Articulating grading criteria for the purpose of assessing writing can be challenging, even for experienced teachers. John Bean, a noted professor of writing and author of the book, Engaging Ideas, notes:
“Because we teachers have little opportunity to discuss grading practices with colleagues, we often develop criteria that seems universal to us but may appear idiosyncratic or even eccentric to others” (268).
In response to these idiosyncratic grading criteria, students often write what they think the teacher wants to hear, thereby missing an opportunity to develop the kinds of critical thinking skills—about purpose, audience, and genre—that are the whole purpose of college writing.
By providing clear grading criteria, faculty can help students demonstrate their communication skills and their mastery of course content in written assignments. Clear grading criteria can help students understand how their work will be evaluated, which elements of their projects will need sustained attention, and how to manage the stages of an assignment. The more clearly students understand these criteria beforehand, the more successful they can be with an assignment.
Make Your Grading Criteria Task-Specific
The more specific the criteria are, the more specific the feedback can be, and the greater the likelihood of student success.
As you develop grading criteria, ask yourself: What knowledge and skills do I want my students to demonstrate after completing this assignment? What writing conventions do readers of this genre expect? Your grading criteria should reflect these values, with details specific to both your course and the assignment.
For example, if you were to assign students a writing project in which they must research the use of technology in the classroom and write reports to an audience of educational technology company representatives, task-specific grading criteria for that assignment might include the following:
"When I grade your report, I will be looking for writing that:
- Engages an audience of educational technology company representatives.
- Describes specific uses technology in the classroom.
- Analyzes the successes and failures of educational technology.
- Propose recommendations for improving the use of technology in the classroom.
- Uses appropriate professional language.
- Demonstrates college-level proofreading and editing skills."
Weight Your Grading Criteria
Weighting your grading criteria helps students to understand how their writing will be assessed, and assigns levels of importance to various components. For example, consider the following weighting:
25%
Argument
25%
APA Format
25%
Punctuation and Grammar
25%
Research Integration
Dividing categories equally would lead a student to conclude that:
- Correct punctuation will be just as valuable as research.
- Research Integration is not of high value because it is last in the list.
Distribute Weight Reasonably
When weighting your grading criteria, the quality of arguments and integration of research is more important than equal distribution. An example of good grading criteria would be something like:
50%
Argument
30%
Research Integration
10%
APA Format
10%
Punctuation and Grammar
Develop Criteria within the Weighted Columns
Weighting your grading criteria helps students to understand how their writing will be assessed,
Each grading criterion area should also include descriptions of high, middle, and low achievement (Bean 269), so students have a clear understanding of how assessment will occur:
| 50% Argument | 30% Research Integration | 10% APA Format | 10% Punctuation and Grammar | |
| "A" Project | Argument demonstrates a clearly developed, complex understanding of X, and offers a strong original argument. | Research used is timely, pertinent to the current conversations regarding X, and enhances the ethos and understanding of your argument. | Shows clear attention to APA format with no errors. Works Cited is complete and properly formatted | Punctuation and grammar is sound in disciplinary conventions in tone or language. |
| "B" Project | Argument demonstrates a good understanding of X, and offers a reasonable original argument. | Research used is relatively current, pertinent to the conversations regarding X, and generally aids your argument. | May have 1-2 errors in APA format. Works Cited is complete, missing one entry, or may have one or two major flaws. | May have 1-2 recurring punctuation or grammar errors. May show slight inattention to disciplinary conventions in tone or language usage. |
| "C" Project | Argument demonstrates a basic understanding of X, and offers a basic argument. | Research used may be dated, but may still have value to your argument regarding X. This research neither aids nor detracts from your argument. | May have 3-4 errors in APA format. Works Cited may be incomplete or not properly formatted. | May have 3-4 recurring punctuation or grammar errors. May show repeated inattention to disciplinary conventions of tone and language usage. |
| "Below C" Project | Argument may be absent. May demonstrate an unformed or shallow understanding of the complexity of X. | Research used may be dated, of no value, or out of context. | Shows major inattention to APA format. Works Cited page may be incomplete, lacking format, or missing. | Shows lack of attention to proofreading. Shows disregard for disciplinary conventions of tone and language usage. |
The example above displays a basic map for students to understand the expectations of an "A" project versus a "B" or "C" project.
Design Criteria to Reflect Assignment Goals and Course Outcomes
Successful completion of your assignment should mirror successful demonstration of your assignment goals and course outcomes. For instance, if your course outcomes require “a clearly developed, complex understanding of X,” then use that language in your assessment criteria.
Be Aware of the Limitations of Rubrics
No rubric will be the perfectly objective answer to the assessment of writing, but rubrics can help clarify your expectations, help make your assessment measurable, and provide a map for students to follow for successful completion of your assignments.
Other Helpful Resources
For helpful resources on designing disciplinary rubrics and curriculum maps, visit the FIU Office of Academic Planning and Accountability.