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CAN Published by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development
With support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and Sid W. Richardson Foundation

 

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TURBOCHARGING THE SCORING OF WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

During the Spring 1985 Semester, the Staff Development Committee of Ventura College offered a program
entitled, Writing Across the Curriculum. Faculty from the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences
participated in presentations and workshops over a four-week period. The activities were designed to give
insight and experience into the educational benefits of having students learn course material through structured
writing assignments. During the program, a concern was expressed by participants: increasing the number of
writing assignments or introducing them into a course would result in a greater commitment of instructor
resources just when resources were diminishing.

This concern led to a procedure for speeding up or turbocharging the scoring process. First, scoring criteria
were established: scoring has become more consistent, and the criteria have eliminated the need to reread
Papers. Second, the students were given a copy of the criteria: they have a stronger sense of what is expected
and submit better papers that can be read faster.

The criteria developed and used by program participants in their classrooms follow: note that the criteria
assign primary importance to course content and secondary importance to language usage. The criteria are
easily modified to include the requirements for illustrations, charts, diagrams, ete.

A RATING SCALE FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS WHICH FOCUS ON COURSE CONTENT

Letter DOUGLAS COLLEGE
ARCHIVES

    
 

Grade __ Criteria

    

A The answer shows a superior understanding of the topic. The written response: (1) presents factors of
central significance and explains them with substantial factual detail; (2) clearly shows how these factors
operate; (3) has structure and mechanics which serve content.

B The answer demonstrates an accurate grasp of the topic. The response: (1) presents important factors
and explains them with appropriate specifics; (2) shows less detailed knowledge and less synthesis than
the A paper; (3) has structure and mechanics which usually serve content.

e The answer demonstrates an acceptable but commonplace understanding of the topic. The response:
(1) presents important factors but explains them with only the most obvious specifics; (2) delineates only
the most obvious implications; (3) has structure and mechanics which may cause the reader minor
distractions.

D The answer demonstrates only limited understanding or a partial misunderstanding of the topic. The
response: (1) may use unimportant factors or may explain important factors or their significance with
little coherence or specificity; (2) may make a number of serious factual errors; (3) has structure and
mechanics which sometime impede the reader’s understanding.

F The answer demonstrates little or no grasp of the topic. The response: (1) may significantly misstate
facts or misinterpret them; (2) may fail completely to justify the choice of factors; (3) may be a string of
generalizations without specifics or specifics without generalizations; (4) has structure and mechanics
which may cause the reader significant difficulty.

Thomas A. McDannold
Staff Development Facilitator

For further information, contact the author at Ventura College, 6442 Telegraph Road, Ventura, CA 93003.

 

'o) Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austin, EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712