Performance-Based Rubric

Overview

What it measures: Critical thinking quality in student work—depth of analysis, evaluation of evidence, identification of assumptions, synthesis of ideas, and reasoned conclusions.

Source: OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI). (2019). Fostering Students' Creativity and Critical Thinking: What It Means in School. OECD Publishing.

When to use: To score student artifacts (essays, reports, presentations, reflections, case analyses) for analytical and evaluative thinking. Best used for summative or formative feedback on written work.

Scoring time: 5-10 minutes per artifact (once rubric is familiar)

Rubric Structure

The OECD CERI rubric assesses critical thinking across four dimensions:

1. Inquiry: Asking questions, seeking information, framing problems
2. Analysis: Breaking down arguments, identifying components and relationships
3. Evaluation: Judging quality, credibility, and significance of evidence/claims
4. Synthesis: Integrating ideas, building coherent arguments, drawing conclusions

Each dimension is scored on a 4-point scale:

• 1 = Emerging: Minimal evidence of the skill
• 2 = Developing: Some evidence, but superficial or incomplete
• 3 = Proficient: Clear evidence of the skill; meets expectations
• 4 = Advanced: Sophisticated, nuanced application of the skill

Dimension 1: Inquiry