Holistic Team Scoring

Bob Mayberry, Composition Director
Christine Popok, Camilla Griggers, Stacey Anderson, John Guelcher
Cal State Channel Islands  

Background:

The holistic team-scoring method we use is an integral part of CSUCI’s Composition program, including the full year composition "stretch" sequence (ENGL 102-103) and the one semester composition class (ENGL 105). Students can fulfill the first-year writing requirement by completing either 103 or 105, and they place themselves in the course they believe to be most appropriate (Directed Self-Placement). The requirements for the final portfolio are identical in 103 and 105, as are the two in-class essays assigned each semester.

Characteristics of the composition program:

• Directed self-placement
• Common syllabus, collaboratively written by comp faculty
• 2 timed in-class essays of 60 min. (typically given weeks 4 & 11)
• Final portfolio of out-of-class papers

Team Scoring:

• Scoring criteria
• All comp teachers are part of the scoring team
• All graded student writing is scored by the team
• Teachers do not score the writing of students in their own sections
• 80% of students’ final grades are determined by scoring team
• 20% by class participation
• In-class essays constitute 25%; portfolios 55%
• Holistic scores are based on criteria (see handout)
• Each bluebook essay & each portfolio is read and scored twice
• Essays receive third reading if two scorers deviate by more than 1 point
• Holistic Scoring Results: In-class essays

Reporting & appealing scores:

• When teachers return in-class essays, they review criteria sheet and ask students to score each others’ essays using same criteria
• Students or teachers may appeal a score by resubmitting essay or portfolio for another scoring

Benefits for Students:

• Consistency of criteria
• Objectivity of scorers
• Sense of audience
• Confidence in evaluating peer/own writing

Student workshops help foster an intrinsic understanding of scoring rubric. Faculty provide examples of successes and failures and explain with examples what the wording of the rubric means. When essays are returned in class, students score each other’s work. Students score their peers in agreement with the team’s holistic score far more often than we expected: 84% in one class, 100% in another. On the mid-semester informal student, students were asked what should NOT be changed in ENGL 102-103, and they overwhelmingly responded with "instructor and peer feedback on writing."

Benefits for Faculty:

1. Camaraderie and collaboration, in place of resistance
2. New ideas, new pedagogies
3. Shared responsibilities
4. Visible growth in student ability
5. Common language provided by rubric
6. Shift in roles, from judge to coach/advocate
7. Appeals process to resolve disputes