Opinion & Perspective
Grading from the Right Direction

Ted Bonnah
Ritsumeikan University

Go to the staff lounge of any Japanese university in April or September
and you will see the interesting phenomenon of educators teachingeach other how to teach. At the institution where I teach writing andcommunication courses, I often overhear instructors talking aboutclassroom management and discipline, or asking how to get students
motivated. Sometimes they ask how to use equipment or computer
programs they are not familiar with, such as Excel, PowerPoint, orPrezi. One question that inevitably comes up with new teachers is
how to mark written assignments.
Although this type of experience sharing is essential for both thedevelopment of the individual teacher and the teaching profession asa whole, the lack of concrete knowledge about evaluation points to a
ZLYPV\ZNHWPU,:3,-3[LHJOLY[YHPUPUN,]LUJLY[PÄLKWYVMLZZPVUHSS`licensed teachers, such as those in the Canadian school system where I
have worked, sometimes feel a lack of skills, and they can be prone toan “imposter syndrome” where they may feel they are not being taken
ZLYPV\ZS`HZHWYVMLZZPVUHS;OPZ[LUKLUJ`PZVUS`HTWSPÄLKPU1HWHULZL
college ESL teaching circles, where English educators have a wide arrayof academic backgrounds, from literature and linguistics to science orarts. However, many may have only touched on pedagogic theory or
37

Bonnah

WYHJ[PJL PU [OL JV\YZL VM JLY[PÄJH[PVU VY TH` SHJR HU` NYV\UKPUN H[all. While school system teachers and doctors get their professional
JLY[PÄJH[PVU MYVT ZWLJPÄJ PUZ[P[\[PVUZ ,:3,-3 [YHPUPUN YLTHPUZ HU
alphabet soup of organizations and credentials that do not always
LUZ\YLZ\MÄJPLU[NYV\UKPUNPUZV\UKL]HS\H[PVUTL[OVKZ(KKP[PVUHSS`
institutions may also offer little or no direction, and one Kansai teacher
I contacted while writing this article commented that the structure ofuniversity classes was “scarily ad hoc.”
To understand how to create a solid assessment methodology,[LHJOLYZ ÄYZ[ ULLK [V YLÅLJ[ VU ^O` [OL` HJ[\HSS` \ZL NYHKLZ (Z
Stiggins (2001) notes, we need some form of external means to certifythat learning has taken place inside the student, and evaluation is thetool for the job. Usually, the overall distribution of marks is dictatedby the syllabus, but often the exact method of deciding how to gauge
student product or performance is left to the teacher. For scoring
student essays or presentations, educators may receive rubrics or
search the Internet for them, but these are often confusing for newteachers as well as students or may have no connection to the content
VYSL]LSILPUN[H\NO[/H]PUNHÄYTPKLHVM^O`[VL]HS\H[LHSSV^Z[OL
teacher to better choose or formulate the best assessment tool to do so.
Besides giving an accurate picture of student learning, a well-designed
evaluation tool allows the teacher to have consistent results. Also, it
can be used to show students what they need to work on to succeed.
Finally, it gives teachers full accountability in case students wish toquestion their marks.
Another problem with how teachers assess student learning is that
although education theory and practice have advanced (and in myopinion greatly improved) over time, many ESL/EFL teachers decide
their method of assessment based on memories of how it was done
when they were students. One example of this type of pedagogic
OVSKV]LY HZ PKLU[PÄLK I` >VVSSVJR  PZ [OL KVTPUHUJL VM
ascending grading as the default setting, a tendency which was evident
38

Grading from the Right Direction, OnCUE Journal, 5(1), pages 37-43

in my school days. Woollock questions why teachers start grading fromzero, and he suggests instead that they give students full marks andwhittle down from there.
(S[OV\NO >VVSSVJR»Z WVPU[ VM NP]PUN Z[\KLU[Z [OL ILULÄ[ VM [OL
doubt is valid, his choice of descending grading is just as arbitrary as
the choice of ascending grading he critiques, since using either blindly
ignores the demands of the situation. When grading a performancesuch as a speech or a product such as a student paper, there are[OYLL VW[PVUZ MVY L]HS\H[PVU! NYHKPUN KV^U MYVT   NYHKPUN \W
from 0%, or grading from a median score. Each direction has its own
rationale, and multiple directions can be used for different aspects ofa single product or performance. Ideally, the aspect of the product or
performance being assessed should dictate whether the evaluation will
be ascending, descending, or starting from a median score.
To give a concrete example of how this works in practice, when I
evaluate a student paper, the syllabus only states that it represents 20%
VM[OLÄUHSTHYRI\[P[VMMLYZUVWHY[PJ\SHYZVUOV^[VHZZLZZ[OLWHWLY;Vgive equal weight to all aspects students are supposed to have learned,
and to reduce possible bias by simplifying calculation, I employ four
JH[LNVYPLZ^VY[OÄ]LWVPU[ZLHJO!MVYTH[Z`U[H_WHYHNYHWOZ[Y\J[\YL
and style. Each of these has different requirements in terms of directionof grading. I do not use a preconceived list or scale of descriptors thatcharacterizes most rubrics because these slow my judgment to a gameof hunt and peck, and cannot possibly represent the range of possible
writing a student may produce.
Descending grading is best used in situations where students can be
expected to have mastered the basic material, and where there should
not be any problems with performance. At my school, placement
L_HTZ[HRLUH[LUYVSSTLU[OH]L]LYPÄLK[OH[[OLZ`U[H_VMZ[\KLU[ZPU
the program is appropriate to the course level, and I also make sure that
0Z\MÄJPLU[S`[LHJO[OLWYLZJYPILKMVYTH[(ZIV[OMVYTH[HUKZ`U[H_
are Lower Order Concerns (LOC) and can thus be expected not to pose39

Bonnaha major problem for students, I use descending grading to evaluate[OLZL JH[LNVYPLZ -VY MVYTH[ Z[\KLU[Z Z[HY[ ^P[O Ä]L V\[ VM Ä]L HUKfor every mistake (such as spacing, placement of title or student nameand number, or incorrect font), they lose half a point. Similarly, I startZ`U[H_^P[OÄ]LWVPU[ZHUK[OLZ[\KLU[^PSSSVZLOHSMHWVPU[MVYL]LY`error (such as verb tenses, articles, prepositions, awkward phrases, orincomplete sentences).
It is important to note that I mark only types of syntactic errors,so a student with repeated article errors or omissions will lose only
half a point for articles, not for each instance. This is in keeping withthe writing center methodology I learned while working at Memorial
University in Canada, which aims to help students improve their^YP[PUN I` PKLU[PM`PUN LYYVY [`WLZ HUK WYV]PKPUN Z[YH[LNPLZ MVY Ä_PUN
them. Errors accrue quickly for a student who has written sloppily or
who has failed to follow my advice to have a fellow student proofread,and they will deservedly receive a lower mark. I mark directly on thestudent’s paper, so they can clearly see where they were mistaken, andthen I get them in groups so they can help each other by peer editing.
During peer editing sessions I let students use whatever language theywant. I agree with Leki (1992) that the cognitive burden of discussing
LYYVYZPU[OL3YLK\JLZZ[\KLU[Z»LMÄJPLUJ`;OL[`WLVMWLLYLKP[PUN
that I use helps them improve their second draft markedly, and the
OPNOLYVM[OL[^VTHYRZILJVTLZ[OLPYÄUHSNYHKLReturning to methodology, ascending grading is used in situations^OLUZ[\KLU[ZHYLL_WLJ[LK[VZOV^[OH[[OL`OH]LTHZ[LYLKZWLJPÄJHSS`[H\NO[LSLTLU[ZVYWYLZLU[[OLPYHJOPL]LTLU[ZPUHZWLJPÄLKTHUULY
As for the essay structure category, students have been taught to include
a Topic Sentence, Body, and Conclusion, and since these High Order*VUJLYUZ/6*HYLTVYLJSLHYS`KLÄULK[OHU[OLWYL]PV\Z36*VM
format and syntax, I grade up from zero. Students get 1.5 points eachfor having a Topic Sentence, Body, and Conclusion, and half a point
for Background. They can also lose a half point for going off topic,40

Grading from the Right Direction, OnCUE Journal, 5(1), pages 37-43

having a weak Conclusion, an uneven Body, or any other thing thatmars their argument or structure. Once again, all my comments areon the student’s paper, which I return so that students can see where
they need work and make appropriate changes during peer editing andlater at home before the second draft deadline.
Finally, median grading is appropriate when the student is expected[VOH]LHIHZLSL]LSVMJVTWL[LUJ`I\[^OPJO^PSS[OLUILTVKPÄLKby the superiority or inferiority of their actual performance. Therefore,
MVY[OLZ[`SLJH[LNVY`0Z[HY[MYVTHNLULYV\ZV\[VM;OPZYLÅLJ[Z[OLsubjective mastery of language, and so as long as students are writingPU ,UNSPZO 0 MLLS [OPZ OPNO Z[HY[PUN WVPU[ PZ Q\Z[PÄLK HS[OV\NO 0 TH`
adjust it up for weaker classes or down for stronger ones. The median
ZJVYL PZ ÄYZ[ PUJYLHZLK I` Z[\KLU[»Z ]VJHI\SHY` \ZL VM [YHUZP[PVUHS
phrases, voice, ideas or other good writing traits. Next, it is reduced by
the vagueness, logic faults, and other problems with student thought
and expression. As with format and syntax, students who write sloppily
JHUL_WLJ[[VSVZLTHYRZQ\Z[PÄHIS`OLYL^OPSLZ[\KLU[Z^OVZOV^HU
effort to actually think about the topic and take risks with advanced
expressions will be rewarded for it.
With the ability to formulate a methodology and the understanding
VM[OLYH[PVUHSLILOPUKKPYLJ[LKNYHKPUNÄYTS`PUTPUKHULK\JH[VYshould have no hesitation when marking any assignment. Thinking
through the rationale for every step of grading also helps teachers avoid[OLÄ]LKHUNLYZVM[YHKP[PVUHSNYHKPUNPKLU[PÄLKI`4PSULYHUK4PSULY(JSLHYS`KLÄULKHUK[YHUZWHYLU[NYHKPUNZJOLTLH]VPKZ[OLpedagogic danger of focusing on teacher need over student ability;
the psychometric danger of bias or distortion; the personal danger of
inuring student self-esteem with unclear grading; the cultural dangerof focusing on grades and numbers instead of achievement; and themoral danger of testing without equity. Just as students have learning
styles, teachers, too, have instructional styles, so adapting the above
concepts so that they can be understood and implemented by the41

Bonnah

PUKP]PK\HS PUZ[Y\J[VY ^PSS LUZ\YL H M\Y[OLY YPZL PU [LHJOLY JVUÄKLUJL
and evaluation accuracy.
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that a certain class average is reached, although an accepted practicein many institutions and with many teachers, seems like a numbers
game. Moving the line of scores by such statistical gymnastics after
the fact is akin to widening or moving the net after a soccer gamestarts. If student ability has already been gauged by valid placement
tests, and if the teacher has taught well, carefully chosen his or her
methodology, and then used formative assessment to apprise students
of expectations, scores should naturally fall into a curve representing
student ability. Deciding valid evaluation methods and letting students
know how they work ensures more representative results, as well as
TVYL[LHJOLYHUKZ[\KLU[JVUÄKLUJLPUNL[[PUN[OLT
I hope that this explanation of my assessment methodology andpractice for the writing requirement of my courses helps fellow
educators understand the necessities of good assessment and assists
them in devising their own methods and thereby improving theirevaluation validity and accountability. I also use this method formarking the presentation requirement of my course, and I believe thatthe principles presented in this article can be applied to evaluating
any form of student product or performance. Although supported by[LHJOPUNWYHJ[PJLHUK[OLVY`PU[OLÄUHSHUHS`ZPZ[OPZHY[PJSLYLWYLZLU[Z
one teacher’s way of putting concepts of valid assessment into practice.
(ZHYLÅLJ[P]LLK\JH[VY^OVPZHS^H`Z[Y`PUN[VPTWYV]L0^LSJVTL
a discussion of any issues regarding assessment methods that readers
might raise, and I look forward to reading any responses to this article
and the concepts it presents.

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Grading from the Right Direction, OnCUE Journal, 5(1), pages 37-43

References
Leki, I. (1992). Understanding ESL writers: A guide for teachers.
7VY[ZTV\[O!)V`U[VU*VVR
Milner, J., & Milner, L. (2003). Bridging English. Upper Saddle
9P]LY!4LYYPSS7YLU[PJL/HSS
Stiggins, R. (2001). Student-involved assessment for learning.
<WWLY:HKKSL9P]LY!4LYYPSS7YLU[PJL/HSS>VVSSVJR(.YHKPUNMYVT[OL^YVUNWLYZWLJ[P]L!;OL
case for descending grading. OnCUE Journal, 2(1), 59-64.
*                    *                    *Ted Bonnah is a Canadian educator and writer. He has taught English,
French, and Japanese at all levels from children to university students
in Japan and Canada, and has published literary criticism, short stories,
a book on grammar, ESL articles and travel articles. He now works at
Ritsumeikan University in Shiga. tbonnah@fc.ritsumei.ac.jp43