CLA Orientation for Writing Integration—GTA Preparation for

Grading and Responding

Sue DoeAssistant Professor of English

Colorado State UniversitySue.Doe@colostate.edu

Overview of Orientation• Introduction to context for writing integration• A Sample Assignment• Holistic scoring/sorting—developing criteria, applying

criteria, revising criteria—and why• Analytic scoring—strategies and choices• Commenting/responding to student writing• The trouble students have with academic writing;

grading/responding as part of the instructional team• Interventions through peer review, conferences, office

hours• Guests Representing: 2nd year GTAs, TILT—The

Institute for Learning and Teaching, The Writing Center, Writing@CSU

Local Writing Resources

• http://writing.colostate.edu– Google search possible on virtually any writing topic.

Over 100K pages of writing information, most authored at CSU.

– Writing tools available through Writing Studio-keep track of your drafts, your biblios, your reading, etc. Same tools available for undergrads and others

• The Writing Center and WAC – Visit Eddy 6 (The physical writing center) or submit

papers electronically for feedback– Request a workshop on any writing subject

What it is, where it came from

gtPathways

State Guaranteed Transfer: gtPathways

• gtPathways Curriculum Adopted as part of the CCHE Academic Affairs Policy I, Part L: Statewide Transfer Policy.

• Built upon concepts found in the Student Bill of Rights (a.k.a, the King Bill), § 23-1-125 C.R.S: “The Commission, in consultation with each Colorado public

institution of higher education, is directed to to outline a plan to implement a core course concept”

“The core of courses shall consist of at least thirty credit hours, but shall not exceed forty credit hours”

“Individual institutions of higher education shall conform their own core course requirements with the guidelines developed by the Commission…”

One Policy Goal of gtPathways

Students shall have assurance of:

“A quality general education experience that develops competencies in reading, writing, mathematics, technology, and critical thinking through an integrated arts and science experience.”

Adams State College: Faculty Senate agreed to adopt gtPathways curriculum for institutional general education curriculum

Fort Lewis College: Restructuring entire general education curriculum to meet gtPathways requirements; modifying junior-level writing courses to meet gtPathways requirements (I.e., 200-level).

Colorado State University: Integrating writing into general education AHUM and SOCS courses (20% - 25% of grades in writing assignments); adding 3 credit hours in AHUM.

University of Northern Colorado: Charting the Future; reducing general education course offerings to 60-70 courses; restructuring curriculum to meet gtPathways curriculum.

Major Changes to Colorado Colleges and Universities

Memorandum of UnderstandingMEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTSWRITING IN AUCC COURSES IN LIBERAL ARTS

Effective Fall 2007All AUCC courses in Categories 3B, C, D and E of the core must satisfy the following requirements regarding writing. These must be clearly stated on the syllabus for the course.

1. Goals for writing in AUCC courses: There are two goals for writing assignments in AUCC courses: (1) to improve students’ comprehension of course content and,(2) to improve students’ proficiency in writing.

Note (1): Both of these goals are best achieved when students receive feedback on their writing assignments and have an opportunity to make use of that feedback.

MOU continued…2. Writing requirements:• At least 25 percent of the course grade must be based on

written work that satisfies the following:– At least one writing assignment must be an out-of-class

piece of written work. (2)– In-class written work, such as on exams, must be in the

form of essays.• Note (2): While this represents a minimum standard, to

maximize the benefits to students of more writing multiple opportunities to write and respond to feedback are recommended, such as:

• Several out-of-class writing assignments.OR

• One or more rewrites of an out-of-class writing assignment.

MOU continued2. Writing Requirements (continued)• Expectations of written work must be clearly stated on the

syllabus. Among other things the instructor considers appropriate, those expectations should include students demonstrating: (3)

– The ability to convey a theme or argument clearly and coherently.

– The ability to analyze critically and to synthesize the work of others.

– The ability to acquire and apply information from appropriate sources, and reference sources appropriately.

– Competence in standard written English.• Note (3): Instructors should use their own discretion in

communicating to students the relative importance of the various expectations in their own writing assignments in terms of how they will be graded.

MOU continued3. Plagiarism Statement:• More writing in AUCC courses also brings the risk of increased

incidents of plagiarism. It is strongly recommended that instructors have a statement in their syllabus that clearly states that plagiarism in not acceptable and is a form of academic dishonesty. An example is:

• Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. As per university policy “Any student found responsible for having engaged in academic dishonesty will be subject to an academic penalty and/or University disciplinary action.”

• On page 38 of the 2006 – 2007 General Catalog, plagiarism is defined:

“Plagiarism includes the copying of language, structure, ideas, or thoughts of another, and representing them as one’s own without proper acknowledgement. Examples include a submission of purchased research papers as one’s own work; paraphrasing and/or quoting material with properly documenting the source.”

Copies of Written Competency Guidelines of College of Liberal

Arts MOUSimply send an email to:

Sue.Doe@colostate.edu

Say: Please send Guidelines and MOU

What Matters in College Writing?

• Write for 5 minutes about – the qualities of writing that you believe all first-year

college students should develop—essential abilities they’ll need

– your beliefs about student writing ability right now and what that belief is based upon

– the kinds of support students need to improve– where, how, and when writing instruction should be

given in college contexts

• Put your name on this piece of paper as you’ll be turning it in. Hold onto it for now.

Grading—Becoming Part of the Instructional Team

• Support and instruction, formative feedback vs. justification of the grade

• Consistency and fairness

• Criteria-based grading vs. norming

• Time management through Hierarchies of Rhetorical Concern

• Holistic and Analytic Evaluation

Hierarchy of Rhetorical Concerns

Audience, Purpose, Occasion

Focus: Thesis, Reasons, Unity/Coherence

Development: Reasons, Evidence, Explanation

Style/Mechanics/Conventions: Readability, Care and Polish, Patterns of Error

Hierarchical Concerns DetailedAudience • Who is the writer’s audience? Is this an academic audience? What are the

expectations?Purpose• Is this piece of writing intended to inform? Analyze? Explore? Summarize?

Argue? Development• What kinds of evidence does the audience expect? Does the context

demand clarification through examples, data, etc.?Organization• Is the writing organized in a coherent way?• Do transitions guide the reader through the logic of the paper?Style and Conventions• What style is appropriate for the context in terms of audience and purpose?

What register or level of formality Is appropriate? (For instance, can the writer use “I” in this context?)

• Are there locations where the writing is hard to follow or comprehension is disrupted? If so, can I discern why?

• Are there patterns of error showing any of the Top Five DASTARDLY SENTENCE ERRORS—1) subject–verb agreement, 2) run-on and fragmented sentences, 3) unclear or incorrect pronoun agreement, 4) verb tense inconsistencies, 5) weak comma use

Grading For What Matters—Purposes of Assignments

What is the TASK being required by the assignment—to inform, to explore, to convince, to describe, to compare, to summarize, to persuade? Find the VERB or VERBS and you’ll know the task.

Is this • a thesis-provided paper for which students must defend of refute? • a problem-solution paper in which students are given a problem or

question that demands a thesis and support? Is • a data-provided paper for which students are expected to analyze

and explain? • a genre-provided paper, in which students are expected to follow

an organizational structure or format in an accepted form, such as a memo, case study, lab report, or executive summary?

• write-to-learn or write-to-engage writing for which students are expected to explore and/or develop their thinking rather than to produce a polished paper?

• an in-class essay, reflecting comprehension of course material?

Holistic Scoring

The Assignment: POLS 101 American Government and Politics

With Thanks to Professor Sandra Davis and Her Students Who Generously Shared Their

Work With Us

The Assignment POLS 101 American Government and

PoliticsYour assignment is to write an essay supporting or opposing the use of the

Electoral College as a means of electing the president. Use only the materials listed here and posted on RamCT: AMODD, ELAT, and LWV.

Essay Components: 1) Introduction and Background—introduce the issue, explain how the E.C.

works to elect the president, discuss a variety of historic challenges to the E.C. and whether you think the process worked well or poorly in 2000.

2) State whether the E.C. should be abolished or kept and provide 3-4 reasons why.

3) Support each reason with at least one paragraph of evidence backing your view. Use sources and distinguish these from your own views.

4) Provide a reference list.5) Paper should be 3-4 pages but no longer than 4 pages. (Graders stop

reading if paper is over 4 pages.)6) Students are instructed in assignment sheet: “ You should roughly cover

15-20 points per page.”

Reference Liststudents are instructed to NOT USE quotations

but to parenthetically cite if paraphrasing• AMODD

– Sidlow, E. and B. Henchen. (2008). America at odds. 6th Ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

• ELAT– FEC National Clearinghouse on Election Administration. (2003).

The pros and cons of the Electoral College System. Retrieved March 25, 2008 from http://uselectionatlas.com/INFORMATION/INFOMRATION/electcollege.procon

• LWV– League of Women Voters of California Education Fund,

Choosing the President (1992). The Electoral College. Retrieved March 25, 2008, from http://www.hks.harvard.edu/case/3pt/electoral.html

Additional Advice Given Students

• You are asked to make a persuasive argument in writing. You should try to convince a reader of your opinion. State you position on the proposed amendment, including the reasons for your opinion. This is often done in one or a few sentences that summarize the argument you will make in the rest of the essay.

• A thesis statement 1) tells the reader whether you oppose the proposed constitutional amendment; 2)is a road map for the paper; it tells readers what arguments will follow; 3) makes a claim that others might dispute

Holistic Process

• In groups of three, do a “read-around” of the set of three papers you now have. Sort High, Medium, and Low.

• Before you begin reading the sample papers, read through the Holistic Scoring Rubric for a Thesis-Restricted Paper.

Sort, Read, and Comment (or Stop, Drop, and Roll)

You would apply the same strategy if you had a set of papers here. You would skim through the set of papers. While this sounds like a time-consuming extra step, it actually saves you time in the long run.

Here’s what you might do if you had that stack:– Sort into three stacks—high, medium, low– If possible, stack within categories (High + and High -) so that

you have 6 stacks– Read with hierarchy of concerns in mind– Provide an end comment that is forward-looking and focused– Substantiate end comment with a few marginal comments

Minute Paper and the Muddiest Point

• Write for one minute about the most important strategy you learned today

• Write for one minute about some topic from today’s session that you’re unclear about or would like more information on

As you arrive, Select Paper 1, 2, or 3

If your name begins with A-H, take a copy of P1If your name begins with I-R, take a copy of P2If your name begins with S-Z, take a copy of P3

Review of Holistic Scoring--Calibration--

Examine a holistic rubric

Distinctions between scores

Refinements

Analytic CriteriaUse a scoring tool to assist with

grading

Consider Three Approaches1) standard rubric 2) benchmark and anchor papers3) continuum approach

Approach #1: Standard Rubric as Scoring Tool

Component Parts

• Assignment itself

• Dimensions/priorities/criteria

• Scale with levels of achievement. Levels can be continuums or reflect categories such as “proficient,” “competent,” “needs work.” These need not be points.

• Specific commenting room/space

Standard Rubric for Summary & Response Assignment

Dimension Excellent Competent Needs Work

Clarity and accuracy of article

summary Focus of response

Development, Organization & Coherence of

Response Readability, Mechanics,

Source Citation

Grade:

Steps for Creating Standard Rubrics or Scoring Sheets

• List key elements/features to assess, based on course and assignment objectives

• Refine and simplify key elements, then consider their relative importance or weight

• Do a common sense check to see if weighting of criteria is meaningful. Avoid points. Percentages are better but keep them broad. Too much refinement can lead to “grade-grubbing.”

• Decide if you’ll give feedback on all criteria, on certain ones, or only in an end comment

• Make clear where the overall grade appears

Approach 2: Benchmark and Anchor Papers

Consider writing a paragraph that explains what’s necessary for a C paper for this assignment. In other words, what MUST a paper accomplish to be deemed “adequate”?

Then write a paragraph explaining how the B paper improves upon the C. (The B paper does everything the C paper does but goes further to…)

Then write a paragraph explaining how the A improves upon the B. (The A paper does everything the B paper does but goes further to …)

It can be useful to distribute or post this explanation Remember: you are only assigning a grade; students earn those

grades. You do not GIVE grades. They do not GET grades. Consider using a 24-hour moratorium and a conference plan for grade protests.

Approach 3: The Continuum Approach

Once you have determined the most important aspects or criteria for grading, consider using a continuum to describe where the student is in their application of this criteria. This avoids the oft-times awkward approach of assigning points with criteria-based evaluation.

Example (criteria 3) from the Washington State U “Critical

Thinking Guide”: Identifies and considers salient perspectives and positions

important to the issue’s analysis Scant Substantial ----------------------------------------------------------------

Grading Criteria Listed on the POLS 101 Assignment Sheet

1) Clarity of argument and organization2) Quality of analysis. You need to make

your position on the issue clear. Provide arguments that are supported by information (i.e., evidence)

3) Quality of writing. Your ideas need to be clearly expressed. This includes proper spelling, grammar, expression of ideas, and citation of sources

Do Analytic Scoring

Number off 1-3 and prepare to do ONE form of analytic scoring

Write a description of your analytic scoring procedure for this assignment

Show others in your group the way your application would look or how it would be described for students

Select best example of 1, 2, 3 and show whole group

Discussion

• Which forms of analytic scoring do you like best or do you like pieces of each kind?

• What approach do you think you’ll take with grading, if you’re allowed to choose your own method?

• What recommendations would you make to others about analytic scoring?

Write to Engage

• What was the most helpful feedback you’ve ever gotten on a piece of writing?– What made it helpful?

• What was the least helpful feedback you’ve ever gotten on a piece of writing?– What made it less than helpful?

• What generalization(s) can we draw from these experiences?

Responding to WTL/WTE and Threaded Electronic Discussions (aka

Discussion Forums)• If being used, you have basic decisions to make/discuss with prof

about how to read and assess– Will you skim every entry and give whole-class feedback?– Will you read a random sample/scheduled group and give feedback to

sample?– Will you decide in advance how many times over semester you will

read and respond to each student?• Then generate accountability

– Select good examples to show as models– Use a check mark system for recording—participation?– Observe length of responses– Provide prof with your observations to share with whole class– Discourage “texting” shortcuts in posts and for in-class writing– Expect and enforce a standard of courtesy and academic

professionalism. Contact people on first evidence of discourteous shared writing. Be prepared for “confessions” of adolescent behavior

Managing Your Time Through a 3-Part End Comment

1. Sum up the strengths of the paper2. Identify the main problems to be worked on3. Provide a specific suggestion for how to improve the

paper, based on the main problem(s) already identified

And Remember:• You can’t respond to everything in a paper.• There are real people on the receiving end.• Comments are not principally for “justifying” a grade.

Your are providing formative feedback students can use with the next paper, even if it’s not in this class.

• Consider using questions in your marginal comments.

Peer Review of Comments1. Identify the major strength your partner noted in this paper. What locations did

the GTA point out to substantiate this claim of strength?How accurate do you believe this evaluation is?

2. Identify the guidance or advice your partner noted as a central concern in this

paper. What locations did your partner identify to substantiate the claim of “needs improvement” How accurate do you believe this evaluation is?

3. Identify the concrete suggestion for improvement that your partner noted. Would an undergraduate understand this advice and be able to follow it? How accurate do you believe this advice is?

4. Characterize the tone/attitude of feedback your partner has provided. Could it be improved and if so, how?

5. Are your partner’s comments forward-looking and formative in nature or do the comments seem defensive, as if justifying the grade?

Reminder: You Are Managing Your Time By Choosing Your Battles—hierarchy,

hierarchy, hierarchy! • Apply minimal marking technique • Avoid becoming your students’ copy editor as that is NOT your job and error

correction is not instructional. Remember you are part of the instructional team, not an editor.

• To instruct students on grammar issues, look for patterns of error or try to characterize error if you feel it is impeding the student’s message. Work with a Top 5 list of errors.

• Severe cases should represent <2% of papers. For these, you will need additional support.

– Non native speaker/writer issues: tenses, dropped articles, strings of sentences arranged the same

– Learning Disabilities: misspellings even with spell check, omitted words, homonyms

• Carelessness: Consider a “return to sender” policy on first occasion or the “R” grade. Must be approved by professor and not all will believe this is a good idea.

Commenting Advice

• “The writing teacher’s ministry is not just to the words but to the person who wrote the words.”

--William Zinsser• “The best kind of commentary enhances the

writer’s feeling of dignity. The worst kind can be dehumanizing and insulting—often to the bewilderment of the teacher whose intentions were kindly but whose techniques ignored the personal dimension of writing.”

--John Bean

Common Manifestations of Early Academic Writing

• And Then writing—chronological structure • All About writing—everything but the

kitchen sink• Data Dump writing—no discernable

structure, revealing a student overwhelmed with information; patching together of quotes

Did you see any of these in the sample papers?

Revision Processes and Strategies for GTA Intervention

Early, mid and late interventions• Early

– Topic proposal (subject, topic, issue, question)– Research question + tentative thesis– Seminal source description

• Mid– Annotated bibliography (text partners) or source evaluation– Summary and response to one source– Quote and paraphrase sheet for one source– Introduction review, especially if multiple sources. Use “templates”

for entering conversation– Prospectus in full sentences (one page)

• Late– Full draft workshop on one paper– Full draft peer review on all papers– Conference—writers talk about the draft they bring and revision plan

E.B. White and Revision

Revision: literally, to re-see

Errors in Student Writing• Students’ prose usually contains fewer mistakes than instructors perceive.

Errors are nearly always “patterned” rather than discreet• Student have more linguistic competence than the surface features of their

prose sometimes indicate• Errors in student writing increase in direct correspondence to increasing

difficulty of the assignment• Errors often disappear in students’ prose as they progress through multiple

drafts• Teachers can expect to see more serious sentence problems in first drafts

and on essay exams• Not all errors are equal! Imagine the psychology student who does not

know specialized use of the term “affect.” (A more egregious error than typical misspellings of affect/effect.)

• Don’t get into the habit of correcting student errors. It’s NOT helpful and it’s a poor use of your time. Mark a paragraph at most and say, “The problem continues” and explain what the problem, or error pattern, is. Perhaps it’s not grammar at all but ‘academic voice”??

• Traditional procedures for marking student papers may make matters worse

Conventions vs. Rules

• Language is fluid and evolving. Rules with language are hardly stable.

• Consider conventions associated with use of the male pronoun.

• Consider the Queen’s English vs. Standard English • Consider conventions associated with source citation.• Consider the dwindling use of the comma.• Texting is legitimate language use. (The sky is not

falling.) • Future language uses: classroom wikis and other

unstable texts

Error Pattern—Simple Form for Typical Student

• Apply minimal marking to one paragraph or at most one page of text

• Identify patterns of error or describe problem you’re seeing

• Require turn in (again) for credit on paper and only if errors are corrected

• Document problem and check for mastery application on next writing turned in

Error Pattern Analysis—Mastery Learning for Tougher Cases

• Minimal Marking in paragraph one only, identifying all errors you see• Error pattern process works toward your gradual withdrawal of

assistance• Start by locating ONE error pattern, correcting it, and explaining it

marginally (para 1)• Next, locate the error and student makes corrections (para 2)• Use check marks in margin of line with error; student locates error

and corrects (para 3)• Student independently responsible for application in para 4• Process can be repeated for any number of errors, one at a time• If prolific number of errors, an error journal can be started and

maintained by studentas errors are addressed. Student turns in periodically for your review.

Keep a Top 5 Error List

1) subject–verb agreement2) run-on and fragmented sentences3) unclear or incorrect pronoun agreement4) verb tense inconsistencies5) weak comma use

Worksheets don’t work; address these concerns in the context of students’ own writing. If possible, have them read aloud to see if they identify the error by themselves. If so, then errors are careless errors, not misunderstood principles.

Mis-use of Sources

• Summary

• Quotation

• Paraphrase

Consider use of “templates” as suggested by They Say, I Say to instruct students

Start your own “text partner” annotated bibliography

Your Writing

•How can helping undergraduates with their writing help you with yours? •E680•Feedback on Orientation

E680

Fall Semester 2008 • E 680A1-001 (CRN 66728)

– 7:45-9 TR, Clark C-72, Aug 25-Sept 28

• E680A2-002 (CRN 66729)– 4-5:15 TR Eddy 119, Aug 25-Sept 28

• E680A3-003 (CRN 66730)– 12:30-1:45 TR Eddy 119, Sept 29-Nov 2

• E680A4-004 (CRN 67513)– 11:00-12:15 TR Clark C-250, Aug 25-Sept 28

What are the questions you’ll ask your prof?

The E680 Course Focus• Academic writing and thinking—what students do in their writing,

what students can learn• The graduate student as writer• Intervening in student writing processes and getting students to your

office• Designing and conducting peer reviews—electronically or in-class.

Peer processes for grad students• Error Pattern Analysis and dealing with students’ mechanical errors• Engagement Writing (threaded electronic discussions or in-class)• The Non Native Speaker as Writer• In-class graded writing, the essay exam• Student source usage, citation conventions, and plagiarism

prevention• Genres, discourse communities, professional writing in the

disciplines• Your assignments, papers, comments, challenges

Feedback on Session

1. What “stuck” from this week’s training? What will you use?

2. Was the training too short, too long, or about right? 3. What aspects of your GTA position are you looking

forward to?4. What parts of your GTA position most concern you? 5. Would you seek out help from Sue on these issues?6. Will you use the CSU writing web site? the gtPathways

web site?7. Would you benefit from support for your writing? 8. Would you read a monthly one-page newsletter on

writing integration? If so, what sorts of topics would be valuable?