Examining Rubrics Used to Measure Writing Performance in U.S. Intensive English Programs

A scoring rubric acts as a useful guide for evaluating the quality of students’ written responses. In second language writing, scoring rubrics can be used to measure a variety of discourse and linguistic features. However, certain advantages and disadvantages are associated with particular rubrics (see Hamp-Lyons, 2003; Weigle, 2002). Therefore, numerous factors (e.g., purpose or resources) need to be considered when deciding which type of scoring rubric to use. This study describes the types and features of scoring rubrics that are used to measure English as a second language (ESL) students’ writing in Intensive English Programs (IEPs) at multiple universities throughout the US. Forty-three IEP directors completed a questionnaire and interview that addressed the relevance/role of writing in their programs and the types/features of rubrics they use. The findings highlight some of the decision-making behaviors of IEP directors in their choices of scoring rubrics.