ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Rubric
A rubric, in the task-criteria sense used here, is a guide that describes what someone will look for in a piece of work and what different levels of meeting those criteria mean. It may be presented as a grid. The criteria concern the task, not a person's worth, character, or diagnosis.
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
This page asks: How can I turn the wording in a task-criteria grid into a concrete question about my work? A checklist records whether an item is present or an action is done. A rubric can describe different qualities or levels for the same criterion. Feedback then comments on the actual work in relation to the stated purpose or criteria.
An example: a homemade game instruction card
In this invented example, a family is making an instruction card for a game they created. They agree on a small rubric before reviewing the card. They do not award a total score or use the grid to compare family members.
Criterion: Starting the game
Still to clarify: A player has to ask what to place where
Meets our stated purpose: The card names the pieces and their starting places
Criterion: Taking a turn
Still to clarify: The card leaves the order of actions unclear
Meets our stated purpose: The card states the actions in order
Criterion: Ending the game
Still to clarify: The stopping condition is missing
Meets our stated purpose: The card states when play ends
Sam wrote “move your piece and draw” for taking a turn. Their sibling Ellis asks whether drawing happens before or after moving, because another part of the card suggests the opposite. They mark that criterion “still to clarify.” They are identifying a question in the instructions, not giving Sam a label.
Their parent likes decorative borders, but decoration is not one of the agreed criteria. It does not quietly become a requirement during review.
Read one row at a time
For a rubric someone has provided, identify the task it applies to and the exact criterion in one row. Read the descriptions across that row. Then find the relevant part of the work and write a question if the connection is unclear.
A plain note can be enough:
Criterion as written: ___
What I think it asks me to show: ___
Where that appears in my work: ___
Wording I do not understand: ___
Question for the person who provided it: ___
One revision I choose after clarification: ___
If there are numbers or weights, use the instructions actually supplied; this page does not invent a grading rule. An unanswered question about a criterion remains a question, not evidence that a person has failed it.
Keep the task separate from the person
A student may want a parent to read an unclear sentence aloud but not rewrite the assignment. A parent can ask, “Which part would you like to discuss?” A sibling helping with the homemade game may suggest a clearer turn order without being assigned the role of judge.
For a household project, you can revise or discard a rubric that feels excessive. For criteria set by a school or another organization, ask the person who provided them what the wording means rather than assuming a household agreement changes the requirements. No school entitlement or assessment procedure is described here.
If two readers interpret a row differently, record both interpretations and seek clarification. Do not add new criteria after the review and present them as if they were always there. The grid is a way to read stated expectations, not a guarantee of a particular grade or outcome.
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