Rubric Maker for Teachers
Build a custom grading rubric in minutes. Add your criteria and performance levels, fill in the descriptors, and print a clean rubric — ready to hand out or use for grading.
Or start from a template:
Criteria (rows)
Performance Levels (columns)
How to Build a Rubric
- Enter a title for the rubric (e.g. "Persuasive Essay Rubric") or load a template to pre-fill criteria and levels.
- Add criteria — these become the row headers. Each criterion is one skill or dimension being graded (e.g. "Thesis Statement," "Evidence," "Organization").
- Add performance levels — these become the column headers. Enter a name (e.g. "Excellent") and the point value for that level.
- Fill in the descriptors — click inside any cell in the rubric table and type what that performance level looks like for that criterion.
- Print the finished rubric to hand out to students before the assignment or use while grading.
What Makes a Good Rubric?
Specific descriptors — Vague language like "good" or "adequate" is hard to apply consistently. The best rubrics describe observable behaviors: "Thesis clearly states a position and previews three supporting arguments" is more useful than "Thesis is clear."
Parallel structure — Each row (criterion) should follow the same logical pattern across levels, making it easy for students to understand what distinguishes one level from another.
Appropriate number of levels — Four levels (Excellent / Proficient / Developing / Beginning) work well for most assignments. Three levels simplify grading but reduce differentiation. Five or more levels are rarely worth the added complexity.
Criteria match the learning goals — Each row should correspond to something you actually taught and want students to demonstrate.
Rubric Templates
Essay rubric — Thesis & Argument, Evidence & Support, Organization, Style & Voice, Grammar & Mechanics. Four levels: Excellent (4), Proficient (3), Developing (2), Beginning (1).
Project rubric — Content Accuracy, Creativity & Effort, Presentation, Research Depth, Meets Requirements. Four levels: Exceeds (4), Meets (3), Approaching (2), Below (1).
Participation rubric — Engagement, Contribution to Discussion, Preparation, Respect & Listening. Three levels: Always (3), Sometimes (2), Rarely (1).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate a student's final score from the rubric?
Add up the points from each criterion for the performance level you circled. Divide by the maximum possible points (number of criteria × highest level points) to get a percentage if needed.
Can I weight certain criteria more than others?
Not automatically in this tool. A common workaround is to add the high-weight criterion multiple times (e.g. add "Thesis" twice to double its weight) or adjust point values on the levels for specific criteria.
Can I share the rubric digitally with students?
The Print button opens a clean printable page you can also save as PDF from your browser's print dialog. Share the PDF with students via your LMS.
Is my rubric saved?
No — the rubric exists only in your browser session. Print or save as PDF before closing the tab.
