Rubrics can be categorized into three broad groups. The first group distinguishes generic from task-specific rubrics. The second group distinguishes analytic from holistic descriptors of performance. The third group distinguishes primary trait from multiple trait rubrics.
Rubrics can be categorized as generic or task-specific. As is so often the case in assessment, the line between the two categories may overlap creating a combination or hybrid model. Many task-based rubrics are adaptations of generic scales, and many are combinations of generic elements and elements specific to a particular performance task.
Generic rubrics can be applied to a number of different tasks within a single mode of communication (Interpersonal, Interpretive, Presentational). ACTFL recommends the following domains be considered when designing rubrics for the three modes of communication: Functions, Contexts/Content, Text Type, Language Control, Vocabulary, Communication Strategies, Cultural Awareness (ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners). The rubric in Figure 1 is a generic Interpersonal rubric designed to be learner-friendly. Learners can ask themselves the questions that will be used to judge their performance in a conversation at the novice level. The questions reflect all of the domains except Contexts/Content which is represented in the choice of topic for the learners to discuss. This generic rubric serves as a guide for novice learners to reference any time they are engaged in an Interpersonal task. They know the characteristics of a strong performance, and know that they must demonstrate a “strong performance” consistently over multiple novice-level topics in order to be considered a strong novice interpersonal communicator.
Task-specific rubrics are used with particular tasks, and their criteria and descriptors reflect specific features of the elicited performance. Tedick (2002) writes: "While some rubrics are created in such a way as to be generic in scope for use with any number of writing or speaking tasks, it is best to consider the task first and make sure that the rubric represents a good fit with the task and your instructional objectives. Just as a variety of task-types should be used in language classrooms, so should a variety of rubrics and checklists be used for assessing performance on those tasks" (p. 37). For example, this Presentational Writing task requires learners to refer to a series of pictures to tell a story in the past about a visit to the monuments in Paris, France. The rubric (Figure 2) focuses on control of past tenses, use of story form, and factual information about the monuments.
Hybrid rubrics that combine features of generic and task-specific rubrics are very useful in classroom assessment because they provide feedback to learners on broad dimensions of language production along with their performance on the particular competencies and knowledge targeted by a specific task within a specific unit of instruction. Teachers may keep the generic language production elements as they are and change one or two categories to focus on requirements for a specific task. For example, the rubric in Figure 3 for a Presentational Writing task includes categories that are generic (used for all writing tasks) and categories that are task-specific. The task is to write a 5-paragraph essay comparing the importance of biodiversity in France to the United States. In this case, the categories of Organization, Vocabulary, Accuracy, and Culture are elements that are evaluated in all Presentational Writing tasks. In addition to these four categories, a fifth category about the use of a variety of authentic resources is added for this task. It is important to remember that presentational tasks benefit from feedback and subsequent revisions to achieve a polished product.
Rubrics may also be categorized as holistic or analytic. Holistic rubrics describe the characteristics of a performance to give an overall judgment of the quality of the performance. An analytic rubric looks at the individual characteristics of a performance and judges each characteristic separately.
In holistic evaluation, raters make judgments by forming an overall impression of a performance and matching it to the best fit from among the descriptions on the scale. Each band on the scale describes performance on several criteria (e.g. text type + vocabulary + language control). Three or four levels of performance are commonly found in holistic rubrics. Holistic scales may be either generic or task-specific. Figure 4 is a sample of a holistic rubric for a Presentational Writing task. Advantages of holistic rubrics:
Disadvantages of holistic rubrics: