Grading Contracts

For this course, we will use a grading contract, which my colleague Melissa Watson has defined as “a system of grades that are based primarily on your labors and efforts.” That means that your final course letter grade will be based on your participation, attendance, and successful completion of assignments and revisions. Like Prof. Watson, whose model of grading contracts I borrow from here, I will “continue to hold high standards for completing assignments fully and effectively,” but hope that contract grading will “invite you to feel more comfortable taking risks, making mistakes, and being transparent about your questions and stances.” It’s my preference to put my energy into supporting your growth, rather than assigning you a number. 

Generally, as should be clear from the expectations above you’ll need to attend most classes, for close to their full duration, and be prepared and present for the entire time you are here. Being a few minutes late a few times in a semester is understandable, but we may need to talk if lateness becomes a problem. If things come up, let me know. You might also get the contact information for people in class who seem friendly. They can help fill you in about what you might miss (and you can return the favor). As part of this grading contract, you agree to participate in ways that best fit you and that are most appropriate for each day’s goal (by actively listening, taking notes, asking questions, offering comments, etc.). You agree to work cooperatively and collegially in groups, to share your work, to listen supportively to the work of others, and, when called for, give full and thoughtful assessments that help your colleagues consider ways to rethink and revise. 

The grading contract includes some consideration of the assignments, low stakes and high, that make up your grade for the term. You agree to strive to complete all readings and to turn in on time all assignments. All assignments should be completed fully and meet all assignment requirements. Even if you are absent, you are still responsible for submitting work that’s due on time. The only letter or number grade you will receive in this course will be your final course grade. Pluses and minuses are at the instructor’s discretion. 

All formal and informal writing assignments will instead be marked in the grade book according to the following guidelines:

• Complete Assignments (marked as “0” in the grade book): An assignment is considered “complete” if it is turned in on time and if it effectively meets the assignment goals. This means that projects are not just done but done in the manner discussed. If I find that a given assignment is not “complete,” we will discuss how this will affect your final grade.
• Late Assignments (marked as “1” in the grade book): An assignment is considered “late” if turned in after its initial due date and time, but submitted within two days (48 hours).
• Make-up Assignments (marked as “2” in the grade book): An assignment is considered a “make-up” if it is turned in at some point in the semester but after the 48-hour window.
• Ignored Assignments (marked as “3” in the grade book): Any assignments not done at all, for whatever reason, are considered “Ignored.” Even one ignored assignment will prevent you from earning a higher than a B (see chart below).

The Grade You Want	# of Absences	# of Late Assignments	# of Make-up Assignments	# of Ignored Assignments	# of Informal Writing Artifacts Reflectively Discussed in Essay 4
A	3 or fewer	2	1	0	10
B	4	3	2	1	9
C	5	4	3	2	8
NC	7 or more	6 or more	5 or more	4 or more	3 or fewer

Note: “Assignments” include writing prompts, peer editing evaluations, book group participation, class-wide research, and other acts of care/service to the group. These tasks can all be completed asynchronously. A very few tasks (in-class polls, check-ins, freewrites, reading quizzes) will not count as full assignments because they cannot be completed asynchronously. With this work, I see the penalty related to the absence of class and the consequent loss of the learning opportunity as sufficient.

6: Grading Breakdown

Formal Writing (60%)

One aspect of the workshop aspect of our course is its formal writing assignments. Worth half your total semester grade, formal writing consists of four essays, composed in stages, workshopped with peers, and revised at least once (10% each). In addition, you’ll read and respond to a complete book for your final project, a contribution of writing or meaningful editorial work to our class’ “Reading Guide” to Heavy or Ordinary Girls (10%). To sum up:

• Essay 1, “Pick a Book!”, due September 29
• Essay 2, “How to ‘Book Group'”, due October 20
• Essay 3, “Autoethnography of a Book Club,” due November 29
• Essay 4, “Letter to a Future ENG 111 Student,” due December 13

Informal Writing (30%) 

This includes everything else you individually or collaboratively author: blog posts, replies, freewrites, comments in the class chat, in-class exercises, annotations, etc. These count as assignments under the contract grading system.

Generally speaking, this writing is done in preparation for a class learning activity, or as scaffolding for your larger project. For these reasons, it needs to be done on time. It is also OK to miss lower-stakes tasks (for example, a freewrite) occasionally. The most important thing you’ll use them for is as evidence for your final essay, which reflects on your learning this semester to an audience of a future student.

Participation/Effort (10%)

This includes regular, active attendance in our synchronous sessions, effective collaboration with others, demonstrations of resilience, a sense of humor when things get tough, engagement with feedback from your readers, and a genuine curiosity about the work we have in front of us. Places I look for this include but aren’t limited to: helpful peer editing, generous blog replies, prepared conference attendance, invigorated book club involvement, and otherwise unbridled curiosity and enthusiasm for the work we’re so lucky to be doing in this class. It’s hard for me to say that this directly affects your grade; I look for it informally until the fourth essay, when we start collecting “artifacts” of your learning from the semester. Certainly, though, I notice who is and is not participating. Generally speaking, putting in effort and participating in whatever ways feel accessible to you help writers do their best work.

7: Academic Integrity

Sometimes “academic integrity” is used as a synonym for “plagiarism.” I think of “integrity” differently. To me, academic integrity is the sum total of behaviors, language, and rituals that allow us to show respect to our peers and our predecessors in this academic subculture. The policies below aim to reflect that. Please think of each as a potential way to express your integrity. 

Deadlines 

I strongly encourage you to meet deadlines. I set them so that we can engage with each other’s work. Deadlines also help keep writing from being an overwhelming task. Deadlines are at 9am (the start of class) unless noted. If you need more time with a formal assignment, let me know before the deadline arrives. I almost always grant brief extensions. You can miss an informal assignment or two with no impact on your grade. With these, just do your best.

Accessibility

I operate under the assumption that all of us learn in various ways. Together, we will all examine ways of measuring and describing the ways we learn. Even if you do not have a formally diagnosed disability, I welcome dialogue in class and outside of it about what makes you most engaged as a learner. Partly because I myself have a disability (a brain injury), but mostly because it is a way of showing integrity, this class is designed with the intent of being “already accessible” to students with disabilities. If additional adjustments are needed, please let me know as soon as possible. 

The college accommodations statement indicates that in any class, students with disabilities have rights: “Lehman College is committed to providing access to all programs and curricula to all students. Students with disabilities who may require any special considerations should register with the Office of Student Disability Services in order to submit official paperwork to instructor. For more information, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services. Prior to COVID, they were located in Shuster Hall, Room 238, 718-960-8441. They’re available on email disability.services@lehman.cuny.edu.

Conventions of Academic Work

All formal writing assignments will have formatting requirements in their instructions. Those instructions can be found in this document, following the schedule for each module. You can also search in this document for its “Assignment Sheet.” These instructions include options for completing the work in multi-modal ways or with translingual elements. If any formatting issues need to be addressed when you turn in the work, I will contact you at your Lehman College email. Please resubmit the work within 24 hours so that, for the sake of fairness, I can assess it alongside your peers’ work. We use MLA format.