General Grading Information

Grading Consistency

Consistent Evaluation

Grades should reflect only a student's work in a particular course. A student's personality, outside interests, or general academic ability should not be factors in grading their work. This is particularly important when grading is curved, because one student's performance can impact the relative grades of all other students in the class. 

It is also important to grade as consistently as possible across all assignments in a given semester. Though it can be tempting to either grade earlier assignments "easy", so as not to discourage students, or to grade earlier assignments "harder", so as to encourage students to improve, both scenarios can be confusing and frustrating for students, who use each successive grade as an indication of where they will stand in the course at the end. Maintaining consistency in grading across the semester will help TAs avoid potential issues down the line. Should the course instructor decide to use different grading systems across the semester, or to weigh an early assignment differently, the TA should be clear about it with the students.

"Blind grading" is an evaluation method by which the grader does not have access to names or identifying information when grading assignments. There are a variety of manual ways to facilitate blind grading, and Moodle has functions to enable blind grading for assignments submitted through the course site. It is the TA's and/or course instructor's decision whether or not to grade blindly, but it is one way to ensure grader objectivity.

Grading Reviews

Students have the right to ask TAs to review their grading decisions. The terms of the review should be clear (Are students allowed to revise and resubmit?; Will the TA reconsider the grade?). TAs should only change a student's grade because of mistaken evaluation or clerical error, never because the student needs a higher grade (to graduate, to get honors, to get into grad school, etc.).

If the TA and student cannot resolve a grading dispute, the TA should involve the course instructor.

Incompletes and Extensions

The course instructor should set the terms by which students may be granted incompletes or extensions on work, and these terms should be clearly communicated to students early in the semester. These terms are governed partly by faculty rules, and include consideration of the student's needs and the instructor's ability to grade papers or give exams later. The professor in charge of the course is responsible for making a final decision on this matter. If someone in class often experiences this problem with the course assignments, TAs should advise them to talk with a peer mentor, their dean, or the Director of Academic Support Services for a referral to the appropriate academic support service.

Grading Philosophies and Options 

Course instructors should clearly communicate their approach to grading assignments and student performance. Below are common grading approaches that may be used.

Curving

When assignments are graded on a curve, the best and worst work submitted for a particular assignment or assessment are used to determine the range of grades. Although most instructors do maintain a threshold of minimum standards, grades are decided more on the individual class’s performance and less on predetermined criteria.

Curving has been criticized for causing grade inflation and for invalidating grades as a consistent and reliable measure. On the other hand, it does check any ambiguities or mistakes made in constructing students’ assignments or tests. If the instructor fails to be clear about what is expected, or designs assignments that are inconsistent with what has been taught, the students will not suffer for the instructor's mistakes.

Criteria or Absolute Grading Standards

"Absolute standards" grading is based on the course instructor's expectations for student performance. Grades are determined by analyzing what has been taught to predict what students should have learned. Evaluation criteria are then determined before review of the students’ work or grading begins.

Many educators believe that this grading option can reduce grade inflation and increase the reliability of grades across classrooms and institutions. On the other hand, absolute standards grading suffers from its own set of biases, since the evaluative criteria of different educators across classrooms and institutions is also likely to be inconsistent.

Contract Grading

In contract grading teachers and students design a contract that specifies what work students will do to achieve a given grade. The emphasis is generally on the amount and not the quality of work each student does. Advocates of contract grading stress the educational importance of involving students in the process of evaluation. They also emphasize that this is the only grading system in which competition among students is minimized, with the emphasis on each individual student’s process of learning. This grading practice is not widely used at Bryn Mawr.

Confidentiality and Honor Code

Confidentiality and Privacy

Confidentiality and privacy are highly valued by Bryn Mawr students. This means that your sensitivity and consideration as a TA will be greatly appreciated by your students. To maintain confidentiality of student grades and performances, TAs should: 

• Never publicly post grades (even in disguised form) or identify strong or weak performances. 
• Hand back work in such a way that grades are not visible to other students. 
• Make sure that difficult conversations are held where they cannot be overheard. 
• Refrain from discussing one student’s work or difficulties with another. 
• Consider posting an overall grade distribution for students who wish to compare their academic standing in the course. 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requires all faculty, TAs, and staff at Bryn Mawr to maintain the confidentiality of any student academic records in their possession, including course schedules and grades. FERPA guidelines allow for the exchange of information among college faculty and staff but do not permit the release of a student’s information to individuals outside the college without their written permission. If you have any questions about FERPA or seek advice when you receive requests for information about a student, please contact the Registrar Office (registrar@brynmawr.edu) or the Undergraduate Dean’s Office (deansoffice@brynmawr.edu). 

The Honor Code

Bryn Mawr is known for its Honor Code, which governs the academic and social behavior life of all students. In general, the academic Honor Code means that faculty and TAs can and do treat students with confidence in their academic integrity while recognizing that these standards are not always self-evident. More information about the Honor Code can be found in the Undergraduate Student Handbook. 

If you suspect a violation of the Honor Code, do not hesitate to consult with the faculty instructor you assist, dean, or faculty member of the Honor Board. Typically, the first suggestion would be for you to meet with the student and share your concern about their work. If after the meeting you continue to feel that there may have been a violation, the student should be asked to report themselves to the Honor Board. Unlike in most other schools, faculty members at Bryn Mawr do not determine whether violations have occurred, nor do they impose penalties for them. The Honor Board, comprised of both faculty members and students, serves as an objective “third party” to mediate infractions and to establish an appropriate penalty.