When creating a rubric, it is important to define the criteria clearly for students who will be evaluated using it. For any type of word problem in math, the keys to success involve the student's strategies used, diagrams drawn, equations written and organizational skills. In order to earn all of the possible points, a student will need to successfully complete everything laid out in the rubric. The problem-solving rubric is laid out in four sections, each worth a total of 25 points, for a grand total of 100 points for the entire problem.
When solving a subtraction problem, strategies are extremely important. To earn the full 25 points for this portion, a student must show the use of all strategies applicable to solving the word problem. The student must identify the specific question by either underlining the question or drawing a box around it. Additionally, the student should circle all key words that indicate that the student will be subtracting. Some of the most common subtraction key words are difference, fewer, left, less and remain. To earn partial credit of 15 points, the student must have successfully completed most of the steps outlined; for 10 points, the student will have only completed half of the steps outlined and if the student has not completed any of the steps, a 0 is earned.
To earn the full 25 points for diagrams, the student must satisfactorily illustrate the subtraction problem. This is accomplished by using a variety of diagramming skills related to subtraction. Students could choose to draw boxes indicating numeric values and then crossing some out to show subtraction; a table is also an acceptable diagram. Any way the student chooses to clearly illustrate the problem is sufficient as long as the student has created a illustration or diagram that accurately shows the method to solve the subtraction problem in such a way that the instructor is able to follow the student's problem-solving process by looking at the diagram. For partial credit of 15 points, most of the process must be diagrammed but key parts of the problem-solving process are left out; for 10 points, the student has only included a small portion of the problem-solving process and if the student has not included a diagram or table, the student will earn a 0 for this section of the rubric.
To earn the full 25 points for equations when solving a word problem requiring subtraction, the student must clearly write out the entire equation with the correct answer; the teacher must be able to clearly understand how he arrived at the answer. When a student is showing an equation, he must show an understanding of putting together a number sentence or equation; additionally, the correct mathematical terms and symbols must be utilized. The student must show a clear understanding of how to state the problem and reach the correct solution. For partial credit of 15 points, the student must write the correct equation even if unable to successfully solve the problem; for 10 points, the student only writes a portion of the equation and if the student does not show his work, 0 points will be earned.
In order for the student to earn all 25 points for organization, she must present the problem-solving process in an organized manner; all of the details must be included. In this section, the teacher is looking at all of the work included in the strategies, diagrams and equation sections of the rubric considering for organization and neatness. Did the student box the question neatly or did the student haphazardly underline or box everything in the word problem? Did the student use heavy marks that covered up words making it difficult to read the actual word problem? Is the diagram placed in a neat, orderly space in the paper near the question, or has she drawn all over the paper, making it difficult to find where the actual diagram is located on the page? Is the equation written in one neat area on the page or has the student written equations all over the page, with the starting point at the bottom of the page and the conclusion found at the top? For partial credit of 15 points, the problem is somewhat organized; for 10 points, the problem is mostly disorganized and for 0 points the student's work is nonsensical or the problem has not been worked at all.