A Linguistically Inclusive Approach to Grading Writing: A Practical Guide

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.

Table of Contents:
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