January 28, 2009

Dear Colleagues,

This email is in follow-up to the Composition Program Grading Workshop held at the beginning of Winter term.  Thanks to everyone who participated, especially Lisa Maruca, for her presentation on Grading with Rubrics.  The materials from the Grading Workshop will be posted to the WSU Composition Faculty Handbook wiki sometime soon (http://wsucompositionfacultyhandbook.pbwiki.com) (password:  teaching).

Over the past two Workshops, we have discussed what it means to pass students in ENG 1010 and ENG 1020:  ENG 1010 students should pass the course only if they have achieved the complete set of learning objectives to prepare them for ENG 1020.  Similarly, ENG 1020 students should pass the course (w/ a grade of A – C) only if they have achieved the complete set of learning objectives to prepare them for college writing in a wide variety of courses across the university.  Our ENG 1010 and ENG 1020 overall pass rates have reasonable historical averages.  For ENG 1010, the pass-no pass rates have been around 66% pass/44% no-pass (including U grades as well as withdrawals).  For ENG 1020, the pass-no pass rates have been around 75% pass/25% no-pass (including C-, D, and F grades as well as withdrawals).  I noted in the New Common Syllabus for each class that “Grades in individual sections should normally be in line with this overall distribution.”  This guideline leaves room for some variation in individual sections:  sometimes we’re blessed w/ an unusually strong class with a higher pass rate; other times we’re not blessed w/ an unusually weak class w/ a higher no-pass rate, but over time, individual sections should cluster around the 66% pass rate for ENG 1010 and 75% pass rate for ENG 1020.   

*BUT*, w/ apologies for shouting, *WE HAVE A SERIOUS GRADE INFLATION PROBLEM IN ENG 1020*.

Our grade distributions w/in ENG 1020 show that for students who pass ENG 1020 w/ a grade of A – C, around 50% receive an A and another 40% receive a B.  Statistically and intuitively, these grades are too high.

The New Common Syllabus sets the following guidelines for grades in ENG 1020:  “Given that the grade of A indicates excellence, and grades of B and C indicate above average or average, a  more standard grade distribution for a multi-section course should aim at [the following] distribution:

• 15-20% As
• 35-40% Bs
• 15-25% Cs
• 25% C-/D/F/withdrawals

Grade distributions within individual sections will be reviewed within the English Department.”

I write to ask that all instructors in ENG 1010 and ENG 1020 work toward these grading guidelines this term.  Again, I acknowledge that these are guidelines, not bright lines, and exceptional classes do sometimes occur, but exceptional classes are just that, exceptions.  Grades for most classes should cluster around the proposed distribution.  I plan to begin grade reviews at the end of this Winter term.

I would like to acknowledge that addressing grade inflation is a difficult, but necessary, effort.  It can best be accomplished by grading carefully at the beginning of the term, which is why I write now as first papers are arriving in your classes.  It is easier to grade a bit low at the beginning of the term to allow room for improvement; it is much harder to grade high at the beginning of the term and try to lower grades later.

If you are interested in norming your grading, the WSU Composition Faculty Handbook wiki will soon have a number of graded sample papers for ENG 1010 and ENG 1020, including the papers we have reviewed for the Grading Workshops.  If you would like to review papers w/ me to talk about grading, I would be happy to meet w/ you individually or in small groups.

I would like to close by assuring you that the Department understands that lower grades are often not (fully) appreciated by students . . . but the Department has a good history of backing up instructors in complaints and grade disputes.  The Department also understands that rigorous courses and realistic grading can be reflected in SET scores.  SET scores in ENG 1010 and ENG 1020 are only one aspect of teaching, to be evaluated within the larger context of the New Common Syllabus, the design of individual section syllabi, and the distribution of grades.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments on grading (ellen.barton@wayne.edu).

Thank you for your efforts in teaching one of the toughest courses in the university.

EB