A rubric is a multi-purpose scoring guide for assessing student products and performances. This tool works in a number of different ways to advance student learning, and has great potential in particular for non-traditional, first generation, and minority students. In addition, rubrics improve teaching, contribute to sound assessment, and are an important source of information for program improvement. In this article, we discuss key features of a quality rubric, present an example of a rubric for assessing a social science research study, and describe three basic steps in designing an effective rubric.