Economics Issue

Economics Issue Paper Rubric
Five Criteria:
Economic Issue, Social Importance, Economic Principles, Sources and Clarity; and,
Four Levels of Achievement: Poor (D), Fair (C), Good (B) and Great (A)
Criteria
1. Economic Issue
Poor: Not an unresolved matter of importance in the allocation of resources and not clearly
articulated.
Fair: An unresolved matter of importance in the allocation of resources and but not clearly
articulated.
Good: An unresolved matter of importance in the allocation of resources, clearly articulated and
consideration of some policy options.
Great: An unresolved matter of importance in the allocation of resources, well-articulated and
consideration of all policy options (leaving nothing unresolved).
2. Social Importance
Poor: Social importance not present or not articulated.
Fair: Socially important topic but not well articulated.
Good: Socially important topic and well-articulated.
Great: Socially important topic, well-articulated, timely and relevant for immediate action.
3. Economic principles (concepts and applications)
Poor: Fail to integrate relevant economic principles; lacking in definitions and explanation.
Fair: Identifies relevant economic principles, but does not demonstrate clear understanding of
their details, application or sources.
Good: Identifies and explains application of relevant economic principles, but lacks clarity and
originality. All of the principles are present, but lacks clarity.
Great: Identifies, explains and demonstrates application of relevant economic principles in one’s
own words throughout clearly articulating an understanding found in research, readings and
lecturers.
4. Sources
Poor: Few news sources and no definitive sources (like a text book); open access internet
sources like Wikipedia are unacceptable.
Fair: One definitive source (like a text book), some news and limited additional economics
sources
Good: 5-7 economics sources; a few peer-reviewed journal articles or books.
Great: 5-7 peer-reviewed journal articles or books
5. Clarity
Poor: Poor sentence and paragraph structure, misspellings and grammatical errors. Uses long
quotes, lack of own wording demonstrating limited understanding. Overly wordy (or sparse) and
confusing.
Fair: No misspellings or gross grammar mistakes. Paragraphs are organized so that ideas are
presented in obvious stream of thought. Weak sentences lead to confusion.
Good: No misspellings or grammar errors. Well-structured paragraphs and sentence, but
narrative could be better focused (better order of paragraphs, transitions between paragraphs or
active v. passive voice).
Great: Direct, tight and concise sentences, thoughts, definitions and points. Active voice is
better than passive voice, no misspellings or grammar mistakes. Well organized paragraphs and
structured sentence. Flows and reads well. Original and rich language throughout the paper.