Using rubrics for an evaluation: A national research council pilot

Abstract

Rubrics are commonly used in the education sector to assess performance, products, or processes of student learning. Rubrics are gaining importance in organizational performance and program evaluation practice. According to several evaluation practitioners, rubrics can elucidate how excellence and value are defined and applied to evaluation questions or indicators in a given context. This practice note summarizes a pilot project of the National Research Council Canada (NRC) using evaluative rubrics for characterizing relevance and generating conclusions in an evaluation.