College Writing Midterm Self-Evaluation
Assignment: Use the Scoring Guidelines below to assess your growth and your performance for the quarter. Methodically use the criteria spelled out for each area (class participation, progress toward goals, journal and overall performance) give yourself a grade for each area and support the grade with specific examples. Connect your performance with the criteria in the rubrics and use quotes or examples from your writing, conferences and class as examples.
Support your assessment clearly so it doesn’t appear you are giving yourself the grade you want rather than the grade you deserve. Be thorough. Do not ignore less positive behaviors such as private conversations in class or missing journal entries. Your honesty will make the rest of your assessment stronger.
Also use the Scoring Guidelines to assess the course and the feedback on your writing. Part I: How was the feedback on your writing useful or what was the most effective part of the feedback on your writing? What least useful or least effective? Make a least one suggestion for improving the feedback on your writing. Part II: Write a short evaluation of the course. Be sure to answer the following questions: What was the best or most useful part of the course this quarter? What was worst or least useful part of the course? What suggestion(s) do you have for the course next quarter or next semester? Remember, this course is constantly evolving; your ideas will be used to improve the course. (Remember to closely follow the Scoring Guidelines.)
Requirements: Come to the exam period with at least a rough draft of your self-assessment. If you type slowly begin before the exam day. At the end of the period hand in your portfolio, your journal and your goals and any other evidence that will support your assessment. I will check your assessment against them.
Suggested Process: Each area (starting with Class Participation) will be assigned as a journal assignment. Highlight the descriptions on the criteria sheet (Class Rubrics) that fit your performance to determine a grade for that area. In your journal entry assess all aspects of your performance using the scoring guidelines on the back of this page. Repeat this process for each area. Use your own midterm as a model for what to do again and what to do better this time. You may prefer to type these and staple a copy of each into your journal.
Evaluation: The final will be assessed in two ways. First, if your self-assessment is effective you will get the grade you have given yourself. Second, you will receive up to 20 points for the class evaluation and up to 20 points for each of the other four areas: journals, class participation, goals and overall grade. The number of points you receive will depend on how thoroughly and clearly you connect you specific behavior to the specific criteria spelled in the rubrics. Remember to assess yourself for each of the behaviors spelled out in the Scoring Guideline below.
(Due Date: Share Your Self-Evaluations by April 3)
Midterm Self-Evaluation Scoring Guideline
The Class Participation Assessment should accurately evaluate how often the student volunteers (3 pts), with specific examples (1 pt), how often and well he listens (2 pts), how often and well he helps others improve their writing (3 pts), with specific examples (1 pt), the degree to which he has private conversations (2 pts), the percentage of time he comes to class (don’t forget about days tardy or absent) on time, prepared and ready to work (2 pts), growth or improvement in class participation (2 pts) with examples (1 pt.) and give an overall grade consistent with the descriptions in the Criteria for Class Participation Grades (3 pts).
The Progress Toward Goals Portfolio Assessment clearly states each of the five goals. It should accurately evaluate each goal using significant, satisfactory, fair and very poor (1 pt each) with explanations for each goal that point to specific examples of progress in specific pieces of your writing from any course this quarter. The explanations quote or summarize the applicable section and discuss the effectiveness of each in terms of the goal (1 pt each). The assessment states whether you have attached five pieces of writing that demonstrate the progress (2 pts). Give yourself an overall progress toward goals grade that is consistent with the descriptions in the Criteria for Progress Towards Goals Grades (3 pts).
The Journal Assessment should accurately evaluate overall organization – secure journal, dated entries etc. (2 pts), number of entries excluding those written in class (2 pts), length (2 pts), percentage of assigned entries completed, (2 pts) number and quality of extra entries that go beyond assigned entries with examples (2 pts), entries that take risks, demonstrate thinking or persistence (2 pts) with examples (1 pt), growth or improvement in the journal with examples (2 pts), ability to meet deadlines for preparing and handing in journals (1 pt), comments from a classmate and/or from a conference with the writing assistant (2 pts). Give an overall grade consistent with the descriptions in the Criteria for Journal Grades (3 pts).
The Overall Assessment should accurately list the individual assessments (class participation, progress toward goals & journal) listing the grades (6 pts). It evaluates other areas of growth (besides the goals) mentioning specific areas of improvement (4 pts) over the quarter or include any other pertinent information, mention other contributions or specific future writing goals (4 pts). This is the place to discuss any change or improvement that you have experienced in your writing. The overall grade must follow logically from the individual assessment grades and the other pertinent information (6 pts).
The Course Evaluation should offer an example of feedback on your writing that was well done or useful (3 pts), an example of a weakness in or the least useful part of the feedback on your writing (3 pts) and a suggestion (different than the weakness) for improving the feedback on your writing (4 pts). It should evaluate the course stating the best or most useful part of the course, (3 pts), the worst or least useful part (3 pts) and a suggestion (different than the weakness) for next quarter or next semester (4 pts).