Introduction to Grading Student Papers

A stack of twenty ungraded student papers sits on your desk. You promised you would get them back to
the class on Friday at 10am. It is now 10pm the night before, and you do not know where to begin. You
pick one up and see nothing but mistakes. You begin underlining typos in the first sentence, before
throwing the paper down and holding your head in your hands. Better email the students and tell them
to epect the papers back in !uesday"s lecture...
It doesn"t ha#e to be like this. If you gi#e yourself time, and if you stay focussed and positi#e, grading
can be one of the most rewarding parts of the teaching process. Far from being a tedious ad$unct to
teaching, grading papers should be a seamless part of the coaching you do in the classroom. %on"t look
immediately for those mistakes and typos& approach each paper as an opportunity to enter into a
dialogue with the student. 'hat uni(ue #iew of history are they offering in this paper) 'hat argument
are they bringing to the debate) *ow can you, through grading and comments, help this student find
their intellectual #oice)
Getting Started
+tart grading when you are feeling at your sharpest. Be practical, stay upbeat, and take your time. If
you ha#e many to do, it is best to di#ide the papers into small batches and work through them three or
four at a time. ,enerally speaking, fi#e minutes for each page and ten minutes for a final comment
should allow you enough time, but of course this can #ary from paper to paper. -eep a copy of the
assignment prompt close at hand, and begin reading first for what the student has to say. You might
want to begin by reading briefly through a number of papers to get a feel for them, and to gi#e yourself
an idea of the range of responses.
Comments
As you grade each paper, try to make one or two substanti#e comments in the margins of e#ery page.
'hile .check/ marks and writing .good/ are handy, students really appreciate specific feedback.
Ideally, a marginal comment should do one of three things0 11 2ngage with an intellectual or historical
issue the student has raised& 31 *ighlight a particular strength or weakness of the paper"s argument& or
41 5ffer specific suggestions for future impro#ement. Although it is sometimes tempting to focus only
on a paper"s drawbacks, remember to spend time identifying and encouraging positi#e aspects too.
%eli#er constructi#e criticism clearly and sensiti#ely. 6uestions are a good way of highlighting
problems. 7ather than writing in the margin .this point is irrele#ant,/ for eample, you might ask
.*ow does this obser#ation relate to your broader argument)/ 2lsewhere, gi#e details where you can.
Instead of only writing .this is unclear/ or .this is unsubstantiated,/ you might say .here it is difficult
to grasp your argument, as you do not make clear the connection between 8 and Y,/ or .further
eamples here of 8 would strengthen your claims./ 'hene#er making criticisms, remember to remain
ob$ecti#e and respectful. 9e#er take mistakes or factual errors personally, and a#oid ironic or inflamed
comments at all costs. 9e#er lose sight of the fact that your obser#ations are there to help sharpen the
student"s historical skills.
At the end of the paper, a longer final comment should build on your marginal responses. *ere, you can
present both an o#erall critical reaction to the paper and a $ustification for the grade. You might try .the
sandwich/ techni(ue, making your principal criticisms in the middle, with positi#e obser#ations either
side. !his is not simply a way of softening the blow of negati#e comments& it reassures the student that
your criticisms come within a broader contet of e#aluating their work in a positi#e light. +ometimes,
of course, .the sandwich/ will not be appropriate, and you may ha#e to offer more etensi#e criticisms.
But e#en with the best papers, there will always be room to suggest ways of taking things further. It is
always a good idea to direct the final comment towards future work.
Grades
After you ha#e made all of your comments, it is time to gi#e that paper a firm grade. 2#en for
eperienced teachers this can be a conflicting process, but it is best to be decisi#e and confident. 5ne
way of keeping your grading consistent is by referring to a set of criteria. %ifferent assignments, of
course, demand different approaches, and you might like to make your own specific grade guidelines
before each one. :eeting with other !As to discuss your grading parameters is also an essential step.
But a generali;ed criteria might look something like this0
A An eceptional piece of work, this paper makes a strong and original argument. !he paper is
written with flair, and is supported by rigorous and original research. !he student"s command of
the sources is impressi#e. !he paper demonstrates an authoritati#e critical engagement with the
ma$or historiography, and builds towards new scholarship
A< !his paper makes a confident, clear, and independent argument. It is #ery well written, and is
supported by skilfully chosen e#idence and thoughtful research. !he student has a command of
the sources. !he paper critically assesses ma$or historiography, and locates itself within key
historical debates
B= !he writer makes a successful argument with elements of original analysis. !he paper is well
organi;ed, well written and consistent. !here may be one or two errors, but all claims are
supported by appropriate e#idence. 'hile the writer addresses the key historiography, their
engagement may be a little limited. ,enerally speaking, this paper lacks the confident command
of the sources that distinguishes the .A/ range
B !his paper offers a solid argument, although it may be a little straightforward or deri#ati#e.
!he work is organi;ed and coherently written, but may ha#e sloppy errors in places. Although
the writer attempts to support all points, the paper may contain some unsubstantiated claims,
and command of the sources is patchy. !he writer addresses historiography, but tends to
summari;e historians" arguments rather than analy;ing or engaging with them
B< !his is a paper that presents a weak or unclear argument. !he writing may contain (uite a few
errors, and a number of its claims may be generali;ed, or only loosely supported by e#idence.
!he sur#ey of historiography is fragmentary and uncritical, and is usually not integrated
effecti#ely into the broader discussion
>= !his paper offers a #ery weak or insufficiently articulated argument. It is likely to lack a central
point and make a number of #ery generali;ed claims. !he writing may be a little illogical
or contain significant errors, and appropriate e#idence is often missing, with con$ecture in its
place. *istoriography is only dealt with superficially
> !he writer"s argument is fragmentary or insupportable. !he writing contains significant flaws,
and the organi;ation of the paper may be incoherent. Its claims are o#erly generali;ed, and
lack appropriate support from sources. *istoriography is dealt with #ery superficially.
>< :uch the same as .>/, but a little weaker in each area.
% A complete failure to address the demands of the assignment.
As a general rule, it is best to reser#e the straight .A/ grade only for the #ery best papers. +ome
instructors like to grade on a cur#e, but if you do, be sure you let the students know that this is your
policy in ad#ance.
:ake a note of grades in pencil at first, only finali;ing them after you ha#e read e#ery paper and got a
good idea of the o#erall range and (uality of responses. *and papers back to the students promptly, and
be sure to let them know that they can contact you with any (uestions.
+ome instructors like to use slash grades, such as .A< ? B=./ !his can be useful, but be clear in
eplaining what this means to the student. 7emember, too, that you will e#entually ha#e to decide on a
single final grade one way or the other.
Office Hour feedback
If you can make the time, etra office hours are a great way of offering students in<depth feedback on
their work. You might, for eample, choose to return each paper in an indi#idual fifteen<minute
meeting. *ere you can eplain your feedback in more detail, and can engage the student in a #aluable
dialogue on the issues they ha#e raised and how they might impro#e their work in the future. Among
other benefits, this type of meeting can make the student #i#idly aware that they are writing for an alert
and interested reader, and the knowledge that they will ha#e to talk about the paper with you later can
encourage them to take e#en greater care and effort during the writing process. !hat said, these
meetings must be handled sensiti#ely. Be sure to maintain a friendly and focussed office en#ironment,
and stick to the principles of balance that you stri#e for in your marginal comments.
Dealing with problems
If a paper is marked by serious 2nglish language issues, your feedback can take a dual approach. 5n
the one hand, you can begin by o#erlooking the (uality of epression, engaging solely with the ideas
and analysis the student has offered. :ore often than not, howe#er, (uality of epression is inetricable
from (uality of argument. It is important to appreciate that *istory papers are eercises in the rhetorical
arts of persuasion and narrati#e, and you ha#e a duty to help students culti#ate skills of effecti#e
writing. @se your discretion, but serious linguistic or stylistic shortcomings must always be reflected in
the paper"s grade. 'here appropriate, encourage the student to #isit the writing center
AwritingcenterBnyu.edu1.
If you are going to assign a .%/ grade to a paper, you might want to contact the professor o#erseeing
the course, and it is best to call the student to an office hour meeting. *ere you can check that they
fully understand the demands of the class, you can offer targeted ad#ice, and discuss how their grade
may be compensated for in the remainder of the course. If they want to rewrite the assignment this is an
option, but you should check with the course guidelines, and might want to set a cap on the grade they
can ultimately recei#e Ai.e., a resubmitted B= may then translate as a B1.
Be clear and firm with the grade penalties you will impose for the late submission of papers. After the
fact, you can always be fleible and deal with each case indi#idually. But it is important that the
students take deadlines seriously.
Failing students is a serious business. Always discuss the matter with your colleagues well in ad#ance
if a student is on track to fail, and seek ad#ice from the department, if appropriate, on the student"s
options for taking an incomplete.
Summary Tip Sheet:
Be clear, and announce your epectations and grading criteria well before the paper deadline
Allow good time for grading each paper. As a general rule, fi#e minutes per page and an etra
ten minutes for the final comment is usually enough
!ake regular breaks while grading C if you are tired, you owe it to the students to get some sleep
and come back when you are refreshed
+tay positi#e D 7emember you are doing this grading in order to help the student fulfill their
intellectual potential
!ry to make 3<4 substanti#e comments in the margins of each page
'hen you are commenting in the margins, remember that you are coaching rather than
critici;ing
,ood marginal comments should engage with the historical and intellectual issues raised by the
paper, highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the argument, and suggest ideas for future
impro#ement
:ake a note of the grades in pencil at first, and check back o#er all the papers when you ha#e
finished grading. >an you now decide between .B=/ and .A</ for that one paper) Is that .A/
really, on reflection, an .A</)
Be conser#ati#e in awarding straight .A/ grades. 7eser#e this award for the eceptional work
-eep a record of each grade you assign, and make notes for yourself on the strengths and
weaknesses of each paper so you can better help students in office hour discussions
Always hand papers back promptly