In my Master's program rubrics were also used to allow students to see what exactly they need to do to get a certain grade so they could decide how much effort they wanted to put into it based on the time they had with all their other work and family responsibilities. I'm honestly not sure how value added assessments can be useful.

Subjective assessments are going to be more labor intensive, but the using a rubric would help mitigate that fact. I didn't know that was another use of a rubric. 

At the beginning of my program, we do a diagnostic assessment in the two areas: computer literacy and the pre-release program. We call these "pre-tests." At the end is a summative assessment which we call a post-test, but only on the pre-release program. The only thing we do not do is adjust he program based on the scores. They are essentially used to evaluate whether I am teaching the material correctly (resulting in increased scores). I doubt it really aides the student since they all get credit for the program regardless of scores. I am very good at formative assessment.… >>>

Choose assessment tools that accurately measure the outcomes of the course. Also choose a variety of assessments since some students may not do well in one but might do well in another.

Comparing students' scores with their own past scores is a great way to see how individual students are progressing. It is one thing to consider in teaching effectiveness.

Subjective grading takes time. A well-developed rubric for subjective assignments is helpful.

Diagnostic assessment and formative assessment overlap; these include: 1) pre-test, 2) muddiest point, and 3) the 1-2-3- list (meaning three things you need to know to produce something).

Online tools must be appropriate for the learning objectives, the students and the instructor. Using students to evaluate and project based learning online is intriguing.

In this lesson, I learned about a useful tool called STOOL that helps to identify the steps to plan a lesson assessment. The integrity planner is also an excellent resource for pinpointing specific questions and targeting knowledge based on the objectives.

I use rubrics to assess discussions in the online course.