UbD Chapter 8 Criteria and Validity

Chapter 8 explores what we should look at when assessing and if the assessment aligns with stage I. A very common tool used as a criterion-based scoring guide would be the rubric. I am very familiar with what a rubric is and how it is used. I have used rubrics to assess writing samples; however, I do not have any experience in knowing how to use a rubric to assess math content. Could rubrics be used for math? I know they are set by points like 1-4 or 1-6 and under each point there is a description. This chapter gives the two examples of rubrics. One is the holistic and the other is the analytic rubric. A holistic rubric is an overall impression of the student's work giving a score, and an analytic rubric divides a product or performance into specific traits and judges each separately p. 174. The authors suggest that assessors of understanding use the analytic rubric. Next, in thinking like an assessor, a teacher must obtain the most appropriate evidence of the desired results formed in Stage I. I agreed with the message in this chapter that we pay too much attention to correctness and too little attention to the degree of understanding. After reading the two chapters on assessments, I realize that I will need additional support and guidance from my coach in designing strong assessments for math this year.