Elementary School Rubric
Grades 3–5
Score Lessons 1–5 individually, or use the final “My Celebrity Portfolio” showcase as the summative assessment.
StockSt uses fictional currency and simulated shares for education only. This is not investment advice.
| Criterion | 1 – Beginning | 2 – Developing | 3 – Proficient | 4 – Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Understanding ownership | Cannot explain what a share is. | Says a share is “something you buy” but not ownership. | Explains that a share means owning a small part of something. | Explains ownership and connects it to why share value can change. |
| Saving and goals | No clear saving goal. | Identifies a goal but cannot explain a tradeoff. | Sets a realistic goal and explains saving versus spending. | Explains a goal, a tradeoff, and a plan for reaching it. |
| Price movement | Does not connect events to prices. | Identifies that news can change prices. | Explains how a specific event may raise or lower a price. | Predicts price direction and gives a logical cause-and-effect explanation. |
| Diversification | Puts all coins in one share. | Owns multiple shares without explanation. | Owns shares from different categories and explains spreading risk. | Explains how diversification reduces the impact of one bad outcome. |
| Simulation participation | Minimal participation. | Completes some activities with support. | Completes activities and uses StockSt independently. | Helps peers, asks thoughtful questions, and reflects on choices. |
| Reflection and honesty | Missing reflection. | Reflection is general. | Explains one lesson learned. | Explains what they would do differently and distinguishes simulation money from real money. |
Suggested scoring
- 18–24 points: Advanced understanding
- 13–17 points: Proficient
- 8–12 points: Developing
- 6–7 points: Needs additional support
Success criteria
Students can say, “A share is a small piece of something,” “Saving means waiting for a goal,” “News can make prices go up or down,” and “Owning different things can make my portfolio safer.”
Open Elementary School lesson unit →
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.