Grading Standards - Undergraduate courses
Click here for graduate grading standards
As you may know, grade inflation is a problem in the CSU system, and my standards are intended to contribute to the correction of this problem by restoring the value of grades as an indicator of how well a student has grasped the material, and of what that student's abilities are in relaying the material to another person using academic English. This page is intended to explain the standards I use in grading, so that you know what to expect and understand how I evaluate your work.
GENERAL: My grading policy is additive, not subtractive. In other words, all of you start at the same point: 0. You work up from there depending on (a) how much of the required material is present in the work being graded; (b) how accurate that material is; (c) how well-written it is.
I consider the ability to convey ideas in sophisticated and well-constructed language to be a necessary skill in a college-educated person; I grade all written work on the quality of the writing as well as coverage of content / mastery of analytical skills. Work that is not presented in well-written academic English conforming to most grammar rules is not eligible for an A, regardless of the quality of the content. **
* The 'A' grade range (A- to A+) is reserved for work that is well above average. This work does not only satisfy all requirements (e.g., supplying all information that a test question asks for, or accomplishing all the tasks expected in a research assignment); it goes beyond the requirements. There are two major ways that student work can go beyond the requirements: (1) it can be exceedingly well-written, showing superior command of academic English**, and well-presented (including visual appearance as well as organization), and (2) it can show depth of thought. Depth of thought means that the student shows an exceptionally clear and insightful understanding of the material, and is able to connect it to a wider context of knowledge by relating it to other areas of knowledge in the course or outside of the course, or to the student's other interests and concerns. Work must be flawless to attain an A+/A. Work with minor flaws that is nonetheless excellent in other ways will earn an A-.
** Mastery of academic English means a good command of the variety of Standard English used in academic and professional writing: grammar, spelling, and punctuation in accord with the conventions of formal Standard American English; a broad vocabulary, appropriately used; complexity and variety of sentence structure, and mastery of the generally recognized features of good academic style, such as parallelism, clarity, etc. It also means excellent control of aspects of manuscript form such as indentation of paragraphs, clean and readable copy, and conformity with the typographical rules prescribed for each assignment.
* A grade in the B range means that the work is good to very good. This work satisfies all (B+) or most (B/B-) of the requirements of the question/research task, is neatly presented and shows capable use of academic English. If the work is well-written and covers most of the required content, but has several minor flaws or one major flaw, the grade will be B-.
* A grade in the C range means that the work is acceptable. That is, it covers the required content within an acceptable limit, although both major and minor items may be missing. The language communicates most points adequately, and is still at college level, but may not be sophisticated and may violate a small number of conventions of academic writing.
* A grade in the D range shows that the work does not achieve acceptable coverage of the requirements AND/OR the language is insufficient to make the writer's points understandable to the reader. The content may be either incorrect to an unacceptable degree, or very incomplete. Papers with these content problems which show writing below college level will receive a D. Below college level means that the prose is either overly simple, with much repetitiveness and short, simple sentences; or that sentence structure is awkward or disorganized to the point that the reader has difficulty understanding the content being conveyed.
* A grade of F indicates that so little of the required content is covered that grading the paper is an exercise in futility. It may mean that very major points have clearly not been grasped or have been misunderstood by the student. An F may also indicate that the ideas are expressed in such a way that they are not at all understandable to the reader. A grade of F is also awarded when assigned work is not handed in, or not handed in by the set deadline (unless alternative arrangements have been made personally with the instructor).
* Plagiarized work (work copied from another author without giving credit) receives a 0 and is subject to administrative action.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Any typed assignment that asks you to write your own thoughts or report your research (for example, a take-home essay exam; a research report; a book report; a materials critique) will be held to the usual standards of academic writing. You should use the writing process, including preliminary drafts and careful editing, to be sure that you hand in the best work you are capable of producing. I will grade such papers not only on content but also on organization, presentation, the quality of the prose, and conformity to the grammar, punctuation, and usage rules of formal standard English (that is, the variety of English used in professional and academic communications). You should make full use of resources available to help with academic writing: college writing handbooks available in the reference section of the library, as well as the Writing Lab.