Overview
Labor-Based Contract Grading is a system of grading based on the research of Asao Inoue (2015; 2018) and other scholars in writing studies. It differs from traditional grading in that you do not receive a grade based on the subjective quality of your work, but instead based on the labor you put into the course. In other words, you will receive feedback from me, comments, suggestions for revision, encouragement, and support, but you will not receive an “A, B, C, D, or F” based on how “well” you complete a project.
I’ve chosen to use contract grading because it aligns with my beliefs about what creates the most productive environment for students to develop as writers:
- writers should have the opportunity to be experimental and exploratory, rather than focusing on being “correct” or doing exactly and only “what the assignment requires”
- time and labor are valuable, and students who are investing more time, energy and effort into the course should have those efforts recognized
- students should always have a clear sense of how they’re progressing and where they stand
- study after study has demonstrated that the best way to improve as a writer is to write, and contract grading encourages that without an accompanying fear of failure
- students don’t enter an organic chemistry class knowing everything about organic chemistry. Similarly, you should not be evaluated based on your prior knowledge or experiences with writing.
- all students have the same potential to earn an A.
Contract grading is freeing for both teachers and students, allowing us “to think more about writing and less about grades” (Danielewicz and Elbow, 2009, p. 249). With less focus on the grade, we can all focus more on the feedback and the overall learning that happens when we write. I want you to be able to approach the class and its activities with a sense of curiosity, enthusiasm and excitement and with less fear and worry, allowing you to trust yourself and the process, letting yourself make mistakes, take feedback into consideration, and engage in dialogue with me (and each other) about your projects and writing.
So How Do I Figure Out My Grade?
| Final Grade | Make-up Weekly Work | Missing Weekly Work | Meeting w/ Beth | Make-up M.A. | Missing M.A. | Add. Work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A/A- | 3 | 0 | 1+ | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| B +/- | 3 | 2 | 1+ | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| C/C+ | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| F | – | 10+ | 0 | – | 2+ | – |
The table above shows how to determine your grade in the class. The table may seem intimidating at first, so I’ll go over what it means in plain language as well. (I promise it’s actually simpler than it first appears.)
To receive an A for the course, you should
- complete all weekly work (participation notebooks and dialectical journals), with no more than three being make-up work,
- meet with Beth at least once,
- complete all major assignments with no more than one being made up,
- attend at least 90% of the class sessions, and
- complete three of the five additional work options.
To receive a B for the course, you should
- complete almost all weekly work (participation notebooks and dialectical journals), with no more than two missing and no more than three being make-up work,
- meet with Beth at least once,
- attend at least 80% of the class sessions, and
- complete all major assignments with no more than one being make-up work.
- No additional work options are required for a B.
Grades lower than B mean you have
- not completed multiple pieces of weekly work,
- been routinely late with weekly work,
- been routinely late or missed major assignments, or
- failed to meet with Beth during the quarter.
- Thus, the quickest way to slide to a C, D, or F is to not submit weekly work or major assignments.
+/- grades will be assigned at my discretion. They will be used in cases when your assignments and participation suggest you labored above and beyond the expectations (+) or the quality and completeness of your major projects, smaller assignments, and participation is lacking in one way or another (-). You are always welcome to ask about this!
Definitions and Clarifications
MAKE-UP: Work is considered “make-up” if it is turned in more than 48 hours after the deadline.
MISSING: If late work is not submitted by Monday of Finals Week (December 7th), it is missing.
COMPLETE: Work is considered “complete” if it satisfies the criteria in the relevant prompt. This means that work is not just done, but done in the manner expected. (That is, work that does not make a good faith effort to engage with the prompt or that is clearly rushed will not be counted as “complete.” The good news is that you can try again, with it only counting as “make-up” work.)
WEEKLY WORK: Weekly work includes both participation notebooks and dialectical journals. Each are considered a separate element, so if you miss an entire week’s worth of weekly work, you have missed two things.
MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS (M.A.): This refers to the individual consultations, the Annotated Bib and Lit. Review, and the research project.
ADDITIONAL WORK: This refers to the additional Individual Consultations, the Analysis of a Recorded Consultation, the CLAS tutorial and reflection, the CLAS Writing Handout and Reflection, and the Writing Tutor Interview and Reflection.