ENGL 3400 April 12: Grading Papers

I graded the second set of papers for the class. The most significant challenge that the students demonstrated was the ability to give detailed explanation and justifications for their educational decisions. I think that some of the students simply did not read the secondary material. I think that some of them are not really at the level of analysis and argumentation that they should be at this level. There was a marked gap between the achievement level of the Middle Grades Education students and the Secondary English Education students. It seems like the MGED students just aren't used to applying a theoretical lens to their own work. I felt challenged by grading the papers for a class that I didn't design. There's something interesting about working in someone else's classroom. I felt more pressure to maintain Dr. Insenga's standards. While that was challenging for me, I think it also helped me keep a high standard for my own work.

One student was shocked by her grade, and is contesting it. I met with her to discuss her grade. Below is the email that I sent Dr. Insenga summarizing our meeting and detailing the situation.
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Dr. Insenga--
I talked with ________ after class about her paper. She was shocked to get a C+ and told me that she cried. She basically wanted me to change her grade. I went through the paper and explained my reasoning--mostly that she didn't give detailed justifications or demonstrate a clear understanding of the theory. I also noted a few qualities on the rubric that justifies a B that I thought her paper just didn't demonstrate--essentially why I couldn't confidently grade that paper a B. I explained that I cannot change her grade, and I suggested that she make an appointment to talk with you. She explained that she didn't feel prepared for that type of pedagogical justification. She suggested that she wasn't prepared due to lack of in class modeling. She also explained that she's never written a paper like this or taken an English class since composition. I suggested then that maybe a C+ was pretty good given those circumstances. At that point I told her that she was doing the right thing in coming to talk with me and that she has legitimate concerns and reaffirmed that she should talk with you.

She mentioned also that you and I were saying different things, which she didn't give particular evidence of or explain very clearly. I'm not really sure what's going on there, but that worries me a bit.

Also, I do think that I gave you __________'s paper.

Whew! I'll stop by on Wednesday to chat.
Jessica

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and Dr. Insenga's response:
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Hi, Jessica--

You did the right thing in explaining that we cannot just change grades, despite the fact that someone is upset.

I never spoke to ________ about a draft, and she only asked me questions after class.

Regarding her feeling unprepared: she is certainly doing well to justify in her Anatomy of a Lesson Plan assignments, so I am unsure if that is a valid reason for her upset. I'll need to look at her work to talk further about any specifics.

In short, she should come see me. However, no grade change will be possible for her.

Thanks for keeping me in the loop, here. It sounds like you handled it quite well.

See you soon.

ai

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It does seem that in this classroom with two instructors, some students tend to create a gap between the teachers. A few students seem to turn my words against Dr. Insenga's or vise versa. For that reason, maintaining close contact with Dr. Insenga has really helped.