ESL RUBRICS As we learned in the workshop entitled Incorporating Rubrics into Instruction which is part of the Student Success ASSESSMENT certificate, rubrics can be used for formative assessment. Formative Assessment is a tool we use to gauge student performance. While generally speaking multiple choice tests and other objective measures indicate what students know, formative assessments generally indicate what students can do and are generally administered often during the semester to help FORM instruction. Students can measure their own progress with rubrics, peers can measure a peer s performance, and the teacher can measure student performance. If the rubric is reliable, all should get similar results. Since the rubric workshop was lacking on examples especially for ESL, I have put together a few rubrics that might be helpful. Of course these are samples and teachers are free to create their own. You might consider using Rubistar to do so. The rubrics that follow were first created in Rubistar and then adapted for our students and their levels (rubistar.4teachers.org) You will find level rubrics for Team Presentations Speaking Study Habits I chose not to do writing because there are so many aspects of writing at each level and I suspected that you would have personal ideas about what you might include. I would caution that you do not try to be so detailed in a rubric that you can t successfully measure students. The system will bog down if you do so. If grammar is important to you for example, chose one or two grammar points that define the level, don t mention every grammar point they must learn in class. STEPS 1. Refine the rubric to your preferences 2. Go over the rubric with students and get feedback 3. Upper levels: adjust rubric based on student feedback. 4. Use the rubric in various ways often in the class. a. Teacher s about students. b. Students about themselves. c. Students about peers. 5. Adapt instruction to meet needs where. 6. Make your own rubric to reflect on your teaching skills.
Oral Presentation Rubric : Beginning ESL 1 (Team Project Presentations) All members of Most members Some members Only one the team say say say member of the Team something something something team speaks. Participation meanngful and meaningful and meaningful and on topic. on topic. on topic Volume Content (Vocabulary & Grammar) hear all the All members of the team speak Uses most of the the unit. hear 75% of the time or more. Most members are Uses many of the the unit. hear between 65% and 75% of Students (the 't often hear speakers. Some members Only one are Uses some of the the unit. member or no members of the team speak Uses a few or none of the new words from the unit. 1
Oral Presentation Rubric : Beginning ESL 2 (Team Project Presentations) All members of Most members Some members Only one the team say say say member of the Team something something something team speaks. Participation meanngful and meaningful and meaningful and on topic. on topic. on topic Volume Content (Vocabulary & Grammar) hear all the All members of the team speak Uses most of the the unit and speaks in sentences most of the hear 75% of the time or more. Most members are Uses many of the the unit and speaks in sentences some of the hear between 65% and 75% of the time or more. Some members are Uses some of the the unit and speaks in sentences some of the Students (the 't often hear speakers. Only one member or no members of the team speak Uses a few or none of the new words from the unit and rarely speaks in sentences. 2
Oral Presentation Rubric : Beginning ESL 3 (Team Project Presentations) All members of Most members Some members Only one the team say say say member of the Team something something something team speaks. Participation meanngful and meaningful and meaningful and on topic. on topic. on topic Volume Content (Vocabulary & Grammar) hear all the All members of the team speak Speaks in sentences most of the time with correct grammar. hear 75% of the time or more. Most members are Speaks in sentences most of the time with some of the hear between 65% and 75% of the time or more. Some members are Speaks in sentences some of the time with some of the Students (the 't often hear speakers. Only one member or no members of the team speak Speaks in sentences with rarely. 3
All members of Most members Some members Only one the team say say say member of the Team something something something team speaks. Participation meanngful and meaningful and meaningful and on topic. on topic. on topic Time Volume Presentation Skills Content (Pronunciation & Grammar) Oral Presentation Rubric : Intermediate ESL 1,2 (Team Project Presentations) whole is of length as hear all the whole doesn't read presentation at all and makes eye Always uses and pronunciation is adequate for understanding. whole is a bit long or short in length as hear 75% of the time or more. whole doesn't read presentation too much and makes adequate eye Often uses and pronunciation is adequate for understanding. whole is considerably too long in length as hear between 65% and 75% of the time or more. whole mostly reads presentation and makes little eye uses and pronunciation is adequate for understanding. whole is considerably too short in length as Students (the 't often hear speakers. whole reads presentation the entore time and makes no eye Rarely uses and pronunciation is often not adequate for understanding. 4
Oral Presentation Rubric : Intermediate ESL 3 (Team Project Presentations) All members of Most members Some members Only one the team say say say member of the Team something something something team speaks. Participation meanngful and meaningful and meaningful and on topic. on topic. on topic Time Volume Presentation Skills Content (Pronunciation, Vocabulary & Grammar) whole is of length as hear all the whole doesn't read presentation at all and makes eye Always uses language appriate for level and is easily whole is a bit long or short in length as hear 75% of the time or more. whole doesn't read presentation too much and makes adequate eye Often uses language appriate for level and is easily whole is considerably too long in length as hear between 65% and 75% of the time or more. whole mostly reads presentation and makes little eye uses language appriate for level and is easily whole is considerably too short in length as Students (the 't often hear speakers. whole reads presentation the entore time and makes no eye Rarely uses language appriate for level and is not easily 5
Speaking Rubric : Beginning ESL 1 (Informal Observations) Always expresses Often expresses Rarely expresses Expresses Needs needs adequately. needs adequately. expresses needs adequately. needs adequately. Vocabulary English Only Always commuincates message with vocabulary. Is always Always attempts Often commuincates message with vocabulary. Is often Often attempts commuincates message with vocabulary. Is sometimes attempts to speak English Rarelycommuinc ates message with vocabulary. Is rarely rarely attempts 6
Speaking Rubric : Beginning ESL 2,3 (Informal Observations) Successfully asks Attempts to ask asks Rarely Asks and for information for information for information communicates answers and helps other and often helps and sometimes with the teacher questions when students other students helps other or other there is a need. ly. ly. students students. Vocabulary Grammar English Only Always attempts to use new vocabulary when. Always attemps to use 3rd person singular "s" when. Is always Always attempts Often attempts to use new vocabulary when. Often attemps to use 3rd person singular "s" when. Is often Often attempts attempts to use new vocabulary when. attemps to use 3rd person singular "s" when. Is sometimes attempts to speak English Rarely attempts to use new vocabulary when. Rarely if ever attemps to use 3rd person singular "s" when. Is rarely rarely attempts 7
Speaking Rubric : Intermediate 1,2,3 (Informal Observations) Successfully communicates Often communicates communicates Rarely attempts to coomunicate ideas and ideas and ideas and ideas and Communicates thoughts with thoughts with thoughts with thoughts. ideas and language and language and language and thoughts register register register for the occasion. for the occasion. for the occasion. Grammar English Only When communicating, uses tense correctly most of the time Is always Always attempts When communicating, often uses tense correctly. Is often Often attempts When communicating, sometimes uses tense correctly. Is sometimes attempts to speak English When communicating, rarely uses tense correctly. Is rarely rarely attempts 8
Study Habits: All Levels Most of the time Most of the time comes to class comes to class comes to class comes to class Comes to Class and comes on but comes late. and comes on but comes late. Pays Attention Participates Homework Organizational Skills Always pays attention to the teacher and other students and listens carefully. Participates while in groups his/her share of the Often studies the lesson outside of class. Maintains a notebook, binder or other system with sections for areas such as vocabulary, grammar, etc. Often pays attention to the teacher and other students and listens carefully. Participates while in groups more than his/her share of the studies the lesson outside of class. Maintains a notebook, binder or other system that is not well organized. pays attention to the teacher and other students and listens carefully. Participates while in groups less than his/her share of the Rarely studies the lesson outside of class. Doesn't maintain a notebook, binder, or other system. Rarely listens to the teacher or is disengaged. Doesn't participate in groups or rarely speaks when in groups. Never studies the lesson outside of class. Loses papers, handouts, and other classroom materials. 9