Do you use Rubrics? How do you convert to percentages?

ILoveGrammar · #1 02-18-2009, 12:38 PM

Do you use rubrics? If so, how do you convert to a percentage grade? Big debate at my school and just wondering what you all think?
(FYI - in particular, as it relates to writing assignments.)

We have one group - they say total number points divided by total possible equals percentage. (Ex. 4 categories, 5 points for total of 20 points. Student scores 1 in each cat. 4/20=20%)
Other group - sliding scale, mathematical program that figures it out, something else.....

TIA!

Beth2004 · #2 02-18-2009, 12:49 PM

I do what you described first: number of points divided by the total possible points.

amakaye · #3 02-18-2009, 02:19 PM

I don't know what you would call it, but I make up a scale for each rubric. If it's a 5 point rubric, and they have mostly 5's, they get an A. If they have mostly 3's (or an average of three), they get a C, and so on. I assign the percentages to the scale. I feel that when I use a rubric, "average" work (say, mostly 3's on a 5 point rubric) should be a C. If I did a straight percentage, it would receive a failing grade.

MrsC · #4 02-18-2009, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amakaye

I don't know what you would call it, but I make up a scale for each rubric. If it's a 5 point rubric, and they have mostly 5's, they get an A. If they have mostly 3's (or an average of three), they get a C, and so on. I assign the percentages to the scale. I feel that when I use a rubric, "average" work (say, mostly 3's on a 5 point rubric) should be a C. If I did a straight percentage, it would receive a failing grade.

This is pretty much what I do as well (except we use 4 levels on our rubrics).

silverspoon65 · #5 02-18-2009, 05:00 PM

We made up a scale. We have a 24 pt. rubric - 6 categories 1-4. I think when it was created, they said, ok, an 18 would be all 3's, so that is a B, 24 obviously is a 100, a 12, all 2's, should be failing. and then they just kind of filled in the blanks from there. We all use the conversion chart and most of us know it by heart.

ancientcivteach · #6 02-18-2009, 05:47 PM

http://roobrix.com/

I really like this tool, you can use it with any rubric to convert to percentages.

CanukTeacher · #7 02-18-2009, 06:05 PM

Our A & E policy calls for "most consisent and most recent." So our grades need to reflect how students are consistently performing with an acknowledgement that if their grades go up or down significantly in second term the final grade should reflect this.

So when I look at my students grades for the semester I am looking at how they did overall in each of the categories (we have 4 categories - knowledge/understanding, thinking, communication and application). So it is not a percentage.

For example, if a student in knowledge had:

3-, 3, 3, 3, 3-, 3

They would receive a level 3 because that is they are, by in large, producing level 3 work.

At the end of the semester, all my grades are in levels. It is only the final mark that is "converted" to a percentage. The percentage isn't a real number it is essentially a symbol for the level because our politicians weren't brave enough to actually have us report in levels (even though we are supposed to mark in them

So, at semester's end we have a conversion chart for what a level 3 = in %.

MrsC · #8 02-18-2009, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanukTeacher

Our A & E policy calls for "most consisent and most recent." So our grades need to reflect how students are consistently performing with an acknowledgement that if their grades go up or down significantly in second term the final grade should reflect this.

So when I look at my students grades for the semester I am looking at how they did overall in each of the categories (we have 4 categories - knowledge/understanding, thinking, communication and application). So it is not a percentage.

For example, if a student in knowledge had:

3-, 3, 3, 3, 3-, 3

They would receive a level 3 because that is they are, by in large, producing level 3 work.

At the end of the semester, all my grades are in levels. It is only the final mark that is "converted" to a percentage. The percentage isn't a real number it is essentially a symbol for the level because our politicians weren't brave enough to actually have us report in levels (even though we are supposed to mark in them

So, at semester's end we have a conversion chart for what a level 3 = in %.

And this is exactly what I do (but was too lazy to type myself...thanks CanukTeacher).

ILoveGrammar · #9 02-18-2009, 09:34 PM

Thanks for the input everyone. My school wants rubrics for evaluating writing, but fails to determine HOW they want these rubrics evaluated. Thus, the divide among the teachers.
I see merit to all the evaluation options. I feel mostly closely aligned with Canuk's version, but they do not do that at my school

I'd love any other thoughts (Anything to build a better mousetrap, right?) as I continue to bring this debacle to a close.

Thanks!

fuzed_fizzion · #10 02-18-2009, 10:39 PM

We use a 1-6 scale at our school because our state scoring guides are based on the scale. We convert to a percentage by adding the number of points earned on each category in the rubric and divide by 5*the number of categories. It helps the numbers fall closer with standard A,B,C,D,F and their respective percentages.