As composition theorist Peter Elbow has written in several places, grades rarely measure learning accurately or foster a productive learning environment. Compositionist Asao B. Inoue has argued many times that a writing course that bases its assessments on labor rather than on subjective judgments of final products is a course that acknowledges the diverse literacies of students and that emphasizes the fact that writing is a process. Simply put, grades reduce complex ideas and practices to a single letter, obscuring the differences between, say, proofreading skills and the ability to support an argument.

So, our class is going to take Elbow’s and Inoue’s advice. To shift our attention from grading toward thoughtful assessment, I’m going to make you a deal. If you fulfill all the terms of the contract below, I will guarantee you a grade no lower than a B. If you consistently exceed the standards in each category below, your grade will improve. If you can’t complete all of the terms of the contract, your grade will go down. Fear not: You will still receive assessments that will guide you throughout the course; and you will still be able to calculate your total grade for the course throughout the semester. Each “above standard” in an overall category will raise your grade by ½ a letter, and each “below standard” will lower your grade by ½ a letter.The difference between how we will work through this course and how other grading paradigms function is that the expectations for a B are based on concrete, observable behaviors, not subjective judgments of quality.

This course focuses on your developing durable, long term composing practices. As a result, I have emphasized the processes needed to succeed as a writer. Moreover, because this contract emphasizes effective writing processes, not producing specific products, you can focus on a few manageable goals at a time, rather than feeling pressure to master everything at once. I hope you take this as an opportunity to experiment, to take risks in your writing, and to trust that you will learn something in the process: even if you try something new and fail, you can (in the words of Samuel Beckett) “fail better” next time, without being penalized.

Please read this all the way through at least one time before you sign it. After that, for a simplified, “checklist” version of this contract (i.e. what you need to actually do to earn a B, above a B, or below a B), see the chart at the end of the contract.

I. To earn a B for this course

1. Attend at least 90% of our class periods. As per Centenary’s guidelines, you are allowed three absences, for whatever reason. You are expected to arrive on time. Three late arrivals equal one absence. I begin marking people late five minutes after the class has started. If you are more than 15 minutes late, I will mark you absent. If you miss more than three classes total, your grade in this category will fall to a “below standard.” After that, every class that you miss will count against you by ½ a grade letter (so, you’ll go from a B to a B- to a C+ to a C, etc.).
   1. You will use classroom time productively. Always keep in mind that attendance means more than mere physical presence. Be consistently prepared for class: read and respond to the required materials, and bring any required texts or drafts to class, actively comment on Google Docs during peer review and other activities. Since our course involves very little lecture, you will not be able to recover lost time simply by reading the materials.
   2. Please also note that I don’t distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. First, such policies usually require arbitrary decisions. Second, often your reasons for missing class are none of my business, so I won’t put you on the spot to share them – although I invite you to discuss your specific circumstances with me, if you so choose, so that I can help you figure out how to best approach the challenges of college. Finally, your reason for missing class, no matter how good, does not change the fact that you missed work and contact time. If you need to miss class, be sure to email me and make up the work.
   3. If you have, or expect to have, problems with absences or latenesses, speak to me as soon as possible. I’m very flexible as long as you contact me and make up your work quickly and consistently.
2. Participate during every class period and peer review assignment. In the classroom, take the work we do seriously, and actively collaborate with your fellow students during group activities. In your peer review comments, push yourself to provide your classmates with consistently thorough, thoughtful, helpful feedback. Taking their work seriously enough to think hard about how it can be improved is crucial for your success, and theirs, in this course. Note that this is not just about praise or criticism: ask questions, make connections, explore possibilities.  I will explain the benefits and expectations of peer review before our first session, and we will develop a rubric together. At the end of the semester, I will read through your peer review comments, and will mark them as “above,” “at,” or “below” the B-level expectations of the class. Failing to submit a draft to your peer review group, coming to class without a draft for peer review, or failing to offer comments on your peers’ drafts on time will result in a “below standard” for peer review. If you’re unclear about peer review, be sure to speak with me after we discuss it as a class.
3. For every assignment, produce a substantial, thoughtful piece of writing that follows all guidelines in the prompt. To earn a B, you must complete all drafts of each assignment on time. The quality of your final product may help you earn a grade better than a B, but only if you’ve completed the required drafts throughout the semester. A late draft is anything turned in 1-5 days after the deadline indicated on the course schedule. I will not accept assignments that are more than 5 days late; drafts that are 8 days late and beyond are considered a missed assignment. I will provide an explanation of the requirements for each draft as it arrives. I will provide written comments on the second draft of every assignment, and will give additional feedback during our individual conferences. Your final drafts will be marked as “above,” “at,” or “below” B-level expectations for the assignment, according to the guidelines and the English department standards. At the end of the semester, you will need to submit a complete portfolio with your drafts, homework, and final revisions, as well as with a final reflective narrative. If you complete all of the assigned work as the semester progresses, this final requirement can be completed fairly easily. I will provide specific instructions about the portfolio throughout the semester.
   1. If you need extra time to complete an assignment (an extension), let me know as soon as you do. I’m usually pretty flexible in this regard, but only if I know well in advance of the due date (i.e. not the night before, and not after your peers have started peer review).
4. Complete all blog posts and actively comment on and extend other people’s contributions through class discussion. Our class conversations will continue online on the class blog. You should make an effort to actively contribute, not only by posting on your own blog, but by reading your peers’ blogs and bringing up their posts in class discussion. As a blogger, you should be thoughtfully engaging with the reading material and the prompt; in class discussion, you should point to helpful contributions that your classmates make, asking them to expand or clarify a point that they made, pointing them to a helpful resource or example. If you complete all blogging assignments and follow the requirements that are listed, you will maintain your B. Failing to participate will result in a “below standard” for blog posts as well as your participation (since I will have no proof that you’ve done the readings). If you complete all of the readings, blog more than is required, and actively comment on your peers’ responses during class discussion, you will likely exceed the standard.
   1. I will comment periodically throughout the semester, but will not give individual assessments, on your blog posts. You will give yourself an evaluation at the midterm and at the end of the term reflecting on your own work. I reserve the right to override that grade.
   2. In previous classes, I have been made aware that some students are uncomfortable with WordPress and other online platforms. I invite you to come talk to me (or send me an e-mail, or both) as soon as possible if, for any reason, you feel as though you will be unable to participate so that we can work out a plan as soon as possible.
5. Revise thoroughly and thoughtfully with every new draft of a written piece, using feedback from your peers, tutors, and from me. Thoughtful revision means substantially clarifying your ideas, reorganizing your points, rethinking your claims, adding or expanding your evidence, deepening or widening your research, adjusting your style, and re-imagining your relationship to your audience. I will provide you with feedback – either as a class and individually – at each stage of the writing process and I will facilitate peer review so that you can get each other’s feedback on your work. You do not have to make every change suggested by your readers, of course, because your writing is yours, and after all, readers will sometimes disagree. But you must take all feedback seriously, and your drafts should show evidence of your careful consideration of your readers’ suggestions. If a reader is confused or has an objection, don’t ignore it, don’t blow it off, and don’t shrug your shoulders and say, “Well, I don’t know what she/he/they meant by that.” Clear up the confusion or incorporate and respond to the objection either in the draft itself or in the reflective letter that will accompany each formal assignment that you produce (more on those later). If you’ve been given a substantial suggestion and you choose not to address it or to justify why you didn’t, you will not meet this standard.
6. Attend all scheduled conferences with me and other resources on campus throughout the semester. Come prepared to use your conference, consultation, or peer tutoring time productively, by bringing with you the appropriate drafts or reading materials as well as questions about them. If I indicate in my comments on one of your drafts that I would like you to schedule an extra appointment to talk with me, do so within the week. A missed conference with me counts the same as missing one class. Everyone will meet me individually at least four times this semester, and I will explain what you can do to prepare for that meeting when the time comes. You will also be told how to prepare for your tutoring sessions in the Writing Collaboratory and your consultation with Sara in the library. If you come to a conference, consultation, or peer tutoring session unprepared, you will receive a “below standard” for that conference, consultation, or peer tutoring session. If you arrive more than 5 minutes late, you will receive a “below standard” for that conference, consultation, or peer tutoring session.
7. Show respect for your classmates and your instructor, and practice mindful uses of technology while in class. This includes taking each other’s ideas seriously, listening to each other during presentations and discussions, refraining from distracting behaviors (falling asleep, reading or watching something online, doing work for other classes, focusing on something other than the task at hand during group work), and being courteous and kind in the language that you use when responding to ideas, formal, and informal assignments. This doesn’t mean that you only have to say nice things about everyone’s writing, but it does mean that you should take into account how it would feel to receive the kind of criticism that you’re giving. We’ll talk about some strategies for giving constructive feedback when we discuss peer review.
   1. Being responsible in your use of technology does not mean “DO NOT USE TECHNOLOGY EVER” or “HIDE YOUR PHONE FROM ME WHEN YOU SEE ME COMING OVER.” In fact, I encourage the use of technology in our class (and, also, everyone in the class knows when you’re texting or using SnapChat.) So, if you have a laptop or a tablet, bring it. If you access course readings through your phone, great. Half of our class basically takes place online, and you’ll be sharing drafts and links and posts with each other, so banning computers and phones would be counterproductive. But this means that I expect you to use your technology to do class-related stuff and that I’ll sometimes ask you to put away your tech gear to focus on something else. If you can’t (or won’t) do that, don’t bring it, because it will jeopardize your grade in this category.

If you fulfill all of these expectations, you are guaranteed a grade of at least a B overall. I will do my best to keep you informed and afloat with regard to your successful participation. If you’re ever in doubt about your contractual status, feel free to email me or drop by my office hours.

II. Grades Below a B:

Failure to complete the contract will result in a proportional reduction in your final grade below a B. Common ways for students’ grades to go down include:

• Missing a peer review assignment or a scheduled conference appointment.
• Missing more than three classes.
• Missing a blog post or draft.
• Constantly checking out in class: sleeping, using your phone, not participating in group work / free writing / pair work / etc.
• Failing to revise your work, or insufficiently revising your work.
• Turning in late drafts, peer review comments, blog posts, etc.
• Not completing all drafts of each assignment.

More substantial deviations from the contract, such as missing a major assignment, not handing in the final portfolio and reflective narrative, or consistently missing informal writing assignments, may result in more serious penalties. On the other hand, I’m usually open to your making up work if you contact me to discuss it. Moreover, I’m much more open to accommodations if you speak to me in advance. In other words, when in doubt, always speak to me.

III. How do I earn above my contract grade?

As mentioned above, grades up to and including B are based purely on behaviors, which is to say on process; for grades above a B, you must submit a final portfolio that demonstrates exemplary creativity, precision, and drive in your work. I admit that these terms are, unavoidably, rather fuzzy, but we will spend time in class discussing the specific expectations for each assignment. This is also why we have so many individual conferences – so that we have time to discuss, one-on-one, how you can push your writing in each assignment to the next level. Additionally, I’ve indicated behaviors that will bump your grade higher throughout the contract. (See the chart below for a clearer breakdown of those behaviors.) I’ll indicate throughout the semester if your work is exceeding the B standard. Students may conference with me about their grades at any time by making an appointment.

The following chart, taken from our Grading Contract (above), shows how each standard is determined.

Category	Above Standard (Above “B” work)	At Standard (“B” work)	Below Standard (Below “B” work)
Attendance	-attends every class -is always on time for class	-misses no more than 4 classes -rarely late	-misses more than 4 classes -frequently late
Blog Posts	-completes every blog assignment – extends the conversations we’ve been having in class in blog posts in addition to responding to prompts	-completes most blog assignments -responds thoughtfully to prompts	-misses 2 or more blog assignments -does not respond directly to prompts and does not meet word count requirements
Peer Review	-receives an “above” on the majority of peer reviews	-receives an “at” on the majority of peer reviews	-doesn’t complete a peer review, or receives a “below” on the majority of peer reviews
Deadlines + Requirements *See individual assignment breakdown below	-meets every deadline and all requirements	-meets every deadline and makes a good faith effort at meeting the requirements	-misses deadlines and / or doesn’t make an effort to complete requirements
Revision	-receives an “above” on the majority of revisions -completes all reflections	-receives an “at” on the majority of revisions -completes all reflections	-skips revision or doesn’t sufficiently revise (i.e. receives a “below” on the majority of revisions) -fails to complete reflections
Conferences, Consultations,  and Peer Tutoring	-attends all conferences and completes “above standard” requirements – attends required research consultation with librarian – attends all required peer tutoring sessions in the Writing Collaboratory	-attends all conferences and completes “at standard” requirements – attends required research consultation with librarian – attends all required peer tutoring sessions in the Writing Collaboratory	-misses a conference OR frequently late to conferences OR is unprepared for conferences (receives “below standard”) – misses required research consultation with librarian – misses more than one required peer tutoring session in the Writing Collaboratory
Respect + Tech	-not only participates, but listens to other people’s contributions  and extends / furthers the conversation -always prepared for class (has materials, readings, drafts, etc.) -tech is never a distraction	-contributes and listens to other people’s contributions -prepared for class the majority of the time (has materials, readings, drafts, etc.) -rarely distracted by tech	-doesn’t contribute much (this doesn’t mean you have to talk a lot — it can also mean that you’re just “checked out” in other ways: texting, doing other work, sleeping, etc.) -doesn’t listen to other people’s contributions / dominates conversation -frequently unprepared (doesn’t print off / bring articles, doesn’t bring drafts, etc.)