AssessRationale

=Assessment Rationale=

Dialogue around written work involves assessment, but of a form that is not equated with grades. To keep the attention off grades it helps to bring them in only at the end of the semester by assigning an automatic B+ for the written portion of the final grade when 80% of the assignments have been satisfactorily completed--satisfactory meaning no further revision and resubmission requested. (The 20% slack allows students to make tactical decisions around competing priorities in their work, lives, and course work.) The instructor's goal is to work with each student to achieve the 80% level. Students who progress steadily towards that goal during the semester usually end up producing work that meets the criteria for a higher grade than a B+ (for which there is a rubric -- see example below). Only for students who do not reach that goal are points awarded for each assignment (seepoints below). Not grading each assignment during the semester helps teaching/learning interactions stay focused on the student's process of developing through the semester. It keeps time and space for students and instructor to appreciate and learn from what each other is saying and thinking.

A similar system can be used for the participation portion of the final grade, i.e., an automatic B+ is given if students fulfill 80% of a list about 20 participation/process items, where 13 or 14 items correspond simply to "prepared participation and attendance" at the class meetings. Another two items are "minimum of two in-office or phone conferences on your assignments and project," which ensure that students' responses to instructor's written comments can be aired before they fester and before they go stale.  A rubric can be used to determine whether a higher grade than a B+ is earned. Student who show half of the qualities in the rubric well (or all the qualities moderately) earn an A-. Students who show almost all of these well earn an A. Qualities in a typical rubric include: > A sequence of assignments paced more or less as in syllabus, often revised thoroughly and with new thinking in response to comments. > A project that is innovative, well planned and carried out with considerable initiative, and indicates that you can guide others to think critically about xx. > A project report that is clear and well structured,with supporting references and detail, and professionally presented. > Active, prepared participation in all classes. > Completion of most preparatory and follow-up homework tasks. > Process Review that shows deep reflection on your development through the semester and maps out the future directions in which you plan to develop.  For students who do not meet the automatic B+ level, points can be awarded for each written assignments satisfactorily completed so that 80% completed would add up to 80% or a B+. Similarly, for participation items. For example, if a course had 10 written assignments for 2/3 of the course grade and 20 participation items for 1/3 of the course grade, each written assignment would count 6.67 and each participation item 1.67 points. (Although this way of looking at the course should not be emphasized, all students can use this system to tally their grade along the way. )