Define levels of proficiency: I co-create rubrics with learners that clearly define the desired learning outcomes of the learning experience and what “proficiency” looks like.

Competency-Based Learning Strategy:

Co-Create Rubrics with Learners

Co-creating rubrics with learners ensures that you clearly share the desired learning outcomes for a learning experience and gives learners ownership over their learning. It not only creates clarity of expectations for the educator but more importantly for the learner who was part of the creation process. Through the process of creating the success criteria learners. If learners are not part of the actual creation process, bringing them into make meaning of the pre-created success criteria by looking at models or re-writing elements in their own words helps to create that ownership and make success criteria clearer for learners.

Bright Spots

Gain inspiration from authentic examples of this strategy shared by teachers who have used them with their learners.

Creating your own Bright Spots? Let’s get them out into the world! Share yours here.

First graders create their own rubric

First graders at Chico Country Day School created drawings to show what quality work looks like.

Publicly displayed competencies

Odyssey Charter School in Utah. Each grade level took their school portrait and competencies and wrote them in kid-friendly I can statements to share them in the hallways for learners to reference.

Students provide input on rubric

Students in Sevier MS in Kingsport, TN use a rubric on narrative writing for middle school that defines 4 levels of proficiency across 4 different competencies. Although these rubrics were made by educators and shared with students, students did activities to provide feedback on models to make meaning of the rubric and make it their own.

Rubrics for young learners

Photo Source: Mrs. L’s Leveled Learning

Rubrics for younger learners can include drawings that make it explicit what learners can do at each level. This supports bringing learners into the process of understanding the success criteria.

Co-designed success criteria

Students at Vista Academy use a list of success criteria on a learning goal that they developed with their teacher during a group discussion to work on their scientific writing.

Single-point rubrics for peer assessment

Students at Conway Elementary giving each other kind specific and helpful feedback on their scientific drawing using a single-point rubric with smiley faces to explain the levels of proficiency.