I was preparing my environmental education endorsement for the state review process this last year and wanted to share something that really helped me.  This will also help with the NAAEE Accreditation process. 

One strategy I found very helpful was to use the Guidelines for Excellence Professional Development of Environmental Educators not only as a focus for activities I wanted students to accomplish, but also within my rubrics. I used the Guidelines within the criteria listed on the rubric. First, decide the scale, whether it will be three or five levels. It is important to focus on positive descripters when considering the scale, such as developing, average, accomplished or novice, intermediate, proficient, exemplary.  The scale numbers and descripters should be listed above each box horizontally. The descripters are listed vertically for each category.  Before deteriming the criteria, go through these four stages to help make the rubric. 

Then, reflect on what is wanted from the stuidents and why this assignment was created and what the professors expectations are. Look at the Guidelines for Excellence:  Professional Development of Enviornmental Educators to help determine this. List the details of the assignments and objectives the professor hopes to accomplish from the assignment. Finally, group similar ideas together from the first and second steps and add these ideas to the rubric. 

Determine which box to start listing the criteria.  Often people like to start with the first or the last box.  The last box lists everything that students should accomplish.  If the professor is using the exemplary category, include items that show that students went beyond what was expected in the criteria.  The box next to the exemplary, such as proficent, will have the criteria that was expected within the assignment.  The lowest box might show everything that students typically do wrong in not accomplishing the task.  It is also important to keep one set of criteria per box or put check marks or bullets to show how each criteria within a box is different so that students understand there are multiple tasks within each box.  By using the Professional Development of Enviornmental Educators to write my rubrics, I was able to make sure assignments aligned to these guidelines, which will make writing the accreditation packet much easier!

One book  I used to help write this blog on writing rubrics:

Stevens, Dannelle D. and Levi, Antonia J. (2013).  Introduction to Rubrics (2nd ed.).  Sterling, VA:  Styllus Publishing, LLC.