Putting Rubrics to the Test: The Effect of a Model, Criteria Generation, and Rubric‐Referenced Self‐Assessment on Elementary School Students' Writing

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of reading a model written assignment, generating a list of criteria for the assignment, and self‐assessing according to a rubric, as well as gender, time spent writing, prior rubric use, and previous achievement on elementary school students' scores for a written assignment (N = 116). Participants were in grades 3 and 4. The treatment involved using a model paper to scaffold the process of generating a list of criteria for an effective story or essay, receiving a written rubric, and using the rubric to self‐assess first drafts. The comparison condition involved generating a list of criteria for an effective story or essay, and reviewing first drafts. Findings include a main effect of treatment and of previous achievement on total writing scores, as well as main effects on scores for the individual criteria on the rubric. The results suggest that using a model to generate criteria for an assignment and using a rubric for self‐assessment can help elementary school students produce more effective writing.

Promoting Learning and Achievement Through Self-Assessment

“…Their findings indicated that having students use model papers to generate criteria for a writing assignment and using a rubric to self-assess first drafts is positively related to the quality of their subsequent writing. Like Ross and his colleagues (1999), Andrade et al (2008) found that the improvements in students' writing included more effective handling of sophisticated qualities such as ideas and content, organization, and voice. When the findings of this study were translated into typical classroom grades, the average grade for the group that engaged in rubric-referenced self-assessment was a low B, but the average grade for the comparison group was a high C.…”

“…They noted that changes in conventions of language (sentence structure, grammar, and spelling) were negligible: The higher posttest scores of the weakest writers were the result of stronger performance on substantive criteria such as plot development, including the "integration of story elements around a central theme" and "the adoption of a narrative voice" (p. 124). Andrade et al (2008) also looked at the effectiveness of rubric-referenced self-assessment on scores on elementary school students' writing. Their findings indicated that having students use model papers to generate criteria for a writing assignment and using a rubric to self-assess first drafts is positively related to the quality of their subsequent writing.…”

“…The expectations for the task or performance are clearly articulated, either by the teacher, by the students, or both. Because students become better acquainted with the task at hand when they are involved in thinking about what counts and how quality is defined (Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2006), Andrade provides students with a rubric, often by cocreating all or part of it in class by analyzing and critiquing examples of strong and weak pieces of student work (Andrade & Boulay, 2003;Andrade et al, 2008). Ross and colleagues (1999) described a process of cocreating rubrics that differs only in the timing of the model or anchor papers: The teachers in their study used anchor papers to illustrate the levels on the completed rubric after it had been handed out.…”

“…The scarcity of feedback in most classrooms is due, in large part, to the fact that few teachers have the luxury of regularly responding to each student's work. Fortunately, research also shows that students themselves can be useful sources of feedback via self-assessment (Andrade & Boulay, 2003;Andrade, Du, & Wang, 2008;Ross, Rolheiser, & HogaboamGray, 1999). Self-assessment is a key element in formative assessment because it involves students in thinking about the quality of their own work, rather than relying on their teacher as the sole source of evaluative judgments.…”

The Implementation of Self-Assessment in EFL Writing Classroom: An Experimental Study

“…Research questions usually revolve around two main themes, which can be summarized as follows: (1) Is self assessment a reliable tool for assessing performance? (2) What are the variables likely to affect the reliability of scores, and how can these variables be controlled? The reliability of self assessment is usually measured by correlating the self-assessed performance score with that of the instructor or other external benchmarks (e.g., standardized tests).…”