Fundamental Friday: What Shade of Blue? The Power of Precision in Rubrics
- Catherine Addor
- Sep 12
- 3 min read
Blue
When I explain what an evaluation rubric is (for teachers or any professional context), I often refer to it as the foundation of language. It’s not a checklist or a trap; it’s a shared framework that helps us define what effective teaching and learning look like in practice.
Think of it this way: if I asked someone to “go get blue paint,” I could end up with anything from sky blue to midnight navy. Without clear parameters, the results will be wildly inconsistent. If we agree that we want a satin-based interior house paint in a dusty grey-blue, similar to faded navy blue jeans, then the outcome gets much closer to the target.
Rubrics work the same way. They move us from vague descriptions of teaching to explicit, agreed-upon expectations. When teachers and leaders use this common language, the conversation shifts from evaluating teaching to fostering growth within it.
Shifting the Lens: Evaluation as Professional Development
Instead of viewing the rubric as a scorecard, imagine it as a map for growth. Each descriptor provides language that can help identify strengths, uncover blind spots, and establish shared goals for ongoing improvement.
For teachers, this perspective reframes evaluation from something done to you into something done with you and a chance to reflect, refine, and celebrate progress.
For leaders, it becomes a way to anchor professional learning communities in a common vision of instructional excellence.
How Leaders Can Make This Happen
Build Shared Understanding
Don’t just hand out the rubric. Engage staff in discussions about what each level looks like in practice. Use video clips, classroom artifacts, or walkthroughs to ground the language in lived examples.
Model Clarity
Just as we clarified the “blue paint,” leaders should model how specific, descriptive feedback ties directly back to rubric language. Precision builds trust.
Encourage Self-Reflection
Invite teachers to place themselves on the rubric and identify their own next steps. Ownership turns evaluation into a professional development opportunity.
Connect to Collective Growth
Frame the rubric not only as an individual tool but also as a way for teams to align on instructional priorities. Professional learning can then target the agreed-upon areas of focus.
Celebrate Progress
Growth happens over time. Highlight and acknowledge when teachers move closer to the agreed-upon target. This reinforces the rubric as a growth tool, not just a judgment tool.
Questions for Reflection
How do I see myself reflected in this rubric?
Which descriptors affirm my current strengths?
Where do I want to grow this year?
What support, feedback, or collaboration would help me take the next step?
How can I utilize the rubric as a tool for my own professional development?
At its best, a teacher evaluation rubric is not about ratings; it’s about relationships, reflection, and refinement. It is a compass that points us toward shared excellence, not a cage that confines us. When leaders treat the rubric as a tool for growth and teachers embrace it as a professional learning opportunity, evaluation becomes less about compliance and more about craftsmanship in teaching. Together, we can move from “any shade of blue” to a clear, intentional vision of what great teaching and learning look like in our schools.
A rubric is our shared paint sample: a common vision we can all hold up to the wall. When used with clarity, trust, and purpose, it guides us closer to the target, helping teachers and leaders grow together.
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