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Step Three continues the deep design work! Read the text or watch the video below to learn about what competency descriptors are. Either option has the same information, it's up to you!
What are competency desciptors?
A description of what student work looks like at each level of mastery for one competency.
Written in clear, specific, observable language — not vague words like "good" or "adequate."
The goal: you and the student should both be able to identify which level the work belongs in.
Think of it like this - if two teachers would disagree on a level, the descriptor needs more specificity!
Step 3a What Are Competency Descriptors.mp4Read the text or watch the video below to see what the rubric would look like and what the 4 performance levels are. Either option has the same information, it's up to you!
Step 3b Rubric Performance Levels.mp4What does the rubric look like?
The competency descriptors are usually written in the form of a rubric.
When creating your rubric, each row of your rubric will be one competency. Each column of your rubric will describe a level of performance.
Aim for 3-4 levels, or columns.
Common headings for these levels are “Developing,” “Approaching,” “Meeting,” and “Exceeding,” but you can change the names of the levels based on your course or what your school desires.
The 4 Performance Levels
There are typically 4 performance levels:
Developing - Describes the starting point
Approaching - Describes application of the competency that is closer to grade level, but not quite there yet.
Meeting - Describes grade-level expectations and application of the competency in the product. You should write this descriptor first - it anchors all the others.
Exceeding - Work that goes beyond grade-level expectations. It is not the target for all students — it shows what exceptional, above-grade-level work looks like.
As you read from left to right, you should see a logical progression.
Look at the ELA and/or Math rubric below. Notice the progression from left to right.
English Example
Sample English CBA.pdfMath Example
Sample Math CBA.pdfRead the text or watch the video below to learn about asset-based language in your rubric. Either option has the same information, it's up to you!
As you write your descriptors, remember to use asset-based language. This means the descriptors are positive and describe what the student IS doing, rather than what is missing.
For example, in the “Developing” column, instead of writing “Does not write an inequality or writes one that does not reflect the constraint,” one might write "Recognizes that a constraint exists in the situation and attempts to represent it mathematically, though the representation may use an incorrect symbol or structure” instead.
Step 3c Asset-Based Language.mp4Your Turn!
View our math and/or English Language Arts examples again, taking note of the asset-based language used. Then, draft the rubric for your own competency-based assessment for your content area and grade level.
Time for Step 4. Click the Step 4 image below to continue — or return to any earlier step at any time.
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