Labor-Based Grading Rubric
Our Grading Practice
This class is assessed using a labor-based grading contract. You will not be given a point value per assignment; instead, you will receive a 'complete' or 'incomplete' and your grade will be entirely determined by the labor (revisions) you put into your coursework.
That is, labor work that shows concrete evidence of your intellectual growth such as, speaking, thinking, writing, and sustained reading engagement.
The default grade for the class is a “B.” That is, if you do all that is asked of you in the spirit it is asked, then you will get a “B.”
If you ignore or forget to do assignments, your grade will be lowered. However, if you sustain your efforts and labor by applying peer and teacher feedback to your writing, engage in the critical literacy tasks, critical topic discussions, and post-reading reflections to develop your competency as a critical thinker, reader, writer, and researcher, and complete all major projects, you will receive an ‘A’.
With student consent and permission, you can view both informal and formal major projects we will engage in by clicking on a prior Student E-Portfolio Example
In addition, below you can view a more detailed description of our labor-based grading contract. Please contact me if you have any questions!
Course Assessment
LABOR BASED GRADING CONTRACT RUBRIC
Below is an agreement between the students and the instructor about the work that needs to be done to earn a specific grade. Based on the students’ academic performances and participation behaviors, each student will fall under one of the following labor-based-grading contract criteria.
Grade
Contract Criteria
A
The student has completed their Google Sites Eportfolio in its entirety as outlined in the Google Sites Eportfolio prompt and has included the following formal and informal assignments:
1. Letter to my teacher
2. Major Project 1 Linguistic Landscape Presentation and Reflection Essay with peer review feedback and Self- Assessment Cover Letter Reflection 1
3. Major Project 2 Annotated Bibliography with teacher feedback
4. Major Project 3 Podcast Script & Audio with peer feedback and Self- Assessment Cover Letter Reflection 2
5. Final Course Reflection- Theory of Writing and Communication
6. Critical Discourse Analysis Tasks 2 of the following:
- Music Video Discourse Analysis
- Genre and Discourse Analysis
- Literary Analysis
7. Critical Topics Collaborative Discussions on 2 of the following:
- Unit 1 Jamila Lyiscott “3 Ways to Speak English” Poetic Performance
- Unit 2 Titus Kaphar “Can Art Amend History” Ted-Talk
- Unit 3- Verna Myers?” “How to Overcome Our Biases?” Ted Talk
B
The student has completed their Google Sites Eportfolio in its entirety as outlined in the Google Sites Eportfolio prompt and has included the following formal and informal assignments:
1. Letter to my teacher
2. Major Project 1 Linguistic Landscape Presentation and Reflection Essay with peer review feedback and Self-Assessment Cover Letter Reflection 1
3. Major Project 2 Annotated Bibliography with teacher feedback
4. Major Project 3 Podcast Script & Audio with peer feedback and Self-Assessment Cover Letter Reflection 2
5. Final Course Reflection- Theory of Writing and Communication
6. Critical Discourse Analysis Tasks 1 of the following:
- Music Video Discourse Analysis
- Genre and Discourse Analysis
- Literary Analysis
7. Critical Topics Collaborative Discussions on 1 of the following:
- Unit 1 Jamila Lyiscott “3 Ways to Speak English” Poetic Performance
- Unit 2 Titus Kaphar “Can Art Amend History” Ted-Talk
- Unit 3- Verna Myers?” “How to Overcome Our Biases?” Ted Talk
C
The student has completed their Google Sites Eportfolio as outlined in the Google Sites Eportfolio prompt and has included the following major writing projects:
1. Major Project 1 Linguistic Landscape Presentation and Reflection Essay with peer review feedback and Self-Assessment Cover Letter Reflection 1
2. Major Project 2 Annotated Bibliography with teacher feedback
3. Major Project 3 Podcast Script & Audio with peer feedback and Self-Assessment Cover Letter Reflection 2
4. Final Course Reflection- Theory of Writing and Communication
D
The student has partially completed 1 or 2 Major Projects in their Google Sites E-portfolio BUT does not include cover letter reflections nor has the student completed a final course reflection as outlined in the Google Sites E-portfolio prompt.
F
The student has not completed any major projects in this course.
Contract Agreement:
Your success in this class is important to me. We will all need accommodations because we all learn differently. If aspects of this course prevent you from learning or exclude you, please let me know as soon as possible. Together we will develop strategies to meet both your needs and the requirements of the course.
By staying in this course, you accept the grading contract, course policies, and disclaimers as outlined in this course syllabus and agree to abide by it. I, Fairuze Ahmed Ramirez, also agree to abide by the contract and administer it fairly and equitably.
Grading Procedures and Tips for Success!
For each assignment, I recommend that you review the rubric before completing it and then again before submitting it to ensure you've addressed all the required criteria.
You submit an assignment by the due date. (If you can't make a due date, contact me in advance so we can agree upon an extension.)
I will review your submission against the rubric criteria and mark the assignment as Complete or Incomplete (with feedback) in the Grades area.
If an assignment is incomplete, that simply means you aren't quite there yet (but you'll get there!). Just review my feedback, revise your work, and resubmit the assignment. I wish we could change the "Incomplete" language in Canvas to "Not Yet," but, unfortunately, that's not an option. I hope you will mentally apply "Not Yet" to your experience, should you receive an "Incomplete" for an assignment. :)
If your work is submitted on time, I will make every effort to review and comment on the work within 72 hours. I also encourage you to schedule a conference call with me to discuss your revisions if you feel that is necessary.
Finally, to help reduce stress and improve the likelihood of completing the assignments in our modules successfully:
-Allow yourself the time and space you need to do your best work.
-Don't procrastinate.
-If you get stuck on an assignment, reach out to me or one of your peers. I welcome your questions and I am happy to help you think through your ideas so you can successfully complete an assignment.