My First Venture Into Contract Grading

First, I must give credit to both Cathy Davidson and Dave Cormier who were kind enough to openly share their grading contracts to support other educators attempting this for the first time. I definitely borrowed heavily from their example.

The class with which I am conducting my first foray into contract grading is an online version of a National Writing Project Summer Institute. The class is organized as an asynchronous graduate class with the option to take the class for six hours rather than three. The focus of the class, as of all NWP work, is to improve the teaching of writing. We will write, on personal and professional topics, and we will discuss and share our ideas about the teaching of writing. My colleague Lee Skallerup will join us as she wants to learn more about NWP work.

I remain intrigued by the idea of using contract grading for my more traditional classes, as I want all my classes to be a learning community rather than a traditional class. However, the very nature of an NWP SI is to be a learning community and years of experience participating in more traditional SI’s has prepared me to make this class my first foray into contract grading. As my students are teachers (or soon to be teachers) then I hope they will enter into our experiment with the proper spirit. I know this is going to be a great learning experience for me and hopefully for them.

I am interested by the increased opportunity for student success offered by contract grading and I am even more interested about the ways I can use contract grading and peer evaluation to foster self-regulation and self-directed learning in the way that Cathy Davidson argues for flipping or rather cartwheeling our classrooms. I will write more about this experiment/experience in the coming weeks but for now I will simply share my first grading contract and await feedback:

Contract Grading + Peer Evaluation:  Explanation and Contract

This class is an experiment in collective thinking, leadership, and project management.  The intent is to create a workshop (as opposed to classroom) experience where we explore, learn, and grow together while providing a safe place to experiment with our writing, thinking, and teaching as each student takes responsibility for individual and collective work. I want this to be a student-centered experience where you choose what your learning experience will be like, and make it fit your context and priorities.

Contract Grading is designed to change the power dynamic of the classroom. The instructor is still the ‘content expert’, but you are the one who knows how much time you have to devote to this course, and what you’d ideally like to get out of it. The contract lays out what ‘acceptable success’ looks like and then you get to make choices about whether you are willing to do the work to earn a grade deemed ‘excellent’. The contract focuses on your effort rather than on attempting to measure or quantify your learning. The peer evaluation provides support for your efforts in this class as well as helping you develop the necessary self-regulation to continue your growth and development after the class ends. This course aims for encouraging self-valued, lifelong learning.

This is my first time engaging in contract learning as an instructor, so there is a learning curve for me as well as well as for you, but if we work together I believe this can be a positive experience for us all.

Evaluation Method:
You determine your grade for this course by fulfilling a contract that spells out in advance the requirements for fulfilling the terms of your contract.   Peer evaluation comes in when students charged with leading for the week assess (Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory) how well their classmates fulfill their obligations to the class through reflection, discussion, and feedback. Peer leaders will work with the other students in the class, giving feedback to each student and working to achieve an S grade.   If the student fails to submit an assignment or does not submit a satisfactory revision after being given careful feedback, the peer leader will record a U grade for that assignment.   (The same method will work on assignments graded by the professor.) Every student will be in a position of peer-grader (working with two or three students at a time) one week during this class and will report these evaluations using a document viewable by the entire class.  Learning together and giving and receiving feedback is a subject we will discuss and practice.

Contract Grading:
The advantage of contract grading is that you, the student, decide how much work you wish to do; if you complete that work on time and satisfactorily, you will receive the grade for which you contracted.  This means planning ahead, thinking about all of your other obligations and responsibilities and also determining what grade you want or need in this course.   The advantage of contract grading to the professor is no whining, no special pleading, on the students’ part. If you complete the work you contracted for, you get the grade. Done. I respect the student who only needs a C, who has other obligations that preclude doing all of the requirements to earn an A in the course, and who contracts for the C and carries out the contract perfectly.   (This is a major life skill:  taking responsibility for your own workflow.)

Grade Calculating:
By June 5 (our second day of class), each student will email the instructor the contract (see below) for their chosen grade (or grades, contract for Eng 609 follows the contract for 608).  All requirements for each grade are spelled out below. 

There are only two grades for any assignment.  Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.   Satisfactory is full credit.  Unsatisfactory (poor quality, late, or not submitted) is no credit.   At the end of the course, we tally.   If you fail to do a contracted assignment or your peers do not deem your work satisfactory, you will not receive credit for that assignment.  

Peer leaders (details below) who are in charge for a week will determine if the assignments posted during that week are satisfactory.  If not, they will give extensive and thoughtful feedback for improvement with the aim of collaborating toward Satisfactory work.   The goal is for everyone to produce satisfactory work, and the peer leaders will work with students to achieve that goal. 


REQUIREMENTS FOR A GRADE OF A in ENG 608:
(1) READING AND DISCUSSION, includes reading instructor lecture notes and required reading (book chapters, articles, etc.) as well as posting a substantive reflective response (by Thursday) which reflects your individual experience as well as the reading and making at least two responses to peer posts (by Sunday). Discussion will take place on a designated Google doc in the Reading and Discussion folder. Think of this as a collaborative research paper we are creating about the weekly topic. These can, and should, be inspired by and draw from your individual reflection journals but should not be simple repetition. They should engage your classmates and inspire discussion.

(2) WEEKLY REFLECTION JOURNAL POST, 500-1000 words about your views as a writer as well as a teacher in response to the class reading and discussion as well as writing group activities for the week.  Think of this as an evolving research paper.  It has the same importance and weight and seriousness.   You will create your journal as a Google doc in the Reflection Journal folder and share it with the instructor and class (simply adding a new post each week).   You will receive public feedback and responses from the instructor, any of the other students, and the two or three students leading and assessing that week.  Journal posts must be completed by Sunday night but the work should be ongoing throughout the week (with additions/changes after engaging in various class activities). All students are required to read their classmates journals and are encouraged to comment.   Journal posts may simply be reflections on yourself, your work, or your instructor’s or fellow learners’ ideas, but they should always be substantive, should use secondary sources where appropriate, and can use video, sound, images, animation as well as text.  They are intended to share your learning and make contributions to the field as well as give you the opportunity to wonder, question, challenge what you have learned and what you want to learn as a writer and teacher.

(3) LITERACY NARRATIVE, 500-1000 words (polished personal narrative) about your growth and development as a literate person including details that shaped the reader and writer you are today. Discuss specific events and people who had a powerful influence as well as your views about yourself as a literate person. You will create your literacy narrative as a Google doc in the appropriate Assignment folder and share it with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates literacy narratives and are encouraged to comment.   

(4) CREATIVE WRITING ACTIVITIES

1. Starts, share at least six early drafts with class via the appropriate Writing Workshop folder in Google docs. These should be the result of a simple free write response to a prompt or an idea of your own. These should not be the result of a great deal of time (probably less than an hour). The intent is for you to get in the habit of writing to build your writing muscles. As a part of this process you must also pay it forward by reading your classmates writing prompt responses. You are encouraged to comment but keep these comments positive and encouraging as this work is very preliminary (ie. I would love to see you continue with this piece, your writing made me laugh, cry, etc.). Do let people know if a particular image, phrase, etc. is intriguing or ask questions (but what happened to the baby bluebird?). 
2. Drafts, continue to work on at least two selected early drafts (using the same Google doc so we can track your progress, simply drag it to the appropriate Writing Workshop folder). These do not need to be final, polished drafts when you first share them but they should be complete (even if some sections might be a bit thin). The intent is for you to have something that can be used in writing workshop to start/continue a conversation about writing. On the designated Google doc indicate your particular worries, struggles, and/or concerns for your drafts. Ask for feedback but give your peers some guidelines so it is more meaningful and helpful. As a part of this process you must also pay it forward by reading your classmates drafts and responding to their requests. Your feedback should not focus on surface-level issues (grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.) but deeper writing issues. What is your response to this piece (emotionally, intellectually)? Provide the feedback your peers request but also put some serious thought into the strengths and weaknesses of the piece – help the writer play to their strengths! Give them advice that will help them develop, improve, and finally polish this piece. Learning to evaluate writing is key to becoming a good writer. 
3. Polished, experienced writers will tell you that no piece of writing is ever “done” but your goal here is to bring at least one piece of writing to a polished, complete form that you can proudly share/publish. Repeat the draft process (using the same Google doc so we can track your progress, simply drag it to the appropriate Writing Workshop folder) with one selected piece as necessary to move it toward that polished final draft.

(5)  PROPOSAL, one-page description of an article you could submit to a professional journal relevant to your current/future teaching position. The proposed topic should have clear relevance and connection to teaching writing in your current/future teaching position. Select a journal which could publish such a piece and base your documentation style on that journal’s editorial guidelines. You will create your proposal as a Google doc in the appropriate Assignment folder and share it with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates proposals and are encouraged to comment.   

(6)  ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY, working document that includes at least six credible and focused peer-reviewed journal articles (including at least two from your target publication) on the subject of your article. You can include class-assigned reading on your list but these cannot count for any of your six. You will create your annotated bibliography as a Google doc in the appropriate Assignment folder and share it with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates annotated bibliographies and are encouraged to comment. In addition, you are encouraged to share sources. If your own research includes a source that might be of interest to a classmate share it!   

(7) ARTICLE, 10-12 page article (based on approved proposal) about the teaching of writing. You will share your article as a Google doc in the appropriate Assignment folder with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates articles and are encouraged to comment.   

(8) PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING WRITING, 3-5 page paper (plus a reference page) in which you reflect on the critical issues (in your opinion) concerning the teaching of writing in your current/future teaching position. You will share your philosophy as a Google doc in the appropriate Assignment folder with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates philosophy statement and are encouraged to comment.   

(9) PEER LEADER, will act as peer leader with one or two additional students to monitor student engagement in required activities. You will be responsible for reading all contributions to the class discussion, weekly reflection journals, and writing workshop for that week and offering substantive feedback for each student then filing an S or U grade with the instructor using the Peer Leader Evaluation document. If a student receives a U in one or more of these areas then it is your responsibility to offer constructive feedback and an opportunity for the student to turn that into a Satisfactory piece of work.

CONTRACT:   By agreeing to this contract for an A in English 608, I agree to all of the terms above (satisfactory completion of #1-9).   
 

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CONTACT FOR A GRADE OF B IN ENGLISH 608
I wish to earn a grade of B in English 608.   To fulfill my contract for a grade of B, I will complete satisfactorily #1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 above.
  

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CONTACT FOR A GRADE OF C IN ENGLISH 608
I wish to earn a grade of C in English 608.   To fulfill my contract for a grade of C, I will complete satisfactorily #1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 9 above.  

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REQUIREMENTS FOR A GRADE OF A in ENG 609:
(1) READING AND DISCUSSION REPORT I, teams of two or more will prepare and share an overview and summary of the key points culled from our weekly reading and discussion as well as reflection journals. The intent is to create a public document (can be written as an article or blog post but could also use some sort of digital presentation tool such as Wiki, Squidoo, Prezi) that contributes to the knowledge of our field and then shared with a broader audience. What was the prevailing theme/central idea of our work for that week and what did we learn about it? These reports are intended to be an Open Educational Resource for the Morehead Writing Project and the National Writing Project and will be Tweeted using hashtags #ENG608 #MWPSI #NWP to connect with those audiences.

(2) READING AND DISCUSSION REPORT II, teams of two or more will prepare and share an overview and summary of the key points culled from our weekly reading and discussion as well as reflection journals. The intent is to create a public document (can be written as an article or blog post but could also use some sort of digital presentation tool such as Wiki, Squidoo, Prezi) that contributes to the knowledge of our field and then shared with a broader audience. What was the prevailing theme/central idea of our work for that week and what did we learn about it? These reports are intended to be an Open Educational Resource for the Morehead Writing Project and the National Writing Project and will be Tweeted using hashtags #ENG608 #MWPSI #NWP to connect with those audiences.

(3) CREATIVE WRITING ACTIVITIES

1. Starts, share at least six early drafts (in addition to those created for 608) with class via Google docs by attaching to designated page. These should be the result of a simple free write response to a prompt or an idea of your own. These should not be the result of a great deal of time (probably less than an hour). The intent is for you to get in the habit of writing to build your writing muscles. As a part of this process you must also pay it forward by reading your classmates writing prompt responses. You are encouraged to comment but keep these comments positive and encouraging as this work is very preliminary (ie. I would love to see you continue with this piece, your writing made me laugh, cry, etc.). Do let people know if a particular image, phrase, etc. is intriguing or ask questions (but what happened to the baby bluebird?).
2. Drafts, continue to work on at least two selected early drafts (in addition to those created for 608) (using the same Google doc so we can track your progress). These do not need to be final, polished drafts but they should be complete (even if some sections might be a bit thin). The intent is for you to have something that can be used in writing workshop to start/continue a conversation about writing. On the designated Google doc indicate your particular worries, struggles, and/or concerns for your drafts. Ask for feedback but give your peers some guidelines so it is more meaningful and helpful. As a part of this process you must also pay it forward by reading your classmates drafts and responding to their requests. Your feedback should not focus on surface-level issues (grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.) but deeper writing issues. What is your response to this piece (emotionally, intellectually)? Provide the feedback your peers request but also put some serious thought into the strengths and weaknesses of the piece – help the writer play to their strengths! Give them advice that will help them develop, improve, and finally polish this piece.
3. Polished, experienced writers will tell you that no piece of writing is ever “done” but your goal here is to bring at least one piece of writing to a polished, complete form that you can proudly share/publish. Repeat the draft process (using the same Google doc so we can track your progress) with one selected piece (in addition to the one created for 608) as necessary to move it toward that polished final draft.     

(4)  ARTICLE, 20-24 page article (including page count for 608) about the teaching of writing. You will share your article in Google docs with the instructor and class.   You will receive public feedback from the instructor as well some of the other students.  All students are required to read their classmates articles and are encouraged to comment.   

CONTRACT:   By agreeing to this contract for an A in English 609, I agree to all of the terms above (satisfactory completion of #1-4).   
 

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CONTACT FOR A GRADE OF B IN ENGLISH 609
I wish to earn a grade of B in English 609.   To fulfill my contract for a grade of B, I will complete satisfactorily #1, 2, and 4 above.
  

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CONTACT FOR A GRADE OF C IN ENGLISH 609
I wish to earn a grade of C in English 609.   To fulfill my contract for a grade of C, I will complete satisfactorily #1 and 2 above.