Grading Policy
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The grades for formal writing assignments will be broken down as follows.
(Adapted from Juda Bennett's grading guidelines)
(a) Technical Form (5%): Double-spaced on 8.5"x11" paper with one-inch margins all around. Pages numbered. Instructor's name, course title and number, your name, date, and word count on a cover page or in the upper left corner of the first page. Every essay must have a title. All sources consulted must be fully cited, using any consistent format (APA and MLA are both acceptable); this includes citations from the internet. Here's a brief handbook on citing electronic sources. (Providing only the URL is not acceptable.) Use of source materials in ways that violate academic integrity will result in a score of zero for the project as a whole. Check out this Academic Integrity link.
(b) Writing Style (15%): Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Careful choice of words and diction for clarity and precision of expression. Varied sentence length and structure. Active verbs, ascribing agency where it belongs. Accurate use of technical and theoretical language, combined with clear, plain, and vivid speech. Unnecessary repetitiousness and poorly developed ideas will count against both writing style and organization. It's OK to use "I" in essays--but do it carefully. Here are some guidelines for using "I".
(c) Organization (15%): Whatever structuring method you use, the essay must have an overall cohesiveness and show that you have planned it and thought it through. Develop your ideas, and provide guide-posts to that development. Transition statements help, but the essay should also have an underlying flow of ideas--perhaps a story about how your own thinking progressed, or an argument to highlight a particular perspective. Consider writing an outline or creating a concept map before you start; consider devoting an hour to prewriting and going back to organize the best ideas into a flow. Consider writing the introduction after you have written the rest of the paper. Consider developing the end in a fresh new way. Here are some tips on writing endings, and here are some on writing introductions.
(d) Content (65%): If there are significant problems with the form, style, or organization of the paper, it may be difficult for the reader to fully appreciate the content. Your grade will depend not only on the strength of your ideas, but also on how successfully you convey your best ideas. The content score also depends upon your grasp of what your sources are saying. Essays that rely on self-evident statements, cliches, unsupported generalizations, and easy answers in general will receive low content scores. Essays that consist largely of passages or close paraphrases of sources without proper documentation will receive a total score of 0. Again, check out this Academic Integrity link.
The criteria for grading informal writing and presentations will vary somewhat from the above and will be specified in assignment sheets for those projects.
How these criteria work out in letter grades.
(Adapted from the grading guidelines of the Princeton University Writing Center.)
CHARACTERISTICS OF "A" WRITING
"A" work builds on the requirements of an assignment and does more, showing an intellectual or imaginative engagement that transforms the project in an unusual way. It avoids the obvious, presenting illuminating insights. Ideas are flexibly developed, but with control and purpose. The student has taken time to find the right words, to avoid clichés and unsupported generalizations, to communicate ideas with precision. These projects often focus on a very specific aspect of a big issue, and, while they may not claim to come up with "the" answer, they reach toward new questions and new perspectives on a problem. Ideas are supported by well chosen evidence; ideas are linked with other ideas, sources with other sources. An "A" essay or presentation has a richly developed central idea; shows a detailed understanding of sources; has sound organization; has few if any grammatical or mechanical errors. A lively, original voice speaks; it has something special to say, says it well, and supports it fully.
"B" WRITING
"B" work effectively fulfills the requirements of the assignment, showing independent thought and active engagement with the topic. The project has a clear sense of order which shows conscious planning and crafting. Ideas are well thought out, reasonably interpreted in their context, well demonstrated from sources and supported by appropriate examples. Only minor technical or stylistic errors are present. From overall organization to word choice, the writer has invested the project with purpose, direction, and strategy.
"C" WRITING
"C" work shows an effort to present ideas, but the effort has not been effective. The project may be padded with unconnected materials or it may say the same thing over and over. Instead of analysis, the project relies on clichés, self-evident statements, or unsupported generalizations. The project may show incomprehension or confusion about what the sources have to say, or sources may simply be quoted or paraphrased rather than analyzed. Supporting examples are few, and those included may not clearly support the writer’s central point. Organization is either mechanical, or it falls apart. Some words and concepts are misused.
If you are performing at this level, get help right away. Go to The Write Place in Forcina and set up an appointment with a writing consultant.
"D" WRITING
A “D” project wanders around without a point and lacks substance. It may resemble a "C" project but be significantly shorter than the assigned length. Ideas are few and shallow.
"F" WRITING
“F” is a no-show, a project that shows minimal effort, or a project that violates intellectual integrity. This includes projects that show a pattern of inappropriate paraphrase or uncited copying from other sources, as well as essays written for other courses and resubmitted. See the links below for details on academic integrity and a definition of plagiarism and how to avoid it.
Academic integrity: What are the common violations, and how do you avoid them?
What is plagiarism and how do you avoid it? Check out this valuable website.