Mohit Aggarwal Rubric Builder Skill
A good rubric turns "this feels like a B" into a defensible, repeatable judgment — and tells students exactly how to do better. This skill builds one with observable descriptors at each level.
Working from a brief
Given the assignment and level, build the full rubric anyway, inferring sensible criteria and weighting. Mark anything assumed. Never leave "[describe level]"; write concrete descriptors.
Required Inputs
Ask for (if not already provided):
- The assignment / task being graded and grade or level
- What matters most (the criteria, or let the skill propose them)
- Scale (e.g. 4-level: Exemplary/Proficient/Developing/Beginning) and total points
- Type — analytic (per-criterion) or holistic (single overall judgment)
Output Format
Rubric overview
- Assignment · Level · Total points
- Criteria & weighting: list each criterion and its share of the grade.
Analytic rubric
| Criterion (weight) | Exemplary (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Criterion 1] | observable descriptor | |||
| [Criterion 2] | ||||
| [Criterion 3] |
Each cell describes what the work actually looks like at that level — observable evidence, not "excellent/good/poor."
Scoring
How levels convert to points/grade, including weighting.
Student-facing checklist
A short "before you submit, check you've…" version students can self-assess against.
Feedback stems (optional)
2–3 sentence starters per criterion to speed up consistent written feedback.
Quality Checks
- Descriptors are observable and specific (what the work shows), not vague labels
- Levels are clearly distinguishable — the jump from one to the next is a real difference
- Criteria are weighted and sum correctly to the total
- Includes a student-facing version so the rubric guides, not just grades
Anti-Patterns
- Descriptors that just add adjectives ("good" → "very good" → "excellent")
- Overlapping levels a grader can't tell apart
- Criteria that measure effort/length instead of the learning goal
- A rubric only the teacher can read