Rubric Builder

A rubric does two jobs: it tells students exactly what mastery looks like before they begin, and it gives teachers a consistent, defensible standard when scoring. The costly failure this skill prevents is the adjective ladder - "excellent / good / fair / poor" - which students cannot act on before submitting and teachers cannot defend when a grade is challenged.

Operating procedure

Step 1: Gather inputs

1. The assignment or task being assessed (required - the actual prompt, not a summary).
2. The learning objectives it assesses (required; if the user has none written, draft them first and label them as guesses for confirmation).
3. Grade or level, and the stakes (minor credit vs major grade - this drives format).
4. Point total, if the gradebook requires one (default: 100).
5. Whether a student-facing version is needed (default: offer one).

Step 2: Derive criteria from objectives

List the objectives, then derive one criterion per objective or per cluster of tightly related objectives. Trace test: if a criterion cannot be traced to a stated objective, cut it. Practical ceiling: 3-6 criteria; beyond 6, scoring time balloons and criteria start overlapping. Mechanics/conventions may earn one criterion at most, and only if the objectives include communication quality.

Step 3: Choose the format