Writing professors push for ‘labor-based grading’ and de-emphasis on writing errors

College Fix ^ | March 2, 2021 | Grace Bureau

[C19fan]

Two writing professors at St. Olaf College are calling on their faculty peers and campus writing tutors to prioritize what they call “labor-based grading,” which puts a de-emphasis on calling out and correcting traditional writing errors.

“This approach to responding to student writing prioritizes students’ process and growth instead of a single standard of writing,” stated writing professors Bridget Draxler and Diane LeBlanc in an article on the college’s website.

[C19fan]

Oh boy...applying the labor theory of value that served as the foundation of Marx's analysis to grading. So I guess if I spend all night writing "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" I should get a higher grade than a talented writer who creates something compelling in an hour.

[Mopp4]

.....which puts a de-emphasis on calling out and correcting traditional writing errors.

So I'm guessing that "writing errors" will come to include "wrong think".......

[Menehune56]

Well, I may have gotten the wrong answer but I worked really hard.

Also known as an A for effort.

[PIF]

What better way to control future learning than deliberately introducing ways to make communication anything into gibberish.

[D_Idaho]

“We value truth, not facts.” Like that?

[Little Ray]

Merit is racist.
/sarc, Just in case.

[C19fan]

In other words “Newspeak”.

[redshawk]

Yeah but was it written in cursive? That’ll be racist.

[NobleFree]

Merit is racist.

And contrary to each youth's 'specialness'; many young white people can't write worth a damn either.

[Terry L Smith]

Another ploy to allow a disintegration of communication!

Imagine what a memo from ‘the front office’ would look like.

Or, worse yet, a written order from a commander of troops in bsttle.

[Sacajaweau]

Dear Teach...It took me 4 hours to read the Cliff Notes for Hamlet. I only copied two pages to get the assignment done on time. I’m exhausted. Mom expects an A-. Thanks

[PIF]

Newspeak had State approved standards - this crap has none; its worse. May as well tech kids to drool while they mouth meaningless sounds on no particular order which makes them feel good.

[OttawaFreeper]

St Olaf, isn’t that where Rose Nylund from The Golden Girls was from?

[Flatus I. Maximus]

Oy vey. I had enough trouble hiring people who could express themselves clearly and coherently in written English. I can’t imagine this making things any better for anyone.

Except I suppose for lazy English professors, who would now be allowed to grade their students’ work based on how they feel about the student, and not on any objective, measurable, or supportable criteria.

[READINABLUESTATE]

Don needs too spel no mor, spel chek wil fixx it.

[Scrambler Bob]

Well, I may have gotten the wrong answer but I worked really hard.
= = =

I was working on 1+1=?

So I used the test and check method.

I started with 1+1=1,000,000
and then worked my way down.

I am still working, really really hard.

[KarlInOhio]

prioritizes students’ process and growth

My initial papers will be utter crap then like Usain Bolt running a 25 second 200 meter dash on the first day of gym class. Usain, you took 15 seconds off your sprint time so you get an A+.

[Leaning Right]

This is very much like Stalin’s steel production goals. The emphasis was on quantity, not quality.

As an example, one Soviet nail factory was told to produce so many tons of nails. The manager discovered that this was most easily done by making large spikes. The manager met his goal, and got a medal. But no one needed these large spikes. So they just rusted away on the back lot.

[Little Ray]

Yep.
Horrible things have been done to the children in the name of ‘fairness’ and ‘self-esteem.’
F’instance, that kid in Baltimore who was near the top half of his class with a GPA of .13 and who had been socially promoted with each grade. (To be fair, holding him back would probably created a danger to the children in the new class...). His mom thought he was going to graduate and is suing ‘cuz he dindoo nuthin’ wrong. He got promoted right?
And we have allowed it.
The college track crap hasn’t helped. Most kids shouldn’t go to college. They should get vocational training or an apprenticeship. College track education should require testing into it or a waiver (”We don’t hold the school responsible if our kid really is too stupid for college”) signed by the parents.
But then, merit is racist, too.

[Mom MD]

And the participation trophy crowd continues. Who cares about results the important thing is that you tried. I don’t think I’ll be driving over many bridges in the future if I can help it