Rubrics and Grading

Example: Rubric for Exercise One

How to use rubrics: first of all, aim to meet the basic requirements. Go over the categories and consider how your paper is likely to be assessed. Make improvements where you can.

To improve writing: work with a friend, another student … have them read and point out a) where they do not understand what you are saying, b) typos and funny grammar or casual expressions (the spell/grammar check will only catch so much). Also, ask them to read a paragraph and restate your main idea. That way, you will know whether or not it is clear to a reader.

How we will use rubrics for assessment: For many exercises, we will do student/student grading before the hand-in grade. This helps in your learning, and when you can do revisions it often means better papers when I look at them.

What the grades at the top mean:

“Meets” = C … so if I just meet the requirements of the assignment, will I get a C? I don’t want a C.

1. If you meet in all categories, the resulting grade is bumped up between a half and a full grade. So, if you Meet in Everything, your resulting grade will be a B or a B-.
2. You have to earn a C before you earn a B. I think it might be useful to think about it that way. It seems to me that for many students, aiming for the A makes them forget what is in C.