Assessing your Blog

Students will have (hopefully!) put sufficient effort and time into their blog posts that they will want you to read them and to reward their work with a grade, rather than only focusing on formative or process-based asessment. 

This is tough stuff.

My grade 10 IB class produced literally thousands of posts.  Did I read them all?  Yes, I did.  Did I mark them all?  Well, I tried.  It was a fool's errand indeed.

In class, we fought our way through numerous drafts of a rubric for the blog. Here's the first one:  see if you can figure out why it wouldn't work.  When you're done, add your comment.

CATEGORY	4-Above Level	3-At Level	2-Below Level	1-Out of Range
Ideas	The student has many ideas and expresses them clearly. The great majority of ideas are related to literature and specifically the novel.	The student expresses some ideas. The majority of ideas are related to literature and specifically the novel.	The ideas expressed are not usually connected to discussions around literature or the novel.	The ideas expressed are often confused and are not connected to discussions around literature or the novel.
Post Frequency	The post frequency exceeds course expectations.	The post frequency is average:  3 posts per section, including both original posts and responses to others.	The post frequency is below average.	The post frequency is well below course expectations.
Writing Quality	Posts demonstrate a strong writing style. The content demonstrates that the student reads thoughtfully, synthesizes content and constructs new meaning.	Posts demonstrate clear writing style. The content demonstrates that the student reads carefully, and attempts to synthesize information and form new meaning.	Posts show a below average, overly casual writing style with a lack of attention to style. Students may not have completed the readings reading and mostly regurgitate previous personal views.	Posts are of very poor quality. There is little to no evidence of reading In order to form new meaning of the topics at-hand.
Community	The student participated actively in the blogging community including responding to others to clarify and extend ideas, particularly in literary sections.	The student participated in the blogging community including some responses to others to clarify and extend of ideas, particularly in literary sections.	The student participated infrequently in the blogging community with few responses to others and few attempts to clarify or extend ideas.	The student participated rarely in the blogging community and did not respond to others or attempt to clarify or extend ideas.
Literary Understanding	Student shows clear understanding of key literary concepts being explored, including point of view, character development, theme, plot structure, setting, as well as historical and pictorial connections.	Student shows understanding of key literary concepts being explored, including point of view, character development, theme, plot structure, setting, as well as historical and pictorial connections.	Student shows emerging understanding of key literary concepts being explored, including point of view, character development, theme, plot structure, setting, as well as historical and pictorial connections.	Student shows little or no understanding of key literary concepts being explored, including point of view, character development, theme, plot structure setting, as well as historical and pictorial connections.

This was my second draft:  does it look better?
 

BASICS	4-Above Level	3-At Level	2-Below Level	1-Out of Range
Community	The student participated actively in the blogging community including responding to others to clarify and extending ideas.	The student participated in the blogging community including some responses to others to clarify and extend of ideas.	The student participated infrequently in the blogging community with few responses to others and few attempts to clarify or extend ideas.	The student participated rarely in the blogging community and did not respond to others or attempt to clarify or extend ideas.
WRITING	4-Above Level	3-At Level	2-Below Level	1-Out of Range
Writing Quality	Posts demonstrate a strong writing style. The content demonstrates that the student reads thoughtfully, synthesizes content and constructs new meaning.	Posts demonstrate clear writing style. The content demonstrates that the student reads carefully, and attempts to synthesize information and form new meaning.	Posts show a below average, overly casual writing style with a lack of attention to style. Students may not have completed the readings reading and mostly regurgitate previous personal views.	Posts are of very poor quality. There is little to no evidence of reading In order to form new meaning of the topics at-hand.
Literary Understanding	Student shows clear understanding of key literary concepts being explored, including point of view, character development, theme, plot structure, setting, as well as historical and pictorial connections.	Student shows understanding of key literary concepts being explored, including point of view, character development, theme, plot structure, setting, as well as historical and pictorial connections.	Student shows emerging understanding of key literary concepts being explored, including point of view, character development, theme, plot structure, setting, as well as historical and pictorial connections.	Student shows little or no understanding of key literary concepts being explored, including point of view, character development, theme, plot structure setting, as well as historical and pictorial connections.