Rubric Maker

Public Service Announcement (PSA) Rubric Template

A ready-to-use, analytic public service announcement (PSA) rubric for Video, audio, or poster PSA on a health, safety, or community issue (Grades 6–12). Score whether the PSA would get a specific audience to know one true thing and act on it — not how polished the production looks. Edit it for your own assignment, print it, download it as a Word file, or share a link with your students.

Edit this template in the maker →

The public service announcement (PSA) rubric

CriterionExcellent (4)Proficient (3)Developing (2)Beginning (1)
Single focused messageThe whole PSA delivers one message a viewer could repeat in a single sentence after one viewing, and every line, image, or sound supports that message.One main message is clear, but one segment drifts into a second point or a fact that does not support it.Two or three messages compete for attention, so a viewer would struggle to say which one the PSA is about.No clear message — the PSA is a collection of facts or images about a topic without a point.
Accuracy & sourcing of factsEvery statistic and factual claim is correct and traceable to a credible named source (such as a government health or safety agency), cited on screen, in the credits, or on an attached source list.Claims are correct and sourced, but one statistic is uncited or rounded in a way that changes its meaning.Several claims have no source, or one claim is outdated or taken from an unreliable site.Key claims are inaccurate, invented, or impossible to trace to any source.
Audience targetingBuilt for a specific named audience (for example, teen drivers or parents of toddlers): its examples, language, and setting are ones that group would recognize as being about them.A specific audience is named and mostly addressed, but one example or word choice fits a different age or group.The audience is general ('people', 'everyone'), so the examples and language could be aimed at anyone.No audience is evident, or the tone and content would put off the group most affected by the issue.
Persuasive appealUses a deliberate persuasive approach (a relatable scenario, an emotional appeal, or showing what peers actually do) that fits the audience, and stays honest — no exaggerated risk or shock images unrelated to the facts.A persuasive approach is present and fits the audience, but it is applied unevenly or leans on one exaggerated moment.Relies mostly on listing facts, or the appeal used (such as a shock image) does not connect to the message.No attempt to persuade, or the appeal is misleading enough that the audience would likely dismiss the message.
Call to action & time limitEnds with one specific, doable action (a number to call, a site to visit, a behavior to change), shown or said clearly, and runs within the assigned time or size limit.Gives a specific action and stays within the limit, but the action is easy to miss — on screen too briefly or buried mid-PSA.The action is vague ('make good choices', 'spread awareness'), or the PSA runs noticeably over the assigned limit.No call to action, or the PSA ignores the time or format requirement entirely.

Four levels — Excellent (4) to Beginning (1). Print this page, or open it in the editor to change the wording, levels, or points.

How to use this rubric

PSA projects usually get graded with a video rubric, which rewards whoever has the best editing software. But a public service announcement has one job: get a specific audience to know one true thing and do one thing about it, usually in 30 to 60 seconds. This rubric grades that job — a message a viewer could repeat, facts that trace back to a real source, an audience narrower than 'everyone', a persuasive approach that stays honest, and an action the viewer can actually take. It works for video, audio, and poster PSAs.

Why these criteria

Each row targets something the assignment is really teaching, with descriptors written to be observable rather than vague:

Single focused message
A PSA gets 30 to 60 seconds or one glance; students who try to fit in everything they researched leave the audience remembering nothing.
Accuracy & sourcing of facts
A PSA speaks to the public with authority; a wrong statistic about health or safety misleads real people even in a class project, so every claim should trace back to a source the student can name.
Audience targeting
'Everyone' is not an audience; naming who the PSA is for is what decides its language, its examples, and where it would realistically be seen or heard.
Persuasive appeal
Facts alone rarely change behavior; this row checks that the student chose a deliberate way to persuade and used it without exaggeration that makes the audience stop trusting the message.
Call to action & time limit
A PSA that raises awareness but never tells the audience what to do leaves the job half done, and the time limit is part of the genre rather than an arbitrary rule.

How to adapt it

Frequently asked questions

How long should a student PSA be?
Broadcast PSAs typically run 15, 30, or 60 seconds, and 30 to 60 seconds is a sensible range for a class assignment. State the limit up front: 'Call to action & time limit' treats running over as a real problem, because deciding what to cut is how students find their single message.
How is a PSA rubric different from a video project rubric?
A video project rubric grades the filmmaking — shot composition, editing, pacing, and audio. This rubric grades the message — accuracy, audience, persuasion, and the call to action — so a PSA filmed on a phone in one take can earn full marks. If the film itself is the point of your assignment, use the Video Project Rubric, or add a production row using the modification tips above.
What topics work well for a PSA assignment?
Topics with a specific behavior attached work best: distracted driving, vaping, sun protection, hand washing, cyberbullying, or your town's recycling rules. Broad topics like 'pollution' or 'mental health' make 'Single focused message' hard to earn unless students narrow them to one action.
Can students use scary images or statistics?
They can, but 'Persuasive appeal' marks down shock that is exaggerated or disconnected from the facts. Frightening a viewer without giving them a clear step to take tends to make people tune the message out, so a PSA that pairs a relatable situation with one concrete action should score higher than one built on fear alone.

More rubric templates