Teaching Excellence, Appendix B: Sample Analytic Rubric (“Rubrics: Useful
Assessment Tools.

HOLISTIC RUBRICS

A holistic rubric is the most general kind. It lists three to five levels of performance, along with a broad
description of the characteristics that define each level. The levels can be labeled with numbers (such as
1 through 4), letters (such as A through F) or words (such as Beginning through Exemplary). What each
level is called isn’t what makes the rubric holistic — it’s the way the characteristics are all lumped
together.

Suppose you’re an unusually demanding person. You want your loved ones to know what you expect if
they should ever make you breakfast in bed. So you give them this holistic rubric:

BBHolistic

When your breakfast is done, you simply gather your loved ones and say, “I’m sorry my darlings, but that
breakfast was just a 2. Try harder next time.”

The main advantage of a holistic rubric is that it’s easy on the teacher — in the short run, anyway.
Creating a holistic rubric takes less time than the others, and grading with one is faster, too. You just look
over an assignment and give one holistic score to the whole thing.

The main disadvantage of a holistic rubric is that it doesn’t provide targeted feedback to students, which
means they’re unlikely to learn much from the assignment. Although many holistic rubrics list specific
characteristics for each level, the teacher gives only one score, without breaking it down into separate
qualities. This often leads the student to approach the teacher and ask, “Why did you give me a 2?” If
the teacher is the explaining kind, he will spend a few minutes breaking down the score. If not, he’ll say
something like, “Read the rubric.” Then the student has to guess which factors had the biggest influence
on her score. For a student who really tries hard, it can be heartbreaking to have no idea what she’s
doing wrong.

Holistic rubrics are most useful in cases when there’s no time (or need, though that’s hard to imagine)
for specific feedback. You see them in standardized testing — the essay portion of the SAT is scored with
a 0-6 holistic rubric. When hundreds of thousands of essays have to be graded quickly, and by total
strangers who have no time to provide feedback, a holistic rubric comes in handy.

[To download a free Microsoft Word template for a holistic rubric, click here.]
ANALYTIC RUBRICS

An analytic rubric breaks down the characteristics of an assignment into parts, allowing the scorer to
itemize and define exactly what aspects are strong, and which ones need improvement.

So for the breakfast in bed example, an analytic rubric would look like this:

BBAnalytic

In this case, you’d give your loved ones a separate score for each category. They might get a 3 on
Presentation, but a 2 on Food and just a 1 on Comfort. To make feedback even more targeted, you could
also highlight specific phrases in the rubric, like, “the recipient is crowded during the meal” to indicate
exactly what went wrong.

This is where we see the main advantage of the analytic rubric: It gives students a clearer picture of why
they got the score they got. It is also good for the teacher, because it gives her the ability to justify a
score on paper, without having to explain everything in a later conversation.

Analytic rubrics have two significant disadvantages, however: (1) Creating them takes a lot of time.
Writing up descriptors of satisfactory work — completing the “3” column in this rubric, for example — is
enough of a challenge on its own. But to have to define all the ways the work could go wrong, and all the
ways it could exceed expectations, is a big, big task. And once all that work is done, (2) students won’t
necessarily read the whole thing. Facing a 36-cell table crammed with 8-point font is enough to send
most students straight into a nap. And that means they won’t clearly understand what’s expected of
them.

Still, analytic rubrics are useful when you want to cover all your bases, and you’re willing to put in the
time to really get clear on exactly what every level of performance looks like.