Example of a grading rubric for essay-styled assessment ...



Theory Assessment–Sociology 2311 and 2111

Explanation

As part of the departments’ effort to assess our sociology and criminology majors, we are assessing student performance in some of our core classes. This assessment will be used to help us assess (and perhaps improve) our courses, and will not impact your grade for the class. Individual professors may, however, award extra credit for completing the assessment.

Assessment Writing

Please pick any (sociological/criminological) theory that we have covered this semester and in an essay format, discuss the following:

• The social context of the theory

• The central concepts in the theory and how they relate to each other

• The policy implications of the theory

• Any underlying assumptions made (either explicitly or implicitly) by the theory.

Please limit your answer to three typed double spaced pages.

|Grading Criteria |Poor |Below Average |Average |Good |Excellent |

| |(1) |(2) |(3) |(4) |(5) |

|Overall Organization |The essay is unclear with|The main points of the |Writing has minimal |Writing follows a logical|Writing is clear, |

| |no organization. |essay are ambiguous. |organization and a basic |organization, but |logical, and very |

| | | |thesis statement. |sometimes drifts from the|organized around a |

| | | | |thesis. |developed thesis. |

|Understanding of theory / |Major mistakes evident |Gist of theory correct, |Concepts and theory are |Theory and key concepts |Concepts are clearly |

|concepts |regarding theory or in |but some mistakes made. |correct, but only text |are well defined and |defined, linked where |

| |definition of concepts | |book definitions and no |organized/linked properly|appropriate, and |

| | | |elaboration. | |illustrated with examples|

|Social Context |The essay makes no (or |The essay makes only |The essay describes |The essay explicitly ties|The essay ties social |

| |incorrect) reference to |minimal (correct) |social context, but |social context with |context with theory and |

| |social context |reference to social |doesn’t connect it well |theory. |elaborates on this |

| | |context |to the theory | |relationship |

|Theoretical Assumptions |The essay fails to |The essay minimally |The essay provides clear |The essay describes |The essay describes |

| |address assumptions of |discusses assumptions |list of assumptions, but |assumptions, and |assumptions, and |

| |theory or does so | |doesn’t elaborate |elaborates, but doesn’t |elaborates, and connects |

| |incorrectly | | |connect with concepts. |with concepts. |

|Policy Implication |The essay fails to |The essay minimally |The essay accurately |The essay describes |The essay describes |

| |address policy |discusses policy |describes the policy |policy implications and |policy implications, |

| |implications or does so |implications |implications |elaborates |elaborates, and ties to |

| |incorrectly | | | |“real world” examples |

|Grammar |The essay has so many |The essay has many basic |The essay has a few major|The essay has few major |The essay has no major |

|and Punctuation |basic grammar errors and |grammar and punctuation |errors and multiple minor|errors.  There may be |grammatical and |

| |punctuation errors that |errors but the meaning is|errors, but almost all |multiple minor errors as |punctuation errors and |

| |the essay cannot be |somewhat clear. |sentences are clear and |long as they do not |very few minor errors.  |

| |readily understood. | |understandable. |interfere with |Any minor errors do not |

| | | | |understanding. |interfere with the |

| | | | | |understanding of the |

| | | | | |essay. |

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