Non-scoring rubrics are a great way to give students clear feedback without assigning points to each criterion. Instead of showing a grade, you’re guiding students on how well they’re meeting expectations. This is especially useful for formative feedback, skill development, or assignments where qualitative feedback is more helpful than a number.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how to add and use a non-scoring rubric in Canvas to assess student submissions.
On This Page
- What is a Non-Scoring Rubric?
- How to Add a Non-Scoring Rubric
- How to Use It When Grading
- Things to Keep in Mind
What is a Non-Scoring Rubric?
A non-scoring rubric looks just like a regular rubric, except it doesn’t include any points. Instead of using scores, you select rating levels to give students structured feedback. These rubrics are perfect when:
- You want to focus on learning over grades.
- You’re giving feedback on drafts or practice work.
- You're helping students understand expectations before submitting a final version.
Tip: Students will still see the rubric, but they won’t see points or a grade coming from it—just your feedback.
Step 1: Add a Non-Scoring Rubric to an Assignment
- Go to your Canvas Assignments page and click on the assignment you want to attach the rubric to.
- Click the + Rubric button near the bottom of the assignment page.
- Use the fields to add your criteria and ratings as you normally would.
- At the bottom of the rubric window, uncheck the box labeled Use this rubric for assignment grading.
This is the key step! Unchecking this box tells Canvas that this rubric is for feedback only—no scores will be calculated from it.
- Click Create Rubric.
Step 2: Use the Rubric While Grading
When you go to grade submissions in SpeedGrader:
- You’ll see the rubric icon in the top right corner. Click it to open the rubric.
- You can now click on the performance levels for each criterion to give feedback.
Even though you're selecting levels, no points will be calculated. The rubric gives students qualitative feedback instead.
You can also leave comments on each criterion if you'd like to explain your choices.
Notes & Tips
- Students can see the rubric before and after submitting their assignment.
- These rubrics won’t impact grades, so they’re ideal for drafts or skill-building exercises.
- You can reuse rubrics in other courses or assignments if you save them to your account.
Final Thoughts
Using a non-scoring rubric in Canvas is a great way to shift the focus from grades to growth. By clearly showing students what you’re looking for—without tying it to points—you open the door to more constructive conversations and deeper learning.
Whether you're trying it out for peer reviews, formative feedback, or creative work that’s hard to quantify, non-scoring rubrics let you maintain clarity and structure while emphasizing learning first.