Ontario rubric
Encyclopedia
The Ontario rubric is a rubric
system used to mark students in the Ontario
province's school system.
The Ontario rubric is typically a chart with five columns. The first defines the category that is being evaluated, and the other four show levels 1 through 4. Level 1 is 50%-60%, Level 2 is 60%-70%, Level 3 is 70%-80%, and Level 4 is 80%-100%. Some teachers represent a perfect mark by suffixing a plus sign to the 4 ("Level 4+"). The Ontario rubric system is used more or less throughout high school
s and elementary schools in Ontario
.
The rows are typically broken into four strands:
They can also be organized into sections for projects like this:
Rubrics are usually only used if the school uses these four strands for marking, as they can otherwise cause unnecessary confusion. Rubrics provide a good breakdown of these four strands, but the strands are not weighted evenly. While a student may have received a low mark in only one of the rows, this can lead to a dramatic decrease in their overall grade if that strand is weighted heavier than the others. Similarly, if one receives a low mark in a strand that is not weighed heavily, it can have little effect on their mark.
Rubrics are also often used for relatively hard-to-mark items such as CASI tests, and oral presentations.
The Ontario Rubric appears to be evolving into something known as a "competency profile". Competency profiles are much more user-friendly for teachers and students than the traditional text-based list of criteria.
Some criticisms of the Ontario rubric include the fact that a student is no longer being assessed based solely on his or her ability to comprehend and use the material learnt, but is instead being marked on the processes used. This limits creativity and growth on the part of the student as he/she becomes used to completing work within the confines of the rubric fearing that creativity will potentially result in a loss of marks.
Rubric (academic)
A rubric is an assessment tool for communicating expectations of quality. Rubrics support student self-reflection and self-assessment as well as communication between assessor and assessees...
system used to mark students in the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
province's school system.
The Ontario rubric is typically a chart with five columns. The first defines the category that is being evaluated, and the other four show levels 1 through 4. Level 1 is 50%-60%, Level 2 is 60%-70%, Level 3 is 70%-80%, and Level 4 is 80%-100%. Some teachers represent a perfect mark by suffixing a plus sign to the 4 ("Level 4+"). The Ontario rubric system is used more or less throughout high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s and elementary schools in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
The rows are typically broken into four strands:
- Knowledge/Understanding
- Thinking/Inquiry
- Application
- Communication
They can also be organized into sections for projects like this:
- Appearance/ Neatness
- Organization
- Information and Understanding
- General Appeal
Rubrics are usually only used if the school uses these four strands for marking, as they can otherwise cause unnecessary confusion. Rubrics provide a good breakdown of these four strands, but the strands are not weighted evenly. While a student may have received a low mark in only one of the rows, this can lead to a dramatic decrease in their overall grade if that strand is weighted heavier than the others. Similarly, if one receives a low mark in a strand that is not weighed heavily, it can have little effect on their mark.
Rubrics are also often used for relatively hard-to-mark items such as CASI tests, and oral presentations.
The Ontario Rubric appears to be evolving into something known as a "competency profile". Competency profiles are much more user-friendly for teachers and students than the traditional text-based list of criteria.
Some criticisms of the Ontario rubric include the fact that a student is no longer being assessed based solely on his or her ability to comprehend and use the material learnt, but is instead being marked on the processes used. This limits creativity and growth on the part of the student as he/she becomes used to completing work within the confines of the rubric fearing that creativity will potentially result in a loss of marks.