Grade Calculation
Grading and Assessment
Here are my grading do's and don'ts. While I don't give extra credit, I do grade everyone in the class based on the same scale and assignment goals. While I do explain how and why I assessed an assignment, I do not change grades based upon grade campaigning. While I do explain where final grades came from, I do not change course grades unless I made a mathematical miscalculation or input error.
Only a few students will earn an A in the course, for I consider an A to represent superbly written work of surpassing analysis. On the other hand, no students will fail unless they frequently miss class, turns in major assignments late, and/or plagiarize.
I only offer the opportunity for revision and resubmission in my writing courses (English 1101, English 1102, and 2200). If you earn a "C" or a "D" on a first draft and make the changes I suggest, don't expect necessarily to earn an "A" on the second draft. Revision involves re-seeing the entire argument and analysis, the complete insight and interpretation of the paper. My suggestions for revision strive to make you re-see the big picture of your paper, but they can never "give" you the analytical insight and rhetorical ability into the subject that an "A" paper merits; that writerly perspicacity must come from you.
A/B A paper or exam that earns an "A" or a "B" does not just satisfy the requirements of the prompt; it composes an original response that demonstrates careful thought about the issues of the course in a voice that clearly exhibits the writer's point of view and purpose in an fine-tuned and appropriate style. The paper not only provides both a clear controlling purpose and coherent argument that balances general support with specific evidence (be it primary text and/or secondary text as necessary), but also critically comments on the subject matter in intriguing and thought-provoking ways. Internal paragraph coherence and overall paper organization are appropriate and effective. Grammar and style are not only sound—even virtually flawless—but are also aware of the English language's nuances. The paper's voice is authoritative and the diction appropriate to the topic. Although the difference between an "A" paper and a "B" paper is ultimately subjective, for me, an "A" paper surpasses my expectations of analysis and argument by responding to the assignment in truly original and/or exceedingly insightful ways. While a "B" paper correctly represents content and appropriately analyzes the issue, an "A" paper exhibits a writer's penetrating perception and sagacious sensitivity to the material.
C A paper or exam that earns a "C" responds to the prompt in a general way, constructs a controlling idea or thesis, and employs suitable organization for its rhetorical purposes. Argument may suffer from a lack of development or evidence. It contains minor and recurrent errors in style, grammar, and mechanics.
D A paper that earns a "D" shows evidence of attempting to respond to the assignment but does so in ways that are convoluted and unclear. It often lacks a controlling thesis and is usually difficult to follow.
F A paper that earns an "F" shows little or no understanding of the assignment or the conventions of standard written English.
Informal Writing/Peer Response Calculation
If you're taking a writing course with me, in other words, English 1101, 1102, or 2200, you'll note that I give numerous informal writing and peer response assignments. Because the informal writing assignments are so brief and designed primarily for you to keep up with the material or practice particular writing skills rather than for extended evaluation and accessment, I don't give letter grades on informal writing or peer responses. Instead, I use the check system: check minus, check, and check plus (/-, /, and /+), which roughly correspond to C, B, and A, and give zeros to those who don't complete the assignment. For each assignment, the vast majority of the class will receive a check, while a few who need to put more thought or effort into one particular response will receive a check minus and a few who are doing excellent work and making superb connections in one particular response will receive a check plus. You can make a rough determination of what your informal writing grade will be by averaging your response scores.
First, convert from the check scale to the numerical scale according to the following chart:
Grade |
Value |
0 |
0 |
/- |
2 |
/ |
3 |
/+ |
4 |
(If you turned in an assignment late, subtract its value by one.)
Second, average the numbers.
Third, use the chart below to determine what your letter grade roughly will be. I will calculate the final informal/peer response grades during the last week of the semester and mark them on your final informal or peer response assignment.
| Grade | From | To |
| A | 3.85 | 4.00 |
A- |
3.50 | 3.84 |
B+ |
3.14 | 3.49 |
| B | 2.85 | 3.14 |
| B- | 2.50 | 2.84 |
| C+ | 2.15 | 2.49 |
| C | 1.85 | 2.14 |
| C- | 1.50 | 1.84 |
| D+ | 1.15 | 1.49 |
| D | 0.70 | 1.14 |
| D- | 0.50 | 0.69 |
| F | 0.00 | 0.49 |
Note: Because the vast majority of informal writing grades are checks, with one or two check pluses, the average grade for those students who turn in all assignments usually works out to a B. Because no one receives all check pluses, no one can receive an A at this point. In order to make sure that the consistently best work receives the best grade, I utilize a curve. I determine the difference between the highest informal writing average in the course and 4.00, then add that difference to all students' informal writing averages. For example, if, at the end of the term, the highest informal writing average is a 3.45 (B+), I add .55 to each and every student's informal writing average, thus bumping up the highest average to a 4.00 (A) while also raising the other averages two-thirds of a letter grade.
Final Grade Calculation
You can determine your final grade in the course by using the following method.
First, convert your individual assignment grades into numerical values using the following scale (your final course grade will not use the plus/minus system):
Grade |
Value |
A |
4.0 |
A- |
3.7 |
B+ |
3.3 |
B |
3.0 |
B- |
2.7 |
C+ |
2.3 |
C |
2.0 |
C- |
1.7 |
D+ |
1.3 |
D |
1.0 |
| D- | 0.7 |
F |
0.0 |
Second, weight your assignment grades. Multiply the numerical grade for the assignment by the percentage of the final grade. For instance, if you earned a B on a paper that was worth 25% of the grade, you would multiply 3.0 by .25, which equals .75.
| Assignment | Grade | |||
Third, total the weighted grades. For instance, if each of the four graded assignments in the course are worth 25% of the final grade, and you earned a B, B+, A-, and A, respectively, on them, then your final, numerical grade would be 3.50.
1.00 |
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FINAL GRADE
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Fourth, use the following numerical range to determine your final letter grade in the course. For instance, 3.50 equals an A in the course.
| Grade | From | To |
| A | 3.50 | 4.00 |
| B | 2.50 | 3.49 |
| C | 1.50 | 2.49 |
| D | 0.50 | 1.49 |
| F | 0.00 | 0.49 |