Rubrics can be the key to assessing the "soft" skills vital to a 21^st century learner. They provide a student with a clear picture of what success looks like, and they allow teachers to open the curriculum to deeper learning. Developing and refining rubrics, however, is an instructional art. Fortunately, sharing them is common practice in the education community.

Route 21, a resource database from the Partnership for 21^st Skills has gathered their favorite rubrics. Many come from their local Tucson, AZ school district, Catalina Foothills School District #16. This district's commitment to 21^st century learning has added productivity, teamwork, cultural competence, interactive communication, critical thinking, technology, and systems thinking to the core curriculum. Route 21 hosts three rubrics from Catalina Foothills SD16:

• Critical Thinking Rubrics
• Productivity Rubric
• Self-Direction Rubric

The less often seen "productivity rubric" includes relevant and realistic goals, systemic and comprehensive plan, effective and sustained effort, and results that are valued and meet the standard.

Route 21 also hosts rubrics from Napa, California's New Technology High School. The school was designed to not be a career academy singularly-focused on technology, and it aims to serves students who have not been actively engaged by learning in the past. It integrates technology extensively for project-based learning, effective alternative assessments,

individualized learning, and distributed leadership. Route 21 hosts five 21^st century rubrics from this innovative school:

• Critical Thinking Evaluation Rubric
• Oral Presentation Rubric
• Peer Collaboration and Teamwork Rubric
• Work Ethic Rubric
• Written Communication Rubric

For more, search "rubrics" on the advanced search at route 21. Route 21 also welcomes submissions.