Unfortunately, in education, we tend to make success about winning or losing instead of learning and growing. The kids know this. They live this. They live the labels we give them. And though we try to blur the lines with eduspeak, the kids translate their experiences into the simple language of winner or loser.

They look to the score or the grade first (often only) as a sign of success (or failure). We thought, I think, that if we presented rubrics (in the most general sense of the term for our purposes here), then we might change how they viewed their place and themselves. If we provided descriptive level language, they would better understand (maybe accept) our judgment. Seemed like a good idea with good intention. But, in the end, I am not sure our good idea (or intention) did much to change the game for our kids, especially when it came to grading (winning or losing).

In short, we sort. We sort kids. And as I think about my past experiences with rubrics (again, in the most general sense of the term), I find that really they were more about (justifying) sorting than supporting. So, I broke up with rubrics.

As my journey has taken me farther away from grading and deeper into learning, I have had to rethink how I support, for I no longer sort. As such, I no longer rely on rubrics; I offer simple criteria, for the simple–purer–purpose of supporting learning.

SSC (Simple Success Criteria)

What do I need you to do?

Really, I believe, our work with kids begins as simply as this. So, I make it as simple as possible by listing out the criteria for success, which I will then use as an entry point into the primary purpose of our work: the Feedback/Response Process. It is here where my work really begins, where I become a teacher, a supporter.

But, I think it’s important to establish what I mean by “success.” In the sorting classroom, I would be compelled to sort in terms of winning (meeting the criteria) or losing (not meeting the criteria). And, in this context, the rubric readily lends itself to this end, typically in four-point fashion (iterated in various, often eduspeak ways). In short, too often with the “sort,” kids win or become “leveled-losers.” To be fair, I know that some use “rubrics” with better intentions and greater success (if feedback and opportunity are present), but more often–sadly–success is a sorting game. Grading.

In the supporting classroom, I am compelled to support kids–wherever I find them. And from there, we engage for the sole purpose of growth, which I believe is the measure of success in the supporting classroom. Whether I find them above, at, or below the expectations presented in the criteria, I meet them and together, engaged in the Feedback/Response Process (FRP), we learn forward. Success is growth (I write about it here in “Met, Not Yet.“). Learning.

Here’s an example of what Simple Success Criteria might look like in my room. The form is always evolving, but the function remains: What do I need you to do?

This is what my grade-level team and I use for “Claim, Cite, Clarify.” The SSC are on the left. On the right, at least for this particular Learning Check, we have provided an example, which we tend to do early in the learning experience. It gives kids a guide. It also gives us an anchor for feedback.

Of course, there are a million different ways one can present SSC to kids, but the key, I believe, is to keep it simple, to show kids what you need them to do with the particular learning experience, which has only just begun. The real experience, the real work, begins in the Feedback/Response Process. Support.

FRP (Feedback/Response Process)

Everything leads to here. This is where I meet kids, and it is from here that we work together towards growth (success). As you saw in “Met, Not Yet,” I determine where kids are when I meet them. Simply, they have or they have not (yet) met the expectations presented in the criteria. If they have met, then I have the opportunity (responsibility) to help them move (grow) beyond the standard(s). If they have not yet met, then I have the opportunity (responsibility) to help them move (grow) forward toward the standard(s), which I discuss in “Met, Not Yet.” So, I will not repeat the process I use here.

Are Rubrics Bad?

No, that’s not my stance. As I suggested earlier, I think some can and do use them to effect (if feedback and next steps are part of the package). However, I think they can be used badly (sorting/grading), but SSC can be used for the same “bad” purpose, too. So, then, it really comes down to purpose, which I believe should be–solely and simply–supporting learning. In a word: growing.

In my work I try to steer clear of the good/bad binary. Instead, I focus on the singular: better, which I have embraced as the guide on my journey to help me create better learning experiences for my kids. There’s always better.

No good. No bad. Only better. Rubrics weren’t doing it for me, so I sought better, which at present has taken form as SSC (a necessary step to FRP). And with these two steps in front of the work, I find myself supporting learning better than ever, for my kids are growing.

Success. Simply.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.