RATING SCALE FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS 

Criteria for a grade of A:

The content shows a superior understanding of the topic. The written response: 1) presents factors of central significance and explains them with substantial factual detail; 2) clearly shows how these factors operate; 3) has structure and mechanics which serve content.

Criteria for a grade of B:

The content demonstrates an accurate grasp of the topic. The response: 1) presents important factors and explains them with appropriate specifics; 2) shows less detailed knowledge and less synthesis than the A paper; 3) has structure and mechanics which serve content.

Criteria for a grade of C:

The content demonstrates an acceptable but commonplace understanding of the topic. The response: 1) presents impotant factors but explains them with only the most obvious specifics; 2) delineates only the most obvious implications; 3) has structure and mechanics which my cause a reader minor distractions.

Criteria for a grade of D:

The content demonstrates only limited understanding or a partial misunderstanding of the topic. The response: 1) my use unimportant factors or may explain important factors or their significance with little coherence or specificity; 2) may make a number of serious factual errors; 3) has structure and mechanics which sometime impede the reader’s understanding.

Criteria for a grade of F:

The content demonstrates little or no grasp of the topic: 1) may significantly misstate facts or misinterpret them; 2) may fail completely to justify the choice of factors; 3) may be a string of generalizations without specifics or specifics without generalizations; 4) has structure and mechanics which may cause the reader significant difficulty.