Let’s start by making something very clear: a rubric is neither a decorative element in your lesson plan, nor is it a matter of taste or personal teaching philosophy. It is, in fact, a formal instrument that must respond to one essential purpose — to assess students objectively and transparently. And for that to happen, it must be anchored to what really matters: the official assessment criteria laid out in the regional decree.
It’s not uncommon to come across student teachers who, with the best intentions, create rubrics that are visually impeccable, full of beautiful layout decisions and heartfelt language. However, these often include categories like “effort”, “participation”, “attitude”, or “presentation”, which — while valuable in other contexts — do not align with the assessment criteria set by the educational authority.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: if a descriptor doesn’t come directly from the regional Decree, or isn’t clearly derived from it, then it shouldn’t be in the rubric. Including items that aren’t part of the official criteria doesn’t just make your assessment legally questionable — it actively undermines the objectivity and transparency we owe our students. In essence, you would be evaluating based on personal or subjective considerations, rather than on what the law actually allows you to assess.
To put it simply, a well-constructed rubric starts with a thorough reading and understanding of the assessment criteria provided in the regional curriculum. These criteria are your foundation — your non-negotiables. From there, your job as a teacher is to translate those criteria into clear, measurable descriptors that make it possible to evaluate student performance in a way that is coherent, equitable and legally sound.
This means avoiding the temptation to include traits that can’t be observed objectively or aren’t explicitly required, even if you feel they reflect qualities you value. It also means ensuring that your rubrics are written in a language that students can understand, so that they know exactly what is expected of them and how their work will be judged.
In short, your rubrics should mirror the structure and intent of the official criteria, without adding or omitting elements that might distort the focus of the evaluation process.
If you find all this a bit rigid, think of it this way: the Decree provides you with the essential ingredients for your teaching practice — the things you must cover and evaluate. The rubric is simply the recipe you use to combine those ingredients in a coherent, structured way. If you start throwing in cinnamon and paprika just because you like them, you’re no longer following the recipe, and what you end up serving may no longer be considered valid (or edible, for that matter).
The same goes for teaching: when you invent your own criteria, you’re cooking outside the law, and that’s a risk no aspiring teacher should take.
So what can you do as a future teacher?
The solution is neither complicated nor bureaucratic: you must begin any rubric design by identifying and analysing the assessment criteria that correspond to the learning outcomes of the unit in question. Once these are clear, you can then build a rubric that translates each criterion into observable behaviour or output. This ensures that your evaluation is not only pedagogically sound but also legally defensible.
It’s also worth remembering that rubrics are public instruments: students and families have the right to understand how work will be assessed, and board members will look very closely at how faithfully your evaluation tools reflect the curricular standards. In other words, your rubric is not a side element — it’s a cornerstone of your professional responsibility.
In summary, there’s a fine line between a rubric that supports quality teaching and one that becomes a liability. When rubrics stray from the official criteria, they cease to be fair, and in some cases, they can even invalidate an entire assessment process. For student teachers, this isn’t a matter of preference — it’s a matter of professionalism and legal rigour.
Sure, those Pinterest-perfect rubrics look lovely — but unless they’re grounded in your region’s assessment criteria, they’re not valid. Go back to the Decree, let it guide you, and you’ll have a rubric that actually holds up — pedagogically, ethically, and legally.
After all, that’s exactly what you’ll need to succeed in the civil service exams: solid pedagogy, legal grounding, and the ability to justify every decision you make as a future teacher.