Create and manage grading rubrics in Microsoft Teams
Applies ToMicrosoft Teams for Education

Use the rubrics tool when creating an assignment in Microsoft Teams to develop and distribute customizable, reusable rubrics that students can reference. Refer to them later for evaluating student work.

How to create a grading rubric with AI

  1. Sign into microsoft365.com.

  2. Select Teams.

  3. Navigate to your class team and select Assignments.

  4. Select Create > Assignment.

  5. Select Add rubric > + Add rubric. This will open the rubric creator.add rubric

6. Choose the Create AI Rubric button. 

create rubric using ai

7.  Enter a title and a description. The data entered here will be used to prompt the AI for content, so the more information entered here about your assignment, the AI system is likely to return results that better fit your assignment.  

8. Select a grade level, rubric scale, and enter criteria for what the rubric will evaluate. The information you enter here will function as the prompt for the AI feature to compile an appropriate rubric for your assignment.  

  • Scale options include:

  • Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor

  • Exceed standard, Meets standard, Below standard

  • Yes, No

  • Custom

AI can be used to generate suggestions for criteria. The criteria entered will appear as a list, like in the image below.

ai rubric criteria

Pick the +New Criteria option every time you wish to add new criteria for the rubric to evaluate.

9. Choose the Create rubric using AI button in the bottom right corner.  

create rubric

10. The rubric will be created. No points will be displayed by default. This Generative AI feature will fill in each cell of the rubric with concise, clear, expectations for the student to meet to be awarded a passing grade. 

grading rubric

Tip: Navigate up to the top right corner to toggle on the Points switch. This will enable weighted grade percentage points for each row on the rubric.  If you chose to add points to your rubric, you can enter different percentages in each row to weigh certain criteria more heavily than others. Make sure all percentages total 100. To reset percentages, select Evenly redistribute weights

 11. Customize your rubric by performing the following actions: 

  • Reordering rows: Hover over a row and choose the move rubric icon to reorder and move an entire row.

  • Edit Headers: Choose the down arrow icon (rubric down arrow icon). Select the Edit option to change the header name and grade weight. Choose the Done button when finished.

  • Copy Headers: Row and criteria column headers can be duplicated by choosing the down arrow icon (rubric down arrow icon). Select the Duplicate option to copy the row or column. The grade weight will read “und“ until all weights are edited to equal exactly 100%.

  • Delete Headers: Select the down arrow icon (rubric down arrow icon). Select the Delete option to erase the row or criteria column.

  • Fill in using AI: The first generation of AI content for a rubric isn’t always the best. Choose the down arrow icon (rubric down arrow icon). Select the option for Fill in row/column using AI. The system will regenerate suggested content only for that row or column. Alternatively, you can choose the Modify rubric using AI button. Learn more about regenerating AI rubric content. 

12. When you finish customizing your rubric, select Attach.  

Finish filling in the details of your assignment, then select Assign to send it to your students. When students open this assignment, they’ll be able to reference the rubric. 

Note: Preview your student’s view of the assignment by opening it and select Student view.

Word download

The completed rubric can be downloaded as a .docx word document by following the steps below:  

  1. Navigate to an assignment with your rubric.

  2. Choose your rubric.

  3. Navigate to Download as docx button.

  4. Selecting this option will download the rubric as a docx document.

The grading rubric can now be printed out and distributed.  

Language

When you add content to be generated by AI, it will be generated by the language Microsoft Teams is set to. Follow the directions below to change your language in Teams:  

1. Go to Teams Settings > Appearance and Accessibility.  

2. Choose Language. Even if another language is typed in the box, content will be generated in the selected language.  

  language

How to create a grading rubric without AI

  1. Sign into microsoft365.com.

  2. Select Teams.

  3. Navigate to your class team and select Assignments.

  4. Select Create > Assignment.

  5. Select Add rubric > + Add rubric. This will open the rubric creator.add rubric

  6. Add a Title (required), optional Description, and turn on Points if you’d like to assign point values to your grading criteria.new rubric

Customize your grading criteria: The Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor defaults can be edited to match your own grading strategy. Customize points here if you decided to add them.

  • Select Copy row Copy link code icon to duplicate a row.

  • Select Add row  Cross icon at top of the screen to create a new row.

  • Select Delete row  Delete team trash can button to delete a row.

Tip: If you chose to add points to your rubric, you can enter different percentages in each row to weigh certain criteria more heavily than others. Make sure all percentages total 100. To reset percentages, select Evenly redistribute weights.weighted points

  1. When you finish customizing your rubric, select Attach.

  2. Finish filling in the details of your assignment, then select Assign to send it to your students. When students open this assignment, they’ll be able to reference the rubric.

    Tip: Preview your student's view of the assignment by opening it and selecting Student view.

Re-use a rubric you've already made

Every time you create a rubric and attach it to an assignment, it will be saved to your rubric list. To re-use a rubric:

  1. Navigate to your class team and select Assignments.

  2. Select Create > Assignment.

  3. Select Add rubric, choose a rubric from the list, then select Next.choose a rubric

  4. Make edits if needed.

  5. Select Attach.

Learn more

Grading schemes on Teams Assignments

Getting started creating rubrics with AI

Grading an Assignment Overview

Grade student work using a rubric

  1. Navigate to your class and select Assignments.

  2. Select the assignment you’re reviewing.

  3. Select the document your student has attached underneath Status to open it in the full-screen grading view.

  4. Select the rubric name and it will open to the side of the student’s document.

  5. As you review your student’s work, use the dropdown menu or arrows to choose the criteria you’re assessing.Select the section of the student's assignment to grade

  6. Select the corresponding score you want to give the student for that criterion. When you select it, the scoring square will turn blue.Select the grade you want to assign them for the selected section and type feedback at the bottom

  7. Enter any personalized feedback you’d like to pair with these criteria in the feedback box.  

    Note: You can also pop out the grading rubric if you prefer to look at the whole grid at once while making your selections.Students can view the the Rubric for themselves

  8. Continue until you’ve worked your way through the rubric, then select Done.

  9. If you set point values and weighting while creating your rubric, points for the assignment will already be tabulated. Add additional feedback here if you’d like, too.

  10. Select Return to send this work back to your student now or skip to the next student using the arrows to keep grading.

When a student receives their returned work, they can open their rubric and see how you scored their work, including your personalized feedback:Student view of rubric feedback.

Learn more

Grading schemes on Teams Assignments

Getting started creating rubrics with AI

Grading an Assignment Overview

Delete a rubric so that it no longer appears in your rubric list. This will not remove the rubric from assignments where it's already attached.

  1. Select Add rubric in a new or existing assignment draft.

  2. Select the x next to the rubric you'd like to remove.Select the x next to the rubric.

Note: Rubrics attached to draft assignments can't be deleted.

Learn more

Grading schemes on Teams Assignments

Getting started creating rubrics with AI

Grading an Assignment Overview

Share rubrics you've created in Microsoft Teams by downloading them as a .csv file. When the .csv is uploaded back into Teams, the rubric will retain all of the original's structure and content. Simply adapt for your own use and attach to an assignment.

Download a rubric for sharing

  1. Navigate to your class and select the Assignments tab.

  2. Select an assignment with your rubric attached, then Edit assignment.

  3. Select the rubric to open it.

  4.  Select Download as .csv and follow the prompts to save your rubric as a .csv file.Download a rubric as a .csv file.

Now, the .csv file is all set to share with other educators. Share to a PLC or Staff team to give everyone access.

Note: For best results, edit your rubrics in Teams instead of in other programs.

Upload a .csv rubric file to Teams

Follow these steps to add a .csv rubric that's been shared with you.

Important: You should only upload .csv rubrics that were originally downloaded from Teams.

  1. Select Add rubric in a new or existing assignment draft.

  2. Select Upload rubric, choose your .csv file, then select Next.Select Upload rubric.

  3. Review the rubric you've added in the rubric creator window and make any adjustments.

  4. Select Attach to add it to your assignment. You'll be able to reuse this rubric for future assignments, too.

Learn more

Grading schemes on Teams Assignments

Getting started creating rubrics with AI

Grading an Assignment Overview

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