A Linguistically Inclusive Approach to Grading Writing

Improve your grading and feedback practices to benefit your students and their writing development. This guide models a research-based, linguistically inclusive approach to grading writing so that you can incorporate equitable assessment and feedback into your everyday practice. A linguistically inclusive grading approach honors Black linguistic justice, facilitates students’ use of feedback, and guides students to make rhetorical linguistic choices. Additionally, students will develop skills for responding to organization, word choice, grammar, and mechanics rooted in African American English and other language varieties. Example comments and practices are included throughout the book to assist instructors, including those constrained by mandated grade weighting or rubrics that preclude adopting more extensive changes. A Linguistically Inclusive Approach to Grading Writing will benefit writing instructors across contexts, including teaching online, teaching high-achieving students, and using contract grading.

Book Features:

• ● A linguistically inclusive approach to grading and offering feedback on language variation in college-level writing.
• ● Explanations, with examples, for how to use a linguistically inclusive grading approach across contexts and instructor goals.
• ● Concrete tools and adaptable models for responding to student writing for both formative and summative assessment, even when your students are using ChatGPT.
• ● An approach that not only prevents grading bias, but also effectively guides students to make their own rhetorical choices.
• ● Summary lists of recommended practices and questions for instructors to self-assess their instruction.
• ● A companion suite of resources, Students’ Right to Their Own Writing, is available at srtow.org.

Hannah A. Franz is the program associate for graduate advisement at the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and a coauthor of The Indispensable Guide to Undergraduate Research: Success in and Beyond College.

“Franz’s book fills a necessary gap, as it offers teachers direction and plans for assessing student writing. It does so by advancing an important undervalued point: Attending to the linguistic variations of all students is better and beneficial for all student writers.”
—From the Foreword by Vershawn Ashanti Young, director of Black Studies and professor of Communication Arts and English language and literacy, University of Waterloo

“Direct attention to writing in higher education is long overdue. This book is an immediate and comprehensive resource for instructors across disciplines, offering clear tools and practical strategies for grading student writing in empirically informed, inclusive, and equitable ways.”
—Christine Mallinson, Lipitz Distinguished Professor of the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and professor of language, literacy, and culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

Contents

Foreword Vershawn Ashanti Young  vii

Acknowledgments  xiii

1.  Introduction to a Linguistically Inclusive Approach to Grading Writing  1
Language Variation and a Linguistically Inclusive Approach to Grading Writing  2
The Time It Takes to Grade  3
What Motivated Me to Write This Book  4
Sociolinguistic Concepts That Inform This Book  6
The Benefits of a Linguistically Inclusive Approach to Grading  8
Is a Linguistically Inclusive Grading Approach for Me?  10
Multicultural Education and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy  13
The Significance of Grades  17
Historical Context of Grading Writing  20
Study Backdrop  22
Companion Resources  22
Overview of the Book  23
Self-Assess Your Practices  24

2.  Curriculum and Instruction for a Linguistically Inclusive Grading Approach  25
Course Objectives in Support of Linguistically Inclusive Grading  25
Instructor Motivations and Linguistically Inclusive Grading  30
Instruction in Organization and Grammar  34
Assignment Goals and Language Variation  39
Audience  41
Self-Assess Your Practices  44
Linguistically Inclusive Practices  45

3.  Linguistically Inclusive Grading Processes  46
Consider Grading Priorities and Distribution  46
Align Grading Priorities With Instruction  48
Read for Student Meaning  51
Use and Explain Sociolinguistically Informed Grading Criteria  52
Word Grading Criteria Positively  56
Maximize Peer Feedback and Multiple Drafts  57
Pose Questions Rather Than Penalties  60
Self-Assess Your Practices  60
Linguistically Inclusive Practices  61

4.  Linguistically Inclusive Commenting Strategies  63
Reapportion Your Time  64
Use Feedback as a Conversation  65
Teach Through Specific Positive Comments  66
Communicate High Expectations  69
Highlight Your Subjectivity as a Reader and Acknowledge Multiple Audiences  71
Ask Strategic Questions  73
Contextualize Prescriptive Comments  74
Rethink Labels  77
Use Corrections Judiciously  79
Self-Assess Your Practices  81
Linguistically Inclusive Practices  82

5.  Organization and Word Choice  84
Organization and Topic Relationships  85
Respond to Organization and Topic Relationships in a Linguistically Inclusive Approach  88
Pronoun Choice  92
Respond to Pronoun Choice in a Linguistically Inclusive Approach  94
Formal and Informal Word Choice  96
Respond to Formal and Informal Word Choice in a Linguistically Inclusive Approach  98
Self-Assess Your Practices  100
Linguistically Inclusive Practices  100

6.  Grammar and Mechanics  102
What Exactly Are Grammar and Mechanics?  102
Grammar Patterns  104
Respond to Grammar Patterns in a Linguistically Inclusive Approach  108
Mechanical Features  113
Self-Assess Your Practices  116
Linguistically Inclusive Practices  117

7.  Putting It All Together  119
A Linguistically Inclusive Approach to Grading: Summarized  120
Application of Multicultural Education and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy  122
What Can a Linguistically Inclusive Grading Approach Look Like in Your Classroom?  123
Conclusion  131

References  132

Index  140

About the Author  145