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Grading Effectively

Grading effectively can be accomplished by managing both time and responses to student writing. These steps provide a means of developing efficient grading practices.

Managing Time Effectively

  • Read the papers through once to get an overall sense of the responses
  • Move papers into ranges of grades
  • Use a timer to keep on track—allow no more than 15 minutes per paper (for longer assignments)

Making Effective Pen Strokes

  • Focus on global concerns or stylistic problems
  • Mark errors on the first page only
  • Mark only representative errors
  • Place check marks in the margins where errors occur

Providing Effective Feedback

  • Terminal comments are the most important messages
  • In the terminal comments, document the strengths and weaknesses in the paper
  • Use a 3/3 approach, balancing comments on strengths and weaknesses
  • Explain whether the students responded well to the assignment
  • Encourage or discourage specific writing behaviors
  • Set goals for future assignments

Using Technology Effectively

  • Return error-laden essays for proofreading and correction
  • Use style editors or other software packages to scan student writing for errors
  • Have students peer-edit before the final draft is due

Responding to L2 (ESL) Writers

  • The content of the essay should be the primary focus
  • Sentence-level issues should be addressed by patterns of error
  • Concentrate on marking those errors that interfere with the writer’s message
  • Demonstrate where the student has used a part of speech correctly