Assessing+the+quality+of+process

Link to November Goal to record your efforts and the results.

How do we assess higher level thinking in projects? Please add suggestions to this page. You can add a PDF of a rubric that you use by clicking the plant icon to upload images and files.
I create rubrics where anything "below average" is not an option. It is either Excellent, Good or "fix it until it is excellent or good or receive a zero, and do it by a certain date". I only do this for my Level 1 or Honors classes. I make this expectation clear on the first day of school and Back to School Night for all projects assigned during the semester, as well as when I introduce the project. ~Hilary

Take into account your goal. It may be the process rather than the end product. We can assess the steps, thinking, planning, organizing that goes into the development. If we wait until we master a piece of technology we'll never start. - Ann

You have to be more open to the new technologies and new developments in order to teach. You can't think through everything ahead of time. It's acceptable to try something even if you don't know how it's going to go. - Matt/Ann

Have students make connections to their research and development of the project. Links in PowerPoint to create a more thorough understanding. - Bob

(1) In the way of PowerPoints, I have the kids make the projects interactive so they behave more like web pages than PowerPoint slides; the way slides are linked to one another and back to "HOME" definitely takes some thought process. (2) For most projects, I've taken to having the students write up a paragraph at the end. The paragraph requirement is for the kids to explain the choices they made in putting the project together. Taken in isolation, a choice a kid makes in a project might be totally off the wall and seem wrong. When looking at their thinking and reasoning behind choices, one can really see what went in to the choices, and those choices might not be so off base after all. (3) I make an effort to get out rubrics as a project kicks off, and on the rubric, try to indicate what performance level is needed to achieve a certain grade. Like Hilary, there is nothing below average, especially if the kids are showing some effort. - Scott S.

For my big midterm project, I give each student a rubric and tell them to save it -the rubric itself is worth a point. I tell the students that they will use the rubric in class to assign a grade to their own project. The grade that they assign themselves is independent of my finding, but at least it gets them to look at how they will be scored. For doing this, they earn an extra bonus point on their project and they have a tendency to look at the rubric until they turn in the project. Audrey

Like Audrey, I also have kids turn in rubrics with projects. I started this because many times I would hand out rubrics and kids NEVER looked at them, especially with computer projects, ie PowerPoint. I try to stress that it isn't all about "making it look pretty" I have found that by filling out and turning in the rubirc they take more responsibility for what is on it.Lisa H.

In chemistry, our one project relates to researching an element on the periodic table. The only fair and sane way to grade a project of this type is using a rubric. I have found that the best way to bring relevancy to the rubric is to allow students to assist in designing the rubric that will be used to score their project. By utilizing their input, you get the buy in from them that will negate any feedback that scoring was not fair. -Chuck K.

I too have my students complete a rubric where they self grade not only their own work, but sometimes other students work. This gives them a chance to go back and possibly fix mistakes they have made or improve something that may be lacking that they originally may have never realized. I also have them explain why they chose to do what they did when we create projects using technology. I tend to use quick writes like this at the end of a class period for a closure (summative) activity. - Koren

Good ideas regarding rubrics. I like the idea of having students grade each other's work prior to turning it in. Even when I have a rubric that is very specific, such as in yearbook or writers' workshop, the students do not necessarily refer to it, and for self-grading some of them just give themselves the highest score. Grading someone else's work would require them to interact with the rubric and perhaps reflect on that when completing their own work. - Julie