Implementing rubrics to assess writing skills in an Adults Advanced EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Class at ICDA (Instituto Cultural Domínico Americano)

Oftentimes, when assessing adult student's writing skills in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) environment, teachers and students alike might find themselves at an impasse regarding the grade given in a composition. With this in mind, we have upgraded one of most used assessment tools: rubrics. This project proposal describes the path that we have taken to design an innovative rubric that aims to improve the assessment of writing by both teachers and students alike. Outcomes of this project include increase of students’ self-awareness and independence, and the acceptance of an upgraded assessment tool. In our upgraded rubric the proficiency categories are based on a gradient of colors for each of the relevant aspects of writing rather than on numbers (one through four), literals (A through D), among other types of proficiency indicators, with the aim of making written compositions a useful learning experience, and avoid the conflict of subjective grade.