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Rubrics in Headrush
Shane Krukowski avatar
Written by Shane Krukowski
Updated over a week ago

'Rubrics' is one of those words that can mean many things to many people.

In Headrush, we think about rubrics in two primary ways:

  1. Terminology used to describe a scale used to evaluate learning targets.

  2. A set of criteria used to evaluate a product or process (see below).

Assessing Targets vs. Product /Process Rubrics

In Headrush, any learning Target can include its own rubric (#1 above). Meaning that the learning target can have its own scale with custom criteria/descriptors for each level of the scale.

You may also have Product / Process Rubrics you want to add to a module or task(#2 above). This may be for common processes and/or common products that help reinforce what quality looks like, make evaluation more transparent, and allow for comparison over time. For example, a Process Rubric, Performance Rubric, and or a Product Rubric.

Sometimes these ideas are independent of each and sometimes they are the same or overlap.

Headrush has two ways to help you manage and track Rubrics:

    1. Use prepopulated target criteria set by your school

    2. Customize target criteria on the Module or Task

Depending on what you mean by 'rubric' and depending on how your school is set up, will determine the best approach for you.


1. Attach Your Rubric as a Document

A rubric can be added as an attachment (or link) to a module or task. Module creators and advisors can also customize the criteria for a learning target set modeled for rubrics, to better contextualize the rubric on the fly.

Attach as part of a question on the Module Overview:

Attach to a Task on a Task board:


2. Align and use specific learning targets

If your school has set up learning targets within Headrush, you can use these as rubrics. The respective Rubric would then be aligned to a Module or Task and assessed similarly to how other learning targets are aligned and assessed:

Add Rubrics as part of a Learning Target set

If your school has set up learning target criteria for each level of the scale, you will see that text appears to inform selection and guide assessment.

You as an Advisor also have the option to customize an aligned rubric's criteria on the fly for a module or a Task:

⚠️ Please note: customized criteria made on a module or task do not carry over into other modules or tasks, nor do they impact the criteria of others using the same learning targets.

In turn, Advisors (and guest assessors) can then asses the respective select rubric learning targets as part of the Module Assessment:

Setting up rubrics as part of a learning target set

1. Determine your rubrics. Here is a Headrush importable CSV file that includes a basic set of rubrics.

2. As an ADMIN, create a new Learning Target Set -or- Import via the 'Import New Target Set’ via:

Admin > Learning Targets > Target Sets > (options in the left column)

3. Title the Learning Target set accordingly (e.g.- Rubrics)

4. Add/change the Rubric top-level groupings as 'Learning Target Groups'

5. Add/change the respective 'Learning Targets' within the Learning Target Groups

6. Set up or choose a scale for your rubrics.

👉 Admins can add criteria to learning targets manually or via spreadsheet. Module creators and advisors can customize scale criteria for specific tasks and modules.

7. Activate the Learning Target set

8. Optional, but highly recommended: Setup two Learning Plans: (1) for non-rubric learning targets and (2) exclusively for Rubric learning targets.

Here’s how:

... and by having that Learning Plan, students and Advisors can quickly see how often and how well students have been assessed against those rubric criteria:

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