High School Rubric
Grades 9–12
Apply to the valuation memo, the portfolio proposal, the scenario-analysis worksheet, and the final Investment Committee capstone.
StockSt uses fictional currency and simulated shares for education only. This is not investment advice.
| Criterion | 1 – Beginning | 2 – Developing | 3 – Proficient | 4 – Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market and valuation concepts | Cannot distinguish price from value. | Defines concepts but applies them inconsistently. | Explains supply and demand, price discovery, valuation, and expected return. | Applies valuation reasoning to compare relative value and identify assumptions. |
| Research and analysis | Uses unsupported claims. | Uses limited data or relies on sentiment alone. | Integrates fundamentals, sentiment, price history, and risk factors. | Builds a coherent thesis, tests assumptions, and considers alternative outcomes. |
| Quantitative reasoning | Does not calculate return or allocation. | Makes calculation errors or incomplete work. | Accurately calculates expected return, allocation, and portfolio changes. | Calculates and interprets results, including downside scenarios and concentration effects. |
| Portfolio construction | No coherent strategy. | Portfolio exists but lacks goals or constraints. | Portfolio matches a stated objective, time horizon, and risk tolerance. | Designs a portfolio with explicit allocation limits, category exposure, and rebalancing logic. |
| Risk management | Ignores downside risk. | Mentions risk but has no controls. | Identifies key risks and uses position limits or diversification. | Stress-tests scenarios, quantifies drawdown, and adjusts strategy based on results. |
| Behavioral finance | Does not identify bias. | Names a bias without applying it. | Identifies relevant biases and their market impact. | Explains how bias affects decisions and implements specific behavioral safeguards. |
| Communication | Unclear or unsupported presentation. | Presents basic information. | Presents a clear thesis, evidence, and portfolio rationale. | Delivers a persuasive, well-structured investment-committee presentation with strong Q&A responses. |
| Ethics, compliance, and disclosure | Missing or incorrect disclaimer. | Includes a basic disclaimer. | Clearly distinguishes simulation from real investing and avoids investment advice. | Addresses data privacy, hype and misinformation, conflicts of interest, and responsible financial communication. |
Suggested scoring
- 28–32 points: Advanced
- 20–27 points: Proficient
- 12–19 points: Developing
- 8–11 points: Needs support
Success criteria
Students can construct and defend a diversified portfolio, calculate expected returns, evaluate valuation assumptions, quantify downside scenarios, recognize behavioral biases, and clearly communicate that StockSt is an educational simulation rather than investment advice.
Open High 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.