How I Grade

Grading Essay Questions

I grade exams question by question rather than exam by exam. This means that as much as possible I am unaware of who has written an answer as I grade it.
In bridge classes where I have both graduate and undergraduate students I grade the undergraduates first on the questions. Thus, I am not inflating my expectations of undergraduates.
Typically I will read the answers to a question at least four times. The first time I simply read through everyone's answer to give me a sense for the general qualities of good answers. This does not give me a notion of your grade, but overall is there something the whole class has missed? Sometimes material not mastered is because I have not explained it well enough. The second time, I place answers in piles: sometimes above average, average, and below average, sometimes A-F. There does not need to be an equal number in each pile (this is not a curving device), only a first sort on grade. Then I pick up each pile and read through it assigning the grade to each answer. Finally, to check myself, I reread starting with the best answer and going to the weakest (or vis versa) to make certain I have appropriately differentiated quality.
I do not have any checklist of items I am looking for in answers. Rather, I am reading for the overall control you have over the subject matter of the question. I may develop a list of characteristics of "A" answers after grading the questions to communicate to the class when I hand the exam back. But this list is post-hoc rather than a rule I use to measure answers.

What Grades Mean

Outstanding in all ways. Shows a knowledge of the vocabulary required to answer the question and how to wield that vocabulary in developing an answer. Answer is comprehensive.
Answer that shows knowledge of the subject matter of the question. Also demonstrates an ability to use the vocabulary related to the question. Can generate insight over and above what may have been talked about explicitly in class.
The answer I would expect from the average student having worked with the material. Some ability to use vocabulary related to the question and a familiarity with the material.
Some hint of familiarity with the material of the course including vocabulary and concepts. A better answer than someone would provide who had never had the course.

Numbers and Letters

I prefer to grade using letters. Typically I will use the full A-F scale including + and -. The definition of each grade is above.
On examinations I will sometimes use points. Typically, such exams will be 100 points. Grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

90 and above
80-89
70-79
60-69

After adding the points on a test, I will typically look again at scores within 3 points of the next highest score and see if I can squeeze here and there to raise the person to the next highest grade.
When I record grades from the exam, I only record the letter grade. In other words, in recording the grade from an examination is no difference between an 81 and an 88.
If an exam is a mix of letter grading for essays and numerical grading for multiple choice, I will specify a percentage for each and figure the overall grade the same way I explain calculating final grades below.
I do not "curve" grades, meaning I am delighted if everyone in the class gets "A" or "B." But typically I do not need to curve grades because the grades on an assignment will already have a proper curve with about the same number of students receiving an "A" or a "B" as receive a lower grade. I do compare the grades on an assignment with the average GPA for a class. The university provides me a figure which is the average GPA or all the students in the class. I expect the average of my grades to be somewhere close to that average. Invariably they are.

Grading Journals or Abstracts

Sometimes in classes I have students do journals or prepare abstracts through the semester to provide themselves quality notes to study in preparation for examinations and to better prepare them for class discussion. As extra encouragement for doing these, I may assign a portion of the grade to the journals or abstracts. Typically, in such cases I will pick these up on a certain number of unannounced days each semester and assign a grade of "S" or "U" to each. Because I seek to encourage you to do these every day, I do not announce in advance when I will collect the assignments.

An "S"/"U" scale is not the same as an A/F scale. The S grade means satisfactory. It means that you are doing at least the minimal necessary in reading the material and applying it properly and actively.

Because (1) I realize everyone may have a bad day now and then when they cannot keep up the prompt day-to-day grind, (2) because I realize there may be occasional reasons you cannot be in class, and (3) because the documentation requirement for excused absences can be onerous for you and for me in cases where the specific assignment is a small part of the grade, I use a different method for addressing excused absences on the journal or abstract. Typically, I will collect these seven times during the semester but use your five best grades.

Calculating your Semester Grade

I use the following procedure in calculating your final grade:

Step 1: All letter grades are translated into equivalent numbers on the following scale: A = 11; A- = 10; B+ = 9; B = 8; B- = 7; C+ = 6; C = 5; C- = 4; D+ = 3; D = 2; D- = 1; F = 0.

Step 2: I have provided you with a weighting for each grade. The grade number value in step 1 is multiplied by the weighting factor.

Step 3: These weighted values for the grades are added together. This gives me an overall numeric value for your work.

Step 4: I translate the numeric value back into the scale in step 1. I round to the nearest number, rounding up at .5.

Step 5: I then do a survey of your overall grades and do corrections. If I find, for example, that you were a B student throughout the semester but received an F on one assignment, I will tend to discount the aberrant grade and lift you a bit on the grading scale. If the general progression of your grades are toward improvement, I will tend to lift you a bit on the grading scale. And, of course, it works the opposite way as well.

Example: Suppose a student has two midterm exams worth 20 percent each with grades of B on both; a semester paper worth 20 percent with an A-; a journal assignment worth 10 percent with a grade of C; and a Final exam worth 30 percent with a grade of C+. The formula would be:

(.2*8) + (.2*8) + (.2*10) + (.1*5) + (.3*6) = 1.6 + 1.6 + 2.0 + 0.5 + 1.8 = 7.5

which would round up to an 8 which is a B.

Late Assignments and Incompletes

Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day specified. Students who come to class late and turn their papers in have turned them in late.
I may allow negotiation of a delay in the assignment due date. I do not encourage this. Seldom does more time improve the quality of a student's project. I do understand that there are sometimes crises, however, that require an extension. To negotiate this you need to fill out The Great Klumpp Incomplete Memo.
At the end of the semester incompletes will only be given to undergraduates after discussion with me and filling out of the Undergraduate Incomplete Contract. If I am missing your work (including the final exam) at the end of the semester and such a contract is not negotiated, you will be awarded an F on the missing material and your grade averaged.