| name | rubric-builder |
| description | Create a clear grading rubric with criteria and performance-level descriptors that make scoring fair, fast, and consistent. Use when asked to build a rubric, create grading criteria, design an assessment scoring guide, or make grading more objective. Produces an analytic rubric table (criteria × performance levels) with concrete, observable descriptors and a points scheme — plus a short version students can self-check against. |
Rubric Builder Skill
A good rubric turns "this feels like a B" into a defensible, repeatable judgment — and tells students exactly how to do better. This skill builds one with observable descriptors at each level.
Working from a brief
Given the assignment and level, build the full rubric anyway, inferring sensible criteria and weighting. Mark anything assumed. Never leave "[describe level]"; write concrete descriptors.
Required Inputs
Ask for (if not already provided):
- The assignment / task being graded and grade or level
- What matters most (the criteria, or let the skill propose them)
- Scale (e.g. 4-level: Exemplary/Proficient/Developing/Beginning) and total points
- Type — analytic (per-criterion) or holistic (single overall judgment)
Output Format
Rubric overview
- Assignment · Level · Total points
- Criteria & weighting: list each criterion and its share of the grade.
Analytic rubric
| Criterion (weight) | Exemplary (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|
| [Criterion 1] | observable descriptor | | | |
| [Criterion 2] | | | | |
| [Criterion 3] | | | | |
Each cell describes what the work actually looks like at that level — observable evidence, not "excellent/good/poor."
Scoring
How levels convert to points/grade, including weighting.
Student-facing checklist
A short "before you submit, check you've…" version students can self-assess against.
Feedback stems (optional)
2–3 sentence starters per criterion to speed up consistent written feedback.
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- Descriptors that just add adjectives ("good" → "very good" → "excellent")
- Overlapping levels a grader can't tell apart
- Criteria that measure effort/length instead of the learning goal
- A rubric only the teacher can read
