Alternative Assessment Practices

Many faculty in the General Education English Program use a form of Alternative Assessment Practices, such as Ungrading.

Ungrading is a way of accessing and assessing student writing without the pressures of a traditionally quantified A-F grade scale rendered for each major project. Though ungrading can manifest in a variety of forms and levels, using the purest form means that completion rather than A-F grades are administered for daily work and class projects. Instead, final grades are based on the amount and types of work students complete. The purpose of ungrading is to focus on learning in class rather than enforcing a monolithic conception of “good writing.” Failure, messiness, and risk-taking are essential for developing as a writer, and ungrading creates space for these experiences in the writing classroom. This is often accomplished with regular feedback and opportunities for revision. Ungrading also helps students focus on their needs as writers and to take on further responsibility for their learning. Many faculty also find the use of “Single-Point Rubrics” particularly helpful.