What is a rubric?

A rubric is fundamentally a scoring guide used to evaluate student work based on specific criteria. It provides explicit guidelines that articulate what is expected in student assignments, helping both teachers and students understand the key components of successful work. By outlining various levels of performance for each criterion, rubrics enable a more objective and consistent assessment of student outputs. This tool facilitates clearer feedback, as it identifies strengths and areas for improvement.

The other options do not encapsulate the essence of a rubric: a syllabus outlines the course structure and expectations; a list of assessments simply catalogues the grading components without providing the evaluative framework; and a peer grading method involves students evaluating each other’s work, which may or may not involve the use of a rubric. Thus, the second option accurately captures the defining characteristics of a rubric in educational assessments.