Appendix A: Holistic Rubric for General Fields Qualifying Exam

Holistic Rubric

Implementation

• First, each committee member will rate each question as unsatisfactory, satisfactory, or excellent based on the five factors within the holistic rating system.
• Second, each committee member will consider their ratings across questions to make a judgment of whether the overall work is unsatisfactory, satisfactory, or excellent.

Knowledge of the Literature

The student’s response demonstrates:

• grounding in the professional literature (e.g., empirical research, policy, theory, case law)
• accurate description of the professional literature
• acknowledgement of conflicting findings across studies

Innovation

The student’s response demonstrates:

• understanding of gaps in the literature
• understanding of how their work or another researcher’s
  work contributes to the field of special education
• original and novel ideas

Critical Thinking and Reasoning

The student’s response demonstrates:

• independent thinking
• depth and complexity of thinking
• justification of ideas

Writing Quality

The student’s response demonstrates:

• clear explanation of ideas
• organized and logical sequencing of ideas
• command of academic language

Use of Appropriate APA Style

• The student’s response demonstrates knowledge and skill in
  using APA style