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Grading the Rubric

Using rubrics to guide and evaluate students may blunt their ability to express creativity and diversity of thought in their assignments, writes Harold Cox, professor of the practice in the Department of Community Health Sciences.

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“Professor,” came a voice from the back of the classroom. Here it comes… 

“Where is the rubric?” 

I screamed silently as I thought to myself: “I. Hate. Rubrics.”

A rubric is a set of guidelines that explains to students how to complete an assignment and instructs teachers on how to grade it.

But guess what:  When I started my job as the chief public health officer in Cambridge, nobody gave me a rubric. Same for my current role—and every job I’ve ever had. No rubric. Here at SPH, we are preparing students to work in the real world. So why do we give them rubrics—or as I call them, cheat sheets for how to complete the assignment?

Some educators argue that rubrics provide the necessary structure and clarity for students. However, I believe they limit creativity and critical thinking. When they follow a rubric, students often avoid taking risks with assignments to meet specific criteria and get a good grade. They hold on to the rubric like a life raft in the ocean of uncertainty. They’re terrified of making a move without a checklist to validate each step. 

I want my students to struggle a little bit as they make decisions about assignments. I don’t want to give them all of the answers upfront. I want each person to feel proud when they find an answer and finish the task themselves. This method builds essential life skills such as decision-making, problem-solving, and self-reliance.

Some also say that rubrics are the key to objective grading. Is this really true? Rubrics claim to be clear, structured, and unbiased. They aim to judge work by using set criteria. But creating a rubric is a subjective activity in itself because it is based on the maker’s views. Different educators value different things.

Rubric scoring also fails to consider students’ diverse backgrounds and unique ways of learning.

For example: my younger brother used to turn in poetry when he had to complete assignments. This baffled most of his teachers. Fortunately, one or two of them encouraged this creativity. He didn’t get pigeonholed into completing the assignment in a certain way. 

And now, he is a poet!

So I propose a new strategy for evaluating student assignments: Instead of developing rubrics, educators should take a more individualized approach to assessing students’ work. This means understanding each student’s unique situation and giving personalized feedback. This approach respects the varied experiences and learning styles of students.

As I contemplated my response to the question from the student about the rubric,  I realized something important: Education, like life, is full of contradictions. Sometimes we support ideas we don’t completely agree with because they’re part of a bigger system.

This made me smile. Maybe the true lesson here isn’t just about the advantages and disadvantages of a rubric. It’s about learning to compromise and work within systems, even when situations don’t align perfectly with our ideals.

So to my students relying on rubrics: Use it as a guide, but don’t allow yourself to be limited by it. The real world often doesn’t follow strict rules. 

And to my fellow educators: let’s consider new ways to evaluate our students’ limitless abilities.

After all, isn’t education supposed to prepare us for the challenges of life, where the only rubrics are the ones we write for ourselves?