Effects of instructional rubrics on class engagement behaviors and the achievement of lesson objectives by students with mild mental retardation and their typical peers

Aligning standards and individual needs of students with disabilities has been emphasized as a prerequuite for the students' access to, and meaningful progress in, the general curriculum. As inclusive assessment took, instructional rubrics are believed to have potential in effectively linking standards and the Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals of students with disabilities and in enhancing self-directed learning of all students involved with the in-depth application during class. This study examined the effects of instructional rubrics on class engagement behaviors and the achievement of lesson objectives by students with mild mental retardation and their same-age peers. The results demonstrated that class engagement behaviors of the students with mild mental retardation drastically improved. The achievement of lesson objectives by all the participants evaluated through rubrics was statistically significant. Implications for practitioners and for future researchers were also discussed.