Recast the rubric

 Focus

 ReCast the Rubric is built to solve a real problem in writing instruction: students don’t improve when they don’t understand what they’re improving. The focus is on clarity, transfer, and visible growth—turning writing assessment into a tool that teaches skills, not just judges performance. 

ReCast the Rubric is a six-category writing assessment framework that breaks strong writing into teachable parts and scores them on a consistent 1–5 scale. Each category targets a distinct writing skill, allowing feedback to be precise instead of generic. The rubric is designed to be used before, during, and after writing, supporting drafting, revision, conferencing, and reflection. 

 Unlike traditional rubrics that end the learning once the grade is given, ReCast treats assessment as part of instruction. Scores are tracked over time so students can see growth, identify patterns, and set goals. The rubric works across genres, grade levels, and disciplines, making it a long-term writing development system rather than a single-assignment checklist. 

 Student Outcomes

• Understand why their writing works or doesn’t—no guesswork
• Gain clear language for discussing their own writing
• See growth over time through visual tracking and reflection
• Revise with purpose instead of randomly “fixing things”
• Develop transferable writing skills they can apply anywhere
   

Teacher Outcomes

• Give faster, clearer, more actionable feedback
• Conference with students using shared, skill-based language
• Track individual and class-wide writing growth over time
• Align instruction directly to observed skill gaps
• Replace subjective grading debates with transparent criteria