EFFECTIVE GRADING STRATEGIES A workshop presented by New

EFFECTIVE GRADING STRATEGIES A workshop presented by New York City College of Technology Writing Fellows Emily Crandall Drew Fleming Pamela Thielman 1

Workshop Goals I. Advance Planning for the Grading Process II. Effective Grading and Minimal Marking 2

Activity Read the text provided on page one of your handout and mark it as you would your own students’ work. 3

4 Lower-Order Concerns Higher-Order Concerns § § § § Thesis statement Quality of argument/ideas Evidence used correctly Logic of conclusions Use of topic sentences Organization of paper Follows assignment? Demonstrates understanding of course material § § § § Grammar (agreement) Spelling Formatting (font, spacing) Citation Punctuation Sentence structure Vocabulary/word choice Style

Myth “Students’ writing will improve in direct proportion to the amount of time their teachers spend on their papers. ” (Hairston 2002) 5

Lay the Foundation § Before you hand out assignment: § Design effective assignments § Establish clear grading criteria § Rubrics § After you hand out the assignment: § Have a class discussion § Meet with students (one-on-one or in groups) 6

Share the Workload § Use Library Resources § Atrium Learning Center § http: //www. citytech. cuny. edu/students/learningcenter/ § ESL Writing Tutors in English Department § Peer Review § WAC Fellows 7

Build on WAC Principles § Scaffolding § Low stakes/high stakes assignments § Assignment handouts § Establish Clear Grading Criteria § Rubrics 8

More Strategies for Grading Preparation § Peer Review In class § As homework § Online § 9

How do students perceive feedback? § Coach vs. judge § Encourage student autonomy Students at Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA 10

Instructor Feedback: General Themes § “At least do no harm” § Recognize that students interpret most feedback from instructors as criticism § Be careful not to turn students into our adversaries § Frame comments in a forward-looking way 11

Roles of Grading § Evaluation § Communication § Motivation 12

13 Minimal Marking § Supports students in improving their writing § Gives students concrete ways to fix what has been marked § Encourages student accountability for the quality of their writing § Saves time!

Strategies for Marking High Stakes Assignments Low Stakes Assignments § No marking § Have a conversation § Ask questions § § Put the pen down! Selective line edits End comments Develop a Key 14

One Option: Develop a Key Incorrect word Upper case/lower case Incorrect sentence Join Insertion Provide more support Reversal Awkward phrasing Delete Redundancy Combine ideas for concision Yes! Well Said New Paragraph 15

Supportive Responding § § Ask questions Use any color ink or pencil…except red Write in legible and complete sentences Vary and prioritize feedback 16

17 Supportive Responding (excerpted from K. Walk)

Types of Feedback § Supportive Feedback § “You’ve done a great job at finding facts and quotes to support your argument” § “You have included facts that support your argument” § Revision-Oriented Feedback § “Your supporting arguments need some development, but your thesis statement is clear and strong. ” § Informational Feedback § “Most states do allow a waiting period before an adoption is final—Do you feel that all such laws are wrong? ” § Technical Feedback § “Your use of verb tenses is often confused. Please review paragraphs 1 and 2 on page 4 where those errors were corrected for you. ” 18

Group Grading Exercise 19

Conclusion § Plan ahead § Use resources § Mark minimally and supportively 20

References Bean, John C. Engaging Ideas. 2 nd edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011. Elbow, Peter. “High Stakes and Low Stakes in Assigning and Responding to Writing. ” In Writing to Learn: Strategies for Assigning and Responding to Writing in the Disciplines, ed. Mary Deane Sorcinelli and Peter Elbow. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997. Harris, Muriel. “The Overgraded Paper: Another Case of More is Less. ” In How to Handle the Paper Load, ed. Gene Stanford, 91 -94. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1979. Walk, Kerry. “Teaching with Writing: A Guide for Faculty and Graduate Students. ” Princeton Writing Program: 30 -40. 21

Next time on WAC. . . § The Creative Classroom § December 10, 2015 § 1 pm-2: 15 pm § Namm 1005 § Please review chapter 7 and skim chapters 8 -11 in Engaging Ideas (Bean) 22