Critical Thinking

Information and Discovery

• Collect, assess and analyze relevant information.
• Reason effectively. Use systems thinking.
• Make sound judgments and decisions.
• Identify, define and solve authentic problems and essential questions.
• Reflect critically on learning experiences, processes and solutions.

• Provides a thorough description of the problem, investigation, or challenge, including all important details, in his/her own words.
• Creates a large number of questions; questions are always clear. Although some questions are fairly easy to answer, includes a number of powerful questions (i.e., open, requiring a lot of thought).

"The Standard"

• Clearly explains the problem, investigation, or challenge in his/her own words
• Creates an acceptable number of questions; and questions are usually clear.

• Defines the problem, investigation, or challenge in his/her own words, but explanation is a little unclear
• Creates a small number of related questions; and questions are sometimes clear.

• Shows an inability to explain the problem, investigation, or challenge in his/her own words
• Creates a small number of questions; and questions are unclear.

Critical Thinking

Interpretation and Analysis

• Collect, assess and analyze relevant information.
• Reason effectively. Use systems thinking.
• Make sound judgments and decisions.
• Identify, define and solve authentic problems and essential questions.
• Reflect critically on learning experiences, processes and solutions.

• Clearly and accurately describes sources’ points of view.
• Explains how sources use reasons and evidence to support particular points.

"The Standard"

• Clearly and accurately describes points of view from a variety of sources.

• Attempts to describe the points of view of a small number of sources, but explanation may be a little unclear.

• Is beginning to show understanding of the concept of point of view.
• Is building a foundation to describe sources’ points of view.

Critical Thinking

Reasoning

• Collect, assess and analyze relevant information.
• Reason effectively. Use systems thinking.
• Make sound judgments and decisions.
• Identify, define and solve authentic problems and essential questions.
• Reflect critically on learning experiences, processes and solutions.

• Clearly explains what he/she believes, but has not proven, about the problem, investigation, or challenge—
  i.e., assumptions. When describing inferences, explains the assumptions used to make inferences.

"The Standard"

• Clearly describes inferences, finds meaning that is not explicitly (clearly) stated by sources, and makes conclusions on the basis of available information.

• Attempts to describe inferences, but descriptions are a little unclear.

• Is beginning to show understanding of inferences; is building the foundation to make and describe own inferences.

Critical Thinking

Problem Solving / Solution Finding

• Collect, assess and analyze relevant information.
• Reason effectively. Use systems thinking.
• Make sound judgments and decisions.
• Identify, define and solve authentic problems and essential questions.
• Reflect critically on learning experiences, processes and solutions.

• Offers a very clear and convincing description of how to best solve the problem, meet the challenge, or answer the inquiry question. Tests ideas, assesses the outcome, and decides if a new solution is necessary.
• When using systems thinking in problem solving, describes inputs and outputs within a system; describes how the output will change if an input is changed.

"The Standard"

• Explains ideas about how to best solve the problem, meet the challenge, or answer the inquiry question. Clearly describes why their ideas make sense.
• Uses systems thinking in problem solving. Describes the function of the whole system, names all of the parts, describes the function of each part, and predicts what would happen if a part is missing.

• Explains ideas about how to best solve the problem, meet the challenge, or answer the inquiry question, but the explanation is a little unclear. Describes why their ideas make sense, but description could be more convincing.
• Is beginning to use systems thinking in problem solving. Describes the function of the whole system, names all of the parts, and describes the function of each part, but is unable to predict what will happen if a part is missing.

• Is beginning to show understanding of how to create ideas regarding how to solve a problem, meet a challenge, or answer an inquiry question; is building the foundation to develop solutions and explain ideas.
• Is beginning to show understanding how to use systems thinking in problem solving. Describes the function of the whole system and names all of the parts, but is unable to describe the function of each part or predict what will happen if a part is missing.

Critical Thinking

Constructing Arguments

• Collect, assess and analyze relevant information.
• Reason effectively. Use systems thinking.
• Make sound judgments and decisions.
• Identify, define and solve authentic problems and essential questions.
• Reflect critically on learning experiences, processes and solutions.

• Explains opinion with multiple reasons and documented proof in a well-organized, logical order.

"The Standard"

• Gathers an adequate, acceptable amount of proof from sources to support opinion / position.

• Offers a limited number of supported reasons; supports reasons with facts and details.

• Is beginning to show understanding of how to make arguments; is learning how to identify opinions, proof, reasons, facts, and details in arguments.

Critical Thinking

Self-Regulation / Reflection

• Collect, assess and analyze relevant information.
• Reason effectively. Use systems thinking.
• Make sound judgments and decisions.
• Identify, define and solve authentic problems and essential questions.
• Reflect critically on learning experiences, processes and solutions.

• Accurately self-assesses his/her ability to gather and interpret information, make inferences, find solutions, and construct arguments.

"The Standard"

• Clearly explains the critical thinking skills he/she used in the unit, in his/her own words.
• Often assesses one’s own critical thinking dispositions with accuracy.
  (Does the student always try hard to understand? Allow enough time and effort for thinking? Reflect on the amount of support that he/she needs during the critical thinking process?)

• Defines critical thinking in his/her own words. Explains the critical thinking skills assessed in the unit, in his/her own words, but explanation is somewhat unclear.
• Sometimes assesses one’s own critical thinking dispositions with accuracy.
  (Does the student always try hard to understand? Allow enough time and effort for thinking? Reflect on the amount of support that he/she needs during the critical thinking process?)

• Is beginning to show understanding that there are critical thinking skills and that with practice, he/she can improve these skills.
• Is building a foundation to explain the critical thinking skills assessed in the unit, in his/her own words.
• Rarely assesses one’s own critical thinking dispositions with accuracy.
  (Does the student always try hard to understand? Allow enough time and effort for thinking? Reflect on the amount of support that he/she needs during the critical thinking process?)