Capstone Presentation Rubric
Grades 6–12
Use this shorter rubric for the middle-school Portfolio Challenge and the high-school Investment Committee capstone.
StockSt uses fictional currency and simulated shares for education only. This is not investment advice.
| Criterion | 4 – Excellent | 3 – Good | 2 – Fair | 1 – Needs improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investment thesis | Clear, evidence-based, and acknowledges uncertainty. | Clear thesis with supporting evidence. | Thesis is present but weakly supported. | No clear thesis. |
| Portfolio strategy | Objective, allocation, constraints, and risks are aligned. | Strategy is mostly coherent. | Strategy is incomplete or inconsistent. | No coherent strategy. |
| Risk management | Quantifies risks and explains controls. | Identifies major risks and controls. | Mentions risk without controls. | Ignores risk. |
| Use of simulation data | Uses multiple relevant metrics and events. | Uses some relevant data. | Uses minimal data. | Uses no data. |
| Communication | Concise, organized, and responsive to questions. | Clear and organized. | Somewhat unclear or unprepared. | Difficult to follow. |
| Ethical disclaimer | Accurately explains simulation limits and avoids advice. | Includes an accurate disclaimer. | Disclaimer is vague. | Disclaimer missing or misleading. |
Suggested scoring
- 21–24 points: Excellent
- 15–20 points: Good
- 10–14 points: Fair
- 6–9 points: Needs improvement
Success criteria
Students present a clear, evidence-based thesis, a coherent strategy with quantified risk controls, and an accurate statement that StockSt is an educational simulation and not investment advice.
Implementation tips
- Use the same rubric language in student-facing checklists so students know what “proficient” looks like before they begin.
- Score process and product separately: a student may lose money in the simulation but still demonstrate excellent research, diversification, and risk reasoning.
- Require revisions: for middle and high school, allow students to revise a thesis or portfolio after market events, which rewards learning rather than short-term performance.
- Avoid rewarding returns alone: high simulated returns can result from luck or excessive risk. Weight reasoning, diversification, journaling, and risk controls more heavily than final balance.
- Include a privacy and ethics checkpoint: especially for elementary and middle school, verify that students use pseudonyms and understand that StockSt uses fictional currency and simulated shares.