English 1113 and 1213 Grades and Grading Criteria
Find the overall breakdown of your semester grade and the weighting of its component parts on the English 1113 scorecard. You can also track your grades and calculate your overall average throughout the semester by downloading the grade calculator. Outlined below are general RSU grading policies and my own general criteria for grading of specific assignments.
Grades on individual
assignments
I assign letter grades with qualifiers—A-, B+, C-, D+, F, etc.—on
most individual assignments and accordingly-scaled numerical grades expressed
as fractions on all assignments throughout the semester, with the upper term
of the fraction indicating the number of points earned and the denominator
indicating the total possible points for the assignment. For instance, you
may get a C+ 7.8/10 on an assignment to indicate that a C+ gives you 7.8 of
the 10 points maximum.
Your semester
grade
For the course as a whole, RSU awards only letter grades without qualifiers
(pluses or minuses):
A for superior work, B for very good work, C for satisfactory or average work, D for marginal or "below average" work, and F for unsatisfactory performance.
The Academic Profile included
on the common composition syllabus outlines the typical performance of students
in each semester-grade range:
| Descriptor | Description | |
| A | Excellent | Students receiving an "A" can be considered to have exhibited extraordinary effort in class and scholarship exceeding the expectations of the instructor and to have exhibited most or all of the following: to have attended regularly and on time (missed fewer than the equivalent of one week of class meetings); to have participated fully in peer evaluations and in class discussion, revealing personal initiative in both; to have used well-supported and well-structured logical arguments in essay writing; to have revealed a grasp of mechanics that prevents errors; to have revealed depth of critical thought and observation; to have exhibited timeliness in turning in assignments; to have revealed strong interest in intellectual, cultural, and personal growth by reading and discussing assigned material; to have shown consistent improvement in academics. |
| B | Above Average | Students receiving a "B" can be considered to have exhibited above-average effort in class, revealing noticeable improvement in academics, and showing accurate and complete scholarship. The student will have exhibited most or all of the following: have attended regularly (not missed more than the equivalent of one week of class meetings) and on time; have participated honestly and solidly in peer evaluations and in class discussion; have used supported and structured logical arguments in essay writing; have revealed a grasp of mechanics that prevents many errors; have revealed critical thought and observation; have exhibited a moderate grasp of timeliness in turning in assignments; have revealed interest in intellectual, cultural, and personal growth by reading and discussing assigned material. |
| C | Average | Students receiving a "C" can be considered to have exhibited average effort in class, performing satisfactorily but not above average, with some self-direction, and have shown signs of academic progress, meeting assignment parameters accurately. The student will have exhibited most or all of the following: attended regularly (not missed more than the equivalent of one week of class meetings) and on time; participated willingly in peer evaluations and in class discussion; have used supported and structured arguments in essay writing; have revealed an average grasp of mechanics that prevents most errors; have revealed average critical thought and observation; have exhibited a moderate grasp of timeliness in turning in assignments; have revealed average interest in intellectual, cultural, and personal growth by reading and discussing assigned material. |
| D | Below Average | Students receiving a "D" can be considered to have exhibited some effort in class, but not enough to show fully engagement with the subject and with the course material, showing little or no initiative and academic improvement, and not meeting the scholarship requirements of assignments. The student will have exhibited most or all of the following: have participated somewhat in peer evaluations and in class discussion; have attended somewhat regularly (missed more than the equivalent of one week and less than the equivalent of two weeks) and usually on time; have used some structured and supported arguments in essay writing; have revealed a sub-standard grasp of mechanics that prevents only some errors; have revealed below average critical thought and observation; have exhibited some grasp of timeliness in turning in assignments; have revealed below average interest in intellectual, cultural, and personal growth by reading and discussing assigned material; have not met the scholarship requirements of assignments; have not shown initiative; have not revealed academic improvement. |
| F | Unsatisfactory | Students receiving an "F" can be considered to have exhibited little or no desire to pass the course. This will usually involve poor participation and attendance (missed more than the equivalent of two weeks of class meetings) and little or no effort to attempt improvement as well as scholarship deficiencies and lack of effort to complete assignments. |
My grading criteria
for "smaller assignments"
By "smaller assignments" I mean all graded work other than formal
essays and midterm and/or final exams.
In grading most of the smaller assignments, I evaluate your work with two primary criteria in mind: 1) most importantly, the extent to which it meets and follows the assignment's intent, and 2) the level of effort indicated by your work.
Your grade on some smaller assignments will be a purely quantitative matter of how many errors you make and avoid. With the "Quotes and documentation exam," for instance, your grade will reflect how carefully you follow the very precise "QD" rules for citing and documenting quotations and other source material correctly. If you put the effort into learning and following the "QD" basics, your grade on this exam should be strong.
With other smaller assignments, reading quizzes and peer response exercises, for example, your effort alone will dictate the grade. For many reading quiz questions there will be no one "right" answer, and you will get full credit for any answer clearly indicating that you have read the material closely enough to provide a reasonable answer, whether or not yours is the specific answer I had in mind when making the quiz. Similarly, with peer response exercises, I am not so concerned with whether I agree with your suggestions or comments, but mainly with the effort you make in offering helpful criticism and advice. So long as you answer each peer response question carefully and offer helpfully critical comments, you will receive an A for the assignment.
With most smaller assignments, conscientious effort will be rewarded with good grades.
Grading criteria
for formal essays
Here are the general standards by which I will evaluate your formal writing.
Matters of course: the bedrock
basics.
In order to receive a passing grade:
An essay must first and foremost address a viable topic, meaning that if you are given a specific assignment for the essay, your paper must address the assigned topic squarely, directly, and fully. In the absence of a specific assigned topic, the essay must set up and address a topic genuinely worthy of exploration at the college level. We will deal with this issue later in the semester, but here's one quick illustration: a beautifully written paper proving that Hester Prynne is treated harshly in The Scarlet Letter for her sin of adultery would receive a quick F because the point is too obvious to need elaboration: any reader of the novel would know that Hester is treated harshly simply from reading the book. Your essays should develop a thesis that will enlighten your readers: you should present and develop significant argument or analysis that goes beyond simply stating the obvious.
The "A" paper:
My expectations for "A" work on formal essays are high. It is not unusual
early in the semester for me to award A's on fewer than 5% of the essays I
grade. The percentage tends to rise as the semester progresses, but usually
not much beyond the 10-15% range. I believe A essays should be truly exceptional
work. Beyond satisfying each of the "bedrock basics" listed above, I expect
an A essay to do each of the following:
- Present and develop a viable thesis in thoughtful and convincing fashion.
- Show exceptionally impressive critical thinking, including careful, thoughtful consideration of audience, especially of opposing perspectives for topics calling for argumentation.
- Maintain focus tightly on the stated central topic throughout.
- Support each primary claim with effective and convincing evidence.
- Have unified, coherent, and well-developed paragraphs throughout, including the introduction and conclusion.
- Be engaging and interesting to the reader.
- Communicate at both the paragraph and sentence level with coherence, precision, clarity, and exceptional correctness in grammar, diction, and mechanics, following the established conventions for formal academic writing as indicated in the "Simple Stuff," "Nuggets," and "Quotes and Documentation" handouts.
Essays in the "B" range generally satisfy most of the requirements for "A" work as outlined above—for me, a "B" essay is very strong work, definitely above average. What usually distinguishes B papers from A papers is one or more of the following:
- Minor problems in maintaining tight focus on the stated central topic or thesis.
- Notable but not terribly damaging lapses or weaknesses in critical thinking or logic.
- Minor problems in paragraph unity or development, including the introduction and conclusion.
- Minor problems in supporting major claims with effective evidence in body paragraphs.
- Persistent problems in minor matters of grammar, mechanics, convention, or diction.
- Minor problems with "major" errors in grammar.
"C" essays usually present and develop a viable thesis in reasonably convincing fashion, with generally solid writing at the local level in terms of grammar, mechanics, diction, and convention. A "C" paper is usually acceptable work in the main, with one or more of the following areas of weakness:
- Structural problems, including
- Minor problems in overall focus—e.g. paragraph(s) that stray slightly from the stated central topic or thesis.
- Relatively minor problems in paragraph unity (sticking closely to one main point per paragraph).
- Only marginally effective development of any paragraph(s), including the introduction or conclusion.
- Significant weaknesses in logic or critical thinking, including weak or unconvincing primary claims and obvious weaknesses in considering audience or opposing perspectives in argumentation.
- Inadequate or significantly faulty evidence for primary claims in body paragraphs.
- Significant, persistent problems in diction, grammar, style, mechanics, or convention.
- Appreciable pattern(s) of "major" errors in grammar.
Essays in the "D" range are only marginally acceptable. They usually have significant and troubling weaknesses in one or more of the following areas:
- Major but not fatal problems in addressing the assigned topic squarely or fully, or in establishing a viable central focus when the topic is of your own invention.
- Major but not fatal problems meeting assignment requirements or following instructions.
- Significant and damaging flaws in logic or critical thinking, in the thesis or central focus or in primary individual points of analysis or argumentation.
- Problems in fundamental structure at the global or paragraph level, including:
- Problems in coherence between the introduction and/or conclusion and the body of the essay.
- Significant troubles in paragraph unity and coherence.
- Significant troubles in paragraph development, including introductions and conclusions.
- Damaging and persistent problems at the local level of the writing, especially, but not limited to, persistent "major" errors in grammar.
- Glaring and substantial neglect of guidelines and conventions indicated in the "Simple Stuff," "Nuggets," and "Quotes and Documentation" handouts.
An "F" indicates clearly unacceptable work. Most often I assign "F's" on essays that fail to satisfy all of the "bedrock basics" listed above: in viability of topic or overall focus, meeting assignment requirements, adequate development, minimally effective paragraph structure, or minimally acceptable standards in grammar and mechanics. Additionally, the following can be grounds for failure:
- Grossly flawed logic or critical thinking—to the extent that the essay as a whole is weakened to the point of being simply unacceptable.
- Grossly inadequate support or evidence for primary claims—to the extent that the essay has no chance at being even minimally persuasive or convincing.
- Substantial and egregious neglect of stated guidelines and conventions indicated in the "Simple Stuff," "Nuggets," and "Quotes and Documentation" handouts.
- Major problems in syntax and sentence structure, beyond the "major errors," of such a glaring nature as to make the writing unacceptable as intelligible college-level English prose.
- Plagiarism of any sort: intentional or unintentional, and to any extent—in the most flagrant and comprehensive cases, and also in isolated minor instances.
Grading
criteria for midterm and/or final exam essays
I try to be understanding
in regards to examination pressure and time constraints when grading exam
essays, but I do still expect essays on exams to be effective in overall focus,
structure and development. Typically, I do not expect introductions and conclusions
to be so thoroughly developed in exam essays as in formal essays written outside
of class, and I may be more forgiving with most matters of grammar and mechanics.
But by and large I expect your exam essays to meet the most important criteria
for formal out-of-class essays outlined above, with the notable difference
that I would not always expect exam essays to include quotations from either
primary or secondary sources, and I do not typically impose a minimum word
count on essays in exams.