This book is designed to help teachers: clarify the targets of instruction, especially for hard-to-define problem solving; provide valid and reliable assessment of student learning; and improve student motivation and achievement by helping students understand the nature of quality for performances and products. Each chapter is framed by an essential question and includes illustrative stories, practical examples, tips and cautions, and a summary of key points and recommended resources for further information. The six chapters are: (1) "Mapping the Terrain" (what performance criteria and rubrics are and how they can support instruction and improve student achievement); (2) "Choices, Choices, Choices" (what types of rubrics exist and how they are best used); (3) "Developing Rubrics" (how to design effective scoring rubrics); (4) "A Rubric for Rubrics: or, It's Metarubric Time" (how to know when an effective rubric is achieved); (5) "Performance Standards and Grading" (how good good enough is); and (6) "Teaching Performance Criteria to Students"(how to use rubrics to improve and judge student performance). A resources section contains a collection of sample rubrics. (SM)