I use this performance based rubric to assess students’ language skills in my class. (Thanks to Thomas Sauer for putting pretty documents together for us at JCPS! Click here to download the rubric.)
If you haven’t seen it yet – here it is!
and here’s a generic one that we made:
I learned a lot about feedback and it’s role in a language class from Greg Duncan. The reason we give feedback to students is so they can see where they are and how to improve. Writing a letter grade or slapping a sticker on a test does nothing to motivate a student to improve. It sends the message – “good enough.”
One of the best things I have learned about giving feedback is that students need to know 1 thing they can work on to improve their language skills. I try to compliment something the student did well and make one suggestion that will help the student move toward that next proficiency sub level. I know the rubric well after working with it so many times, but how can I remind students how to improve during a unit without waiting for the end-of-unit assessment results?
I decided to bring this rubric to life in my classroom. Here is my learner-sized version of the proficiency rubric and some of the key characteristics of each level.
Now my students can refer to it when they are practicing and can pretty accurately measure their OWN writing. POWERFUL! They move across this timeline pretty quickly when they know what they need to do! (Imagine that?) I need to put some descriptions of what intermediates look like because I have more and more students who are asking me… (#success)
Here is a free download of the similar to the ones in the photos that can be used in any language class. They are very simple so you can add your own style and edit.
How do your students know how they are doing? Do they know how to get to the next level?
Megan, this is awesome! Did you use electrical tape for the wall?
Sure did!
In that same vein, Megan, what did you use to tape the words to the wall? I have a really hard time finding something that will stick to the concrete block that makes up the walls in JCPS classrooms.
Hot glue works beautifully to attach things to those concrete/cinder block walls! 🙂
I use hot glue & it sticks great to concrete walls!
Does this come off easily? Or is it stuck there for good?
I’ve never used hot glue but electrical tape sticks great and goes up and come down no problem!
I always use a hot glue gun. Works wonderfully!
I love this idea. I just started teaching K-8 in a private school and would love a copy of the actual rubric. Do you have one or can you direct me where I can get one? thanks! Teresa
This is brilliant. Thanks for sharing!
Another Megan who thinks this is fantastic! I am going to put one up this weekend!!!
Great! Send us a pic! 🙂
That’s so great Megan! Just sent the link to my colleagues and I want us to get together to spend an afternoon getting the timelines on our walls. It will be such an easy reference!
Send us a pic of your versions! I’d love to see it!
This is AWESOME!! Do you have the examples you have on the wall in a word document that you’d be willing to share? I’d like to use the rubric, but I’d like to know how to use it properly!
I don’t have the examples that I made saved anywhere but I just took basic descriptions from the rubric and put them in the right level of proficiency. If you are wondering about proficiency levels and a little deeper explanation – Check out Kara’s posts about “The Proficiency Path…
http://creativelanguageclass.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/the-proficiency-path-step-1/
Here are the examples if anyone wants to print them off:
http://emilyfritz.org/2014/07/25/proficiency-labels-for-the-classroom-wall/
Do you have a downloadable/printable version of this fabulous rubric?
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=28f7c805d5a3213d&sc=documents&wa=wsignin1.0&sa=343767067&id=28F7C805D5A3213D%21154#cid=28F7C805D5A3213D&id=28F7C805D5A3213D%21404&sc=documents
This link should get you there. You can download it or print it from Thomas Sauer’s page. Feel free to share it!
Thank you so much for sharing! I am passing along to everyone in the district. Merci!
Thanks much – I put it up tonight already! So excited to share it with the students! When you have ideas about how to further fill out the Intermediate sections, would you be willing to share those excerpts too?
Sure!
I’m working on mine now! Were you able to come up with any ideas to fill out the Intermediate sections?
Love your site!
WOW, what a great idea, Megan! Such a great way to remind students of what they’re shooting for! I think my ELLs could benefit from something like this too!
A W E S O M E !!!!!!!!!
Megan…I love the rubric and how you have displayed it in your classroom! I’m wondering what this looks like for individual assessments? Do you use a 4, 3, 2, 1 scale when assessing/reporting for the grade book? Thanks!!
I started using this Rubric in November of last year and when I showed it to my students (middle school) they really got it. I never thought of putting it on the wall so they could be reminded of it. Thanks for the great visual!
Megan I love this idea! Thank you for sharing! I am currently making the words to print off and stick up on the wall. I also love the way you have the “yo puedo” board. It looks like you have a specific area on the board for each class that includes the current unit outline and the stamp page? Could you share a few more photos of that board? Or share the specific items you include on the board?
It was great to find this post tonight, as I have been staring at my wall thinking I needed something visual to explain the levels. We’ve been working on porque and con to expand oral and written sentences. Thank you for the useful idea.
Inspired by your post, I created a proficiency timeline in my classroom this year. I teach a class of French 3/4 together, and having the proficiency information posted is so useful. In the first week of class, one of my French 3 students came after class and asked me what his level of proficiency was and how he could get to the next level. He asked if he was bothering me, and I reminded him that my job was to help him learn! Thanks so much for being a constant source of inspiration!
I’m so putting a rubric on my classroom wall next year.
Hi Megan! I love this idea and will definitely put something up like this in my classroom! I was wondering what the board below with ¨Yo Puedo¨ on it was for? Is this sort of like a checklist for students?
I posted .pdf and .docx files of the labels for the levels and descriptors that I typed up here: http://emilyfritz.org/2014/07/25/proficiency-labels-for-the-classroom-wall/
You can download them and print them off! It might save someone a few minutes:)
Yay, thank you!
I finally posted mine… http://jpv206.wordpress.com/2014/10/19/the-rubric-its-alive/
Thanks for sharing! I already enlarged the Can-Do Statements but I like this idea as well!
Hi,
Thank you so much for this great idea. I plan to add it to my classroom.
Unfortunately, the link is not opening for me. Any suggestions?
Thank you,
Grisell
Just updated the link for the rubric! Sorry about that!
Use paint tape along the poster and then use the hot glue. You will remove the tape without damaging the paint
The link does not work 🙁
hey, Angela! Just fixed the rubric link for ya! (we did a website changeover that goofed up some urls recently 😵💫)
It is not working for me either and the powerpoint does not have the same info. on the picture??
The info in the download is slightly different than my original version. They are from ACTFL’s performance descriptors. I used a really simple version when I first tried it and added more over time. The download is simple, but you can format it and choose the descriptors you want to focus on.
Hope that helps!
Hi Megan! Thank you so much for sharing this idea! Unfortunately the links (as of today— August 17th, 2023, no longer work). By any chance do you happen to have any updated links for the template of the proficiency board/performance descriptor signage? If not, no problem, I can just copy what I see here in the pictures. Thank you again for this awesome idea!