Middle school writing instruction doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By combining clear rubrics, mentor texts, and efficient feedback strategies, teachers can help students grow into confident, capable ...

Explicit statements of your grading criteria can be very useful. A writing rubric that specifies the categories of assessment—and, perhaps, defines levels of success in each category—can help students ...

Rubrics aren’t going away anytime soon, but let’s not pretend they always help students or tackle the biggest problem in student writing. Rubrics give students criteria for how their grade will be ...

Ensure students know the expectations of an assignment(s) rubrics should be shared with students in advance Clearly justify grades for students Rubrics can be used to evaluate progress, as well as to ...