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Assessment & Instruction | Student Agency

Co-Creating Rubrics With Elementary Students: Turning Assessment Into Learning

Christopher Tobin. “How to Co-create a Rubric With Elementary Students.” Edutopia. March 9, 2026.

Rubrics are among the most widely used tools for evaluating student learning, appearing in classrooms from preschool through graduate school. Traditionally, however, rubrics are designed entirely by teachers and presented to students as fixed expectations for their work. In his Edutopia article, “How to Co-create a Rubric With Elementary Students,” educator Christopher Tobin proposes a powerful shift: inviting students to help design the rubric itself. By involving students in the creation of the assessment tool, teachers can transform evaluation into an authentic learning experience that deepens understanding and strengthens student ownership of their work.

Tobin argues that the traditional instruction–assessment–feedback cycle often places students in a passive role. Teachers determine the learning objectives, create the evaluation criteria, and then assess students’ performance. While educators frequently review rubrics with students before beginning an assignment, students rarely participate in shaping the criteria used to evaluate their work. As a result, the connection between students’ efforts and the evaluation process may feel imposed rather than meaningful.

Co-creating rubrics shifts this dynamic toward a student-centered learning approach. Instead of simply receiving a rubric, students participate in defining what quality work looks like. Through structured discussion and reflection, they help identify the characteristics that represent successful performance. This process not only clarifies expectations but also promotes higher-level thinking as students analyze the components of strong work.

Starting the Conversation

The first step in the process is to introduce the task students will complete and begin a conversation about what high-quality work should look like. Tobin notes that teachers can approach this in two ways. One approach is to present a set of criteria and ask students to help define different levels of performance. The second approach begins with a broad, open-ended question that encourages students to generate ideas independently.

For teachers new to this practice, Tobin recommends the more structured option. By guiding students through a discussion of specific criteria, teachers can scaffold the process while still giving students a meaningful voice in defining expectations. As students gain experience with rubric creation, the teacher can gradually release more responsibility, allowing students to contribute more independently.

In Tobin’s elementary classroom, these conversations often occurred during a whole-class discussion on the carpet while he recorded student ideas on chart paper. After presenting the task, he asked students questions such as: “What would the best example of this work look or sound like?” Students then shared ideas about the features that would make a project successful.

Defining High-Quality Work

As students generated ideas, Tobin recorded them on sticky notes or chart paper. This process encouraged students to articulate their thinking about what makes work effective. During the conversation, he intentionally introduced academic vocabulary such as criteria, exemplar, and performance level, helping students develop a deeper understanding of assessment language.

Once students identified several characteristics of strong work, the class grouped similar ideas together. These clusters naturally formed the categories that would eventually become the rubric’s criteria. For example, in a writing assignment, students might identify elements such as clear ideas, detailed descriptions, organization, and neat presentation.

Interestingly, Tobin focuses student attention primarily on the highest level of performance, which he labels “distinguished.” Rather than asking students to describe weaker levels of work, he encourages them to concentrate on defining what excellence looks like. This approach helps keep expectations clear and emphasizes the goal of producing the best possible work.

Using Exemplars to Clarify Expectations

Even with clear criteria, students may still find the rubric somewhat abstract. To address this challenge, Tobin recommends introducing exemplars, or models of strong work. These examples can be teacher-created samples or student work from previous years.

Evaluating exemplars as a class allows students to see how the rubric criteria apply to real work. During these discussions, students often revise their ideas—adding new criteria, refining language, or removing elements that prove less important. This iterative process strengthens students’ understanding of what quality work actually looks like.

Tobin also emphasizes the importance of respecting students’ ownership of their work when using past examples. Seeking permission before sharing a student’s work reinforces trust and demonstrates respect for student contributions.

Assessment as a Learning Opportunity

While co-creating rubrics requires time and practice, Tobin emphasizes that the investment yields substantial instructional benefits. Students gain a clearer understanding of expectations, develop academic vocabulary related to assessment, and engage in rich discussions that promote deeper thinking.

Perhaps most importantly, students become active participants in the evaluation process rather than passive recipients of feedback. Because they helped define the criteria, the feedback they receive from the rubric carries greater meaning and relevance.

For educators and school leaders seeking ways to strengthen student engagement and deepen learning, co-creating rubrics offers a powerful strategy. By transforming assessment into a collaborative process, teachers can help students better understand the qualities of excellent work—and empower them to strive for it.

Original Article

Source: Christopher Tobin. “How to Co-create a Rubric With Elementary Students.” Edutopia. March 9, 2026.

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (5.2) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com