This document discusses the use of rubrics for evaluating 4-H projects. It provides an overview of a workshop on creating and using rubrics, including defining what a rubric is, the common features of rubrics, and the components of a rubric. The workshop demonstrates how to create a rubric through an activity and discusses the advantages of using rubrics for 4-H projects, such as providing clear guidelines and reducing subjectivity in scoring. An example rubric for judging market animals in Hardee County is presented.

1. 4-H Project Evaluations:
Using Rubrics
March 6, 2014
Southern Regional Biennial Conference
Charleston, South Carolina

2. Welcome
How many KNOW what a rubric is?
How many have USED a rubric in 4-H?
How many have CREATED a rubric to use
anywhere?

3. Session Agenda
 Welcome
 Group Activity/Do-Reflect-Apply
 What is a Rubric?
 Hardee Co. Market Animal Rubric
 Steps to Make a Rubric
 Group Activity/Do-Reflect-Apply
 Closing

4. Activity
 Each group has a set of three photographs to
judge with an evaluation tool and ribbons. Using
your tool place the three pictures.
Process our thoughts on each…
DO – REFLECT - APPLY

5. What is a Rubric?
A rubric is a
•scoring tool for
• subjective assessments.

6. Rubric
 It is a set of criteria and standards
linked to learning objectives
that is used to assess a student's performance on papers,
projects, essays, and other assignments.
 Rubrics allow for standardized evaluation according to
specified criteria, making grading simpler and more
transparent.

7. Common Features of Rubrics
1. FOCUS on measuring a stated objective
(performance, behavior, or quality)
2. Use a RANGE to rate performance
3. Contains SPECIFIC performance
characteristics arranged in levels
indicating the degree to which a
standard has been met.

8. Components of a Rubric
 Dimensions are generally referred to as criteria,
“State Objective or Performance”
 the rating scale as levels,
“Beginning, Developing, Accomplished, Exemplary”
 and definitions as descriptors.

9. Three good reasons to use rubrics
1. Rubrics make judging more clear,
consistent, and equitable.
2. Rubrics raise the quality of work produce.
3. Rubrics save time.
(judges, teaching and learning)
When a rubric is given at the time a project starts,
youth immediately know what is expected of them.

10. How are Rubrics Used in 4-H?
 Florida: State Fair Educational Posters ( 7 years)
 Photography, Posters, Filmmaking (5 years)
 Market Beef/Swine (NEW Hardee County)
 Other states….

11. Hardee County Rubric
• 2012 POW
• 2013 POW
• Life Skills
• Judging Sheets
• Rubric

12. Advantages of Rubrics in 4-H
1. Leaders can use rubric as tool for guiding
4-H’ers in completing quality work.
1. Rubric allows for self-evaluation ~gives 4-H’ers
clearer understanding of what they need to do
to be successful.
2. Rubric virtually removes subjectivity often
present in alternative assessment techniques.

13. Results
1. Judges
2013
2. Accuracy Blue Ribbon
3. Leaders Red Ribbon
White Ribbon
No Ribbon
Total
Rubric
Scoring Sheets
12
58
28
24
43
6
5
0
88
88

14. •
•
•
•
•
General Issues
Requirements + Rubric = Mirror
image
Perfect Grade Requires Perfect
Performance
Who did it?
7 year old vs. 18 year old
Other Rubrics Planned

15. Steps in Rubric Development
Create grid to match
criteria with levels
Describe levels of success,
proficient performance
Weigh criteria based
on the relative importance.
Determine the best rubric type
Identify criteria based on learning objectives

16. http://lss.at.ufl.edu
Web Site Tools

17. Web Site Tools

18. Activity
Make Your Own Rubric
4-H Project Evaluation
Contests
Record Book Evaluation
4-H Story Evaluation or Scoring

19. Instructions
 Computers available:
- Using the books at the table; create a simple
rubric of criteria and categories levels.
- Use any website to create it.
 No Computer:
- Using the blank matrix on the table and samples to
create a rubric of the project book, story or record
book at the table.

20. Do – Reflect - Apply
 Questions

21. Credits
Armstrong, David G., Kenneth T. Henson & Tom V. Savage (2009).
Teaching Today: An Introduction to Education, 8th ed., 191 (Upper Saddle
River, NJ, Pearson Education, Inc.)
Harder, Amy. “The neglected life skill.” Journal of Extension [On-line],
44(1). Available at:
http://www.joe.org/joe/2006february/comm1.php
Saddler, B., & Andrade, H. (2004). “The writing rubric.” Educational
Leadership, 62(2), 48-52. In Anderson, Rebecca S., Michael M. Grant,
& Bruce W. Speck. Technology to Teach Literacy: A Resource for K-8
Teachers, 2nd ed., 206 (Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson Education,
Inc.)

22. Credits (Continued)
Forero, Larry, Katherine E. Heck, Pat Weliver, Ramona M. Carlos, Thi
Nguyen, and Audra Lane. "Member Record Books Are Useful Tools for
Evaluating 4-H Club Programs." UCANR, Oct. 2009. Web.
<http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.org • October–December 2009>. p
215-219.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr248.shtml
http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/eta/Rubric_Tutorial/
Rubrics for Teaching and Assessing Learning in Pre-Service Teacher
Education www.aace.org/…site/submission//uploads/SITE2012/... 2012
Conference Proceedings AACE Martonia Gaskill, Ph.D. Candidate
University of Nebraska Lincoln Dept. of Teaching, Learning and Teacher
Education Matthew Kutscher, Ph.D. University of Nebraska Lincoln Dept. of
Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education

23. Credits (Continued)
Presented at 2014 Southern Regional Biennial Conference.
Charleston, SC. by Georgene Bender, and Heather Kent, Regional
Specialized Agents. University of Florida IFAS / Extension 4-H Youth
Development.