Summarize the following:
and let the students see it. A rubric is used to assign numerical values to various criteria used to make up the letter grade, usually based on a scale of 100. To get a letter grade, you assign numerical values to each section and tally the score. Making the students aware of the rubric used will keep the process transparent and eliminate the idea that you pull arbitrary grades out of nowhere. A rubric, for example, might look like this: Thesis and argument: _/40 Organization and paragraphs: _/30 Introduction and conclusion: _/10 Grammar, usage, and spelling: _/10 Sources and Citations: _/10 Let the students see a description of what an A means, what a B means, etc. Write your own according to your own specific criteria and emphasis for the class. Share it with the students so they can interpret the grade they receive. These are fairly standard designations, often worded like this: A (100-90): Work completes all of the requirements of the assignment in an original and creative manner. Work at this level goes beyond the basic guidelines of the assignment, showing the student took extra initiative in originally and creatively forming content, organization, and style. B (89-80): Work completes all of the requirements of the assignment. Work at this level is successful in terms of content, but might need some improvement in organization and style, perhaps requiring a little revision. A B reveals less of the author's original thought and creativity than A-level work. C (79-70): Work completes most of the requirements of the assignment. Though the content, organization, and style are logical and coherent, they may require some revision and may not reflect a high level of originality and creativity on the part of the author. D (69-60): Work either does not complete the requirements of the assignment, or meets them quite inadequately. Work at this level requires a good deal of revision, and is largely unsuccessful in content, organization, and style. F (Below 60): Work does not complete the requirements of the assignment. In general, students who put forth genuine effort will not receive an F. If you receive an F on any assignment (particularly if you feel you have given adequate effort), you should speak with me personally. Put the grade at the very end of the paper, after they've seen the rubric and your comments. Slapping a big letter grade at the top near the title will ensure that the student probably won't go through and read all the smart and helpful comments you've included. Some teachers like to hand out papers at the end of the day because they fear discouraging or distracting students during class time. Consider giving the students time to go through the papers in class and be available to talk about their grades afterwards. This will ensure that they read and understand your comments.

Summary:
Use a rubric Know or assign a description of each letter grade. Make the grade the last thing the student sees.