Every new project or essay needs a rubric, and every time it starts with an empty grid: four or five criteria to name, and a description to write for every level of each one. AI can draft all of it in one go. The catch is that most AI rubrics come out generic, as if they were written for any class in any school.
In TeachersFlow, you make one in the assessment generator: pick the Rubric form, describe the task, and change the result just by asking. Select a class, and it follows the Learning Outcomes you set for it, so it measures what you actually taught.
What is a rubric, and what makes a good one?
A rubric is a scoring guide that spells out what good work looks like before anyone is graded. It has three parts: the criteria you assess (argument, use of sources, structure), the performance levels (excellent, good, developing, beginning), and a short descriptor in every cell that says what each level of each criterion actually looks like.
A good rubric is short and specific. Three to five criteria that match the learning goal of the task, levels a student can tell apart, and descriptors that name something observable rather than a feeling. "Uses three relevant sources and cites them correctly" can be checked. "Excellent research" cannot. When a rubric is written like that, students can use it before they start, and your grading stays consistent from the first paper to the last.
Analytic, holistic or single-point: which rubric type fits?
The three common rubric types, and when each one earns its place.
| Type | What it looks like | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Analytic | Each criterion scored separately at every level | Projects and essays where students need to see exactly where they gained and lost points |
| Holistic | One overall score, each level described as a whole | Quick judgements of the whole piece, like a short presentation |
| Single-point | One column describing the target, with space for comments on either side | Feedback-heavy tasks where the conversation matters more than the number |
Make your next rubric in the assessment generator
Describe the assignment, pick the Rubric form, and refine the result by chatting with it. It is one of twelve assessment forms in the same tool.
Explore the assessment generatorHow to write a rubric quickly by hand
- 1
Start from the learning goal
Write down what the assignment is meant to show. Every criterion should trace back to that goal, not to everything a student could possibly do well.
- 2
Pick three to five criteria
Fewer, sharper criteria beat a long list. If two criteria always get the same score, merge them.
- 3
Describe the best and the weakest level first
The extremes are the easiest to picture. Once the top and bottom are written, the levels in between are mostly a matter of degree.
- 4
Make every descriptor observable
Replace words like "good" or "strong" with something you could point to on the page: a number of sources, a structure that is present or missing, a calculation that is shown or skipped. This is also the step the assessment generator takes off your plate, as shown further down.
Why most AI rubric generators miss your class
A general AI rubric generator only knows what you type into it that one time. It doesn't know which unit your class is on, what the curriculum asks you to assess, or how you usually phrase your expectations. So it produces a reasonable average rubric, and you do the fitting by hand.
The assessment generator reads context you have already given the app. When you select a class and a subject, it follows that class's active Learning Outcomes, so the criteria measure what the class is actually meant to learn. It applies your default requirements from the personalization settings, the things you want in every assessment. And if you have added past work you were happy with, it uses your past assessments as a style reference for length and phrasing, without copying their content.
- Class outcomes
the goals and curriculum you set for a class and subject, followed automatically once they are active.
- Default requirements
your standing rules for every assessment, set once in the personalization settings.
- Your own past work
assessments you were happy with, used for style, never copied.
How to make a rubric with AI in TeachersFlow
- 1
Open the assessment generator
It lives in the TeachersFlow app next to the other AI tools. A rubric is one of its twelve assessment forms, alongside quizzes, exit tickets, skills checklists, self-assessments and more.
- 2
Choose the Rubric form
Set the Assessment form to Rubric, then pick the subject, the age range and the output language, so the wording fits the students who will read it.
- 3
Select your class (optional)
Choose Whole class and pick the class the task is for. This is what connects the rubric to that class's active outcomes. You can skip it and still get a full rubric.
- 4
Describe the assignment
In Instructions and context, write what the task is and anything you want fixed, for example: "A persuasive essay on school uniforms, four criteria, four levels, points per level." One or two sentences is enough.
- 5
Generate and read it through
You get the full rubric as a list: every criterion, with a short description of what each performance level looks like. Read it as you would a colleague's draft. It is a starting point you own, not a finished verdict.
Refine it by asking, not by starting over
The first version is rarely the one you keep, and that is fine. Instead of rewriting the prompt and generating from scratch, you tell it what to change in the chat below the rubric: "make it three levels instead of four", "add a criterion on citing sources", "simplify the language for eleven-year-olds". It rewrites the rubric with that change and keeps the rest.
For small fixes you don't need the chat at all. The latest version opens in an editor, so you can change a word or a whole descriptor directly, the way you would in a document. I think this matters more than the first draft does. A rubric is personal. It should end up sounding like your expectations, and the fastest way there is a conversation, not ten regenerations.
Make your next rubric in a few sentences
Create a free account, open the assessment generator, and describe the assignment you need a rubric for.
Rubric example: a persuasive essay
A finished analytic rubric has this shape. Four criteria, four levels, one observable descriptor per cell.
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Good (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | States a clear position and holds it throughout | States a clear position, with a lapse or two | Position is present but hard to pin down | No clear position |
| Evidence | Three or more relevant sources, each explained | Two relevant sources, mostly explained | One source, or sources listed without explanation | No evidence beyond opinion |
| Counterargument | Names the strongest opposing view and answers it | Names an opposing view and partly answers it | Mentions another view without answering it | Ignores other views |
| Structure | Introduction, body and conclusion that build on each other | All three parts present, some transitions weak | Parts present but loosely connected | No recognisable structure |
Swap the criteria for the ones your task is actually about; the shape stays the same.
Where the rubric goes next
A rubric is only useful if students see it before they start. From the editor you can download it as a Word document or a PDF to print or share, or save it to Teaching Materials, so it sits with the rest of your materials and is there the next time you set the same task.
It also doesn't have to stay on its own. The same generator can build a self-assessment on the same criteria, so students rate their own work against the rubric before they hand it in. That is the part I like most: the criteria you wrote once become the language the whole task is talked about in, from the brief to the student's own reflection.
Try the assessment generator, no signup
This is the real assessment generator with sample data. A rubric is one of its forms, and every form works the same way: describe what you need, generate, then refine it by chat. The demo walks through that flow on a quiz. Watch it run, then click around.
Questions about making rubrics with AI
What is a rubric in teaching?
A rubric is a scoring guide that lists the criteria a piece of work is judged on and describes what each performance level looks like for every criterion. Teachers share it with students before the task, then grade against it, which makes expectations clear and grading more consistent across a class.
Can AI make a good rubric?
AI makes a good first draft quickly, because a rubric has a predictable structure. What it can't know on its own is your class and your curriculum, which is why the draft should be read and adjusted. In TeachersFlow, selecting a class brings in its outcomes, and chat refinement handles the rest of the fitting.
Is there a free AI rubric generator for teachers?
Yes. The TeachersFlow free plan includes a monthly allowance of AI requests and one class, and a rubric uses the same requests as any other generation. Current limits are on the pricing page.
Which rubric type should I use: analytic, holistic or single-point?
Use analytic when students need to see how each criterion was scored, holistic for quick overall judgements, and single-point when you mainly want to give feedback. You can ask the generator for any of them in the instructions.
Can I download or print the rubric?
Yes. The rubric opens in an editor where you can export it as a Word document or a PDF, or save it to your materials to reuse later.
Will the rubric follow my curriculum?
It follows the outcomes you set for a class, including school or national curriculum outcomes you write in yourself. There is no built-in library of official standards yet. If you want graded tests judged against your own criteria, the test grader has grading areas that work on the same idea.
Your next rubric, without the blank grid
Describe the assignment, get a complete rubric, and shape it by asking until it matches how you teach.
Sources
Jan Maxa builds TeachersFlow's assessment generator, so the steps here are taken from the tool itself rather than a generic guide. They describe how it works at the time of publishing, and the rubric basics lean on the teaching guides linked below.
