How do you translate a rubric score into a grade (for a traditional grading structure)?

Caveat: Rubrics are about quality. Grades (in a traditional numeric-based system) are about quantifying. At times, it becomes necessary for a teacher to convert a student's performance on a rubric to a grade. Setting aside the challenges inherent in a traditional grading system (I'll leave that to people more invested in that particular topic), it is possible to convert a student's performance on a rubric to a grade a mark. However, two things should be noted:

1. The conversion is completely person-dependent. In other words, two people may arrive at a different conversion system because of the nature of their own grading systems.

2. It is possible to combine scoring charts, rubrics, and checklists to create the grading schema for a project. For example, a project could be worth 100 points. 50 points could be allocated for items from a checklist (i.e. 10 sources, 5 different authors, 10-15 slides, less than 5 minutes in length) and 50 points could be allocated for quality attributes assessed via a rubric.

Step 1: Decide whether your rubric will be weighted or un-weighted.

Step 2: Identify the highest number of points your rubric will allow.

For the rubric below, 16/16 is the highest if all dimensions (A,B,C,D) are weighted equally.

Step 3: Determine the lowest number of points your rubric will allow. For the rubric above, 4/16 is the lowest if all dimensions (A,B,C,D) are weighted equally.

Step 4: Decide what the highest and lowest rubric scores are equivalent to in your grading system by reading your rubric.

For example, I may decide that 16/16 is an A+ and that 4/16 is a D-. To do this, you have to read your rubric. The grades you select will depend on how you have described the highest and lowest levels of the rubric.

Step 5: Determine the point range and grade equivalents and then TEST it out. (In the example below, I need to check to see if a score of 12 for example, reads like a B+)

16/16 = A+

15/16 = A+

14/16 = A

13/16 = A-

12/16 = B+

11/16

10/16

9/16

8/16

7/16

6/16

5/16

4/16 = D-

Example of weighted rubric