Course Grading Standards

Competency	Excellent (A+ - B+)	Acceptable (B - C)	Unacceptable (C - F)
Management of Purpose and audience	Subject and purpose for writing are explicit within documents and reflect thorough understanding of assignment's role in project Purpose and audience control choices consistently across documents	Aareness of purpose and audience is apparent in all documents and corresponds to assignments Topic choice reflects understanding of applied research; topic and community audience relationship is clear; project scope is reasonable	Writer's sense of purpose may be lacking or inconsistent with assignment and/or audience Stated purposes may not correspond to development withini document or may be inappropriately limited (e.g., informational ones when analysis is required)
Research Planning	Progress Reports, recommendation report define project direction and research scope comprehensively; project development documents support stated purpose Progress report is creative and thorough in planning sources and methods of data collection Portfolio transmittal memo may discuss project's evolution or revisions made to accommodate findings and adapt plan	Recommendation report shows that an internally consistent project has been conducted; project development documents support stated purpose Acceptable rationale for choice of project methods is described in recommendation report; choices are made based on type of information needed rather than ease of access or design	Recommendation report and related project documents may lack consistency in linking logical method to problem being studied Plan anticipated in proposal or retrospectively described in Recommendation report is poorly detailed, vague
Research Methods	Primary research tools are carefully designed to collect meaningful data and record it systematically An abundance of information and data allow the writer to select critically from it as basis for reports Audience (interviewee, questionnaire respondent) is thoughtfully considered in design of primary research tools Secondary research is focused and comprehensive; a research trail is established, perhaps beyond required level	Tools solicit relevant information consistent with purpose of project Sufficient research data has been collected to enable writer to fulfill project purpose Primary research tools adhere to guidelines of good design (e.g., interview guides contain primarily open-ended questions) Majority of secondary sources are from professional, trade, or academic journals and selected to address issues relevant to local problem	Inappropriately designed primary research tools enable writer to collect little data of value Research may be incomplete or too limited in scope to furnish writer with needed information Primary research tools may show limited relationship to project purpose, limited understanding of sources or be ambiguous, offensive, or inapprorpriate for respondents Seconday sources may be insuffiecient in number, drawn predominantly from publications lacking academic credibility, only vaguely applicable to research purpose, or used inappropriately
Synthesis	Literature review report thoroughly discusses relationship between literature and situation Recommendation report analysis is closely linked to audience factors; conclusions and major findings are emphasized; research is reconfigured to create new, significant information for the audience Performance Review discusses application of learning to portfolio document texts, incorporating discussion of course/individual goals	Literature Review report identified relevant issues in literature and links them to the local problem Recommendation report analysis is linked to audience; findings are explained in terms of organizational applicability Performance Review discusses relationsip of course content to writer, though discussion may be predominantly generalization	Literature review report may be limited to summarizing secondary sources; writer may "stack" quotation and paraphrase of sources with little supporting discussion Recommendation report reports research either without explicit connection to local problem or with an untenable one Portfolio documents may suggest that assignments have been completed as independent writings with little sense of connection between them
Analysis	Logical conclusions are drawn from carefully selected findings and explained thoroughly to fulfill writer's purpose Selective use of multiple, related sources is precise and incisive Relevant parts of sources are carefully blended into text as support or elaboration; balance of summary, paraphrase, and quotation enhances quality of analysis Development of analytical documents results in a sense of thorough and complete understanding for readers   Opinion is excluded or clearly identified as such in favor of rational interpretation of research   Analysis may be supplemented with graphics, appendices, or other non-required information that is relevant to purpose	Generalizations arise from examination of sources, though a disproportionate amount of discussion may be devoted to reporting; conclusions may be broader than primary data support Varied research findings are selected and presented in research-based reports; most unnecessary data and detail are excluded. Sources are introduced at approrpriate points in the text; writer manages use of summary, paraphrase, and quotation correctly Development meets required length guidelines; level of detail is varied among documents appropriately Analysis is impartial, objective; personal views may occasionally intrude but do not control overall analysis	Unsupported conclusions are often present; high level of generalization may be characteristic of several documents Analytical documents may rely heavily on reporting the viewpoints of one or two sources, or marginally releant dtail may be included with little regard for readers' need to know Writer shows little understanding of effective use of sources in relation to own text Development of idea is minimal; readers have no little or no basis to evaluate the validity of conclusions Writer may "judge" the research findings or problem based on personal experience
Organization	Organizational strategies underscore emphasis of main points, are appropriate for content, and enhance readers' accessibility to main points Context is established early in all documents at level appropriate to reader/writer relationship Paragraphs are fully developed, unified, cohesive, and of appropriate length for given document Organization of research tools reflects understanding of effective information-gathering techniques (e.g., begin with an easy question) and logical progression of items Attention is apparent to visual organizers that include headings, effective use of white space or other document design features	Content is logically ordered in all documents; research process may control organization of primary research-based reports and correspondence Assumptions that reader has existing knowledge of assignment may be evident in lack of context Most paragraphs are fully develped and cohesive; transitions are sued Research tools are logically ordered so that internally related information is grouped and progression of questions or labels in research tools is reasonable Research process may control organization of primary research-based reports and correspondence Some use of visual organizers such as headings is made	An overall organizational pattern may be difficult to identify or reflective of an overall lack of coherence in context; writer's inability to perceive how text must be organized to meet th needs of a reader other than self is apparent Context is rarely or incompeltely furnished A pattern of underdeveloped paragraphs or excessively long ones lacking in unity may be noted Sequence of items in research tools suggests little or no overall organizational strategy Writer's inability to perceive how text must be organized to meet the needs of a reader other than self is apparent

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