Do you have to rely on the kids' honesty for the rubrics? How do you make sure they don't over-inflate their grades?

I don't just take the student's word for it. I carefully review each grading packet, especially at the beginning of the school year. I try to make the language very clear in the rubric, so there's not a lot of room for interpretation. In the beginning of the year, I work carefully with each student, and review their grade packets VERY carefully. Those kids who over-inflate their grades, I speak with them and we go over their scores. We basically take 10-15 minutes with me telling them, "You're not as good as you think you are." In a nice way, of course. Eventually, they learn to have a more honest assessment of themselves, and if they are NOT happy with the numbers that come out in the end, rather than fudging numbers, they just need to work that much harder during the next grading period.

Hope that helps. If not, give me a holler.

RVI