When an assignment has a rubric attached, the grading interface changes. Instead of typing a single score, graders select a performance level for each criterion and the total score calculates automatically. This article covers how to grade with rubrics and how students see their results.

The Grading Interface with a Rubric

Open a submission from the Assignments > Grading queue or from a group’s Submissions page. When a rubric is attached to the assignment, the right-hand grading panel shows the rubric as a table:

• Rows are the criteria you defined.
• Columns are the performance levels for each criterion.
• For each row, click the cell corresponding to the level the student earned.
• Each criterion also has a Feedback field you can fill in alongside the level selection.

As you select levels, the Score field at the bottom updates automatically with the sum of the selected points. You can still manually override the final score if needed — the auto-calculated value populates the field but remains editable.

Per-Criterion Feedback

Each criterion has its own feedback field in addition to the overall feedback field at the bottom of the panel. Per-criterion feedback is the best place to explain why you selected a particular level and what the student could do to improve in that specific area.

Use the overall feedback field for broader observations that don’t fit neatly under a single criterion.

Submitting the Grade

Click Save Grade to save your selections, then Return to Student when you’re ready to release the grade. Once returned, the student can see their score, the levels you selected, and your per-criterion feedback.

What Students See

Before submission, students see the rubric on the assignment page as a read-only reference. This helps them understand how they’ll be evaluated before they start.

After the grade is returned, students see:

• Which performance level was selected for each criterion
• The point value of each selected level
• Your per-criterion feedback
• The overall feedback and final score

If the Rubric Is Edited Later

Graded submissions store the specific levels that were selected at the time of grading. If you later edit the rubric — for example, changing level descriptions or point values — submissions that were already graded are not affected. Their stored level selections remain valid, and their scores don’t change.