In the Department of Writing, we emphasize the writing process and the final product that process creates. For that reason, your final grade in WRT 130 and WRT 150 will be broken into two categories: your process grade and your final portfolio grade.
 

Your process grade will be worth 20% of your final grade, and will consist of smaller assignments you will complete throughout the semester that are designed to help you complete your final portfolio. These may include brainstorming or planning assignments, in-class activities, drafts, peer review participation, or other activities. You can review your course syllabus for a detailed description of how your process grade will be calculated.
 

Your final portfolio grade will be worth 80% of your final grade. A more detailed explanation of our expectations for the final portfolio and how your final grade will be determined can be found below. We encourage you to review this information carefully, and be sure to ask your instructor if you have any questions about how your final grade will be calculated.

Please note: These grading characteristics have been revised for first use in Fall 2023. You can also review the grading characteristics used prior to Fall 2023.

Characteristics of A Portfolios

Writing with a Purpose

• The writer accomplishes a challenging purpose in each essay/project that addresses a subject that is interesting to educated readers.
• The writer accomplishes the writing purpose of each essay/project by synthesizing significant and interesting discussions, details, and examples.

Writing for a Specific Audience

• The writer consistently composes texts with educated readers in mind. 
• The writer effectively engages educated readers by contributing meaningfully to ongoing conversations about complex, challenging topics.

Organizing Ideas

• The writer maintains a consistent focus by logically arranging paragraphs that are substantially developed with evidence, examples, and reasoning and support the main idea and purpose of the writing. 
• The writer uses explicit, clear, and purposeful transitions between ideas and paragraphs to guide the reader and make meaningful connections between ideas.

Information Literacy

• The writer synthesizes a variety of appropriate and credible outside sources, including academic research, to advance the purposes for the writing and meet the expectations of educated readers. 
• The writer consistently integrates sources smoothly into their writing by using signal phrases and transitions.

Style 

• The writer chooses words and writes sentences that are precise and clear.
• The writer uses a consistent voice that complements each project’s purpose and appeals to its likely and intended readers.

Mechanics

• The writer’s spelling, grammar, and punctuation support readers’ comprehension.
• The writer consistently cites and documents outside sources according to the appropriate style guide so that readers can easily identify the sources that have been quoted or paraphrased. 

Characteristics of B Portfolios

Writing with a Purpose

• The writer usually accomplishes a challenging purpose in each essay/project that addresses a subject that is interesting to educated readers. 
• The writer accomplishes the writing purpose of each essay/project by incorporating discussion, details, and examples.

Writing for a Specific Audience

• The writer usually composes texts with educated readers in mind. 
• The writer usually engages educated readers by contributing to conversations about complex, challenging topics.

Organizing Ideas

• The writer maintains a consistent focus by logically arranging paragraphs that are developed with evidence, examples, and reasoning and support the main idea and purpose of the writing, though a few paragraphs lack sufficient focus, detail, or evidence.
• The writer uses transitions between ideas and paragraphs to guide the reader and make meaningful connections between ideas.

Information Literacy

• The writer synthesizes credible outside sources, including academic research, though the sources may not fully advance the purposes for the writing or meet the expectations of educated readers. 
• The writer usually integrates sources into their writing smoothly by using signal phrases and transitions.

Style 

• The writer usually chooses words and writes sentences that are precise and clear.
• The writer uses a voice in each paper that is usually consistent and appeals to the likely and intended readers. 

Mechanics

• The writer’s spelling, grammar, and punctuation rarely interfere with readers’ comprehension.
• The writer usually cites and documents outside sources according to the appropriate style guide so that readers can easily identify the sources that have been quoted or paraphrased.

Characteristics of C Portfolios

Writing with a Purpose

• The writer has a purpose for each essay/project, but the subject is somewhat simplistic for educated readers. 
• The writer accomplishes the writing purpose of each essay/project by incorporating discussion, details, and examples, though some information is simplistic or not fully explained.

Writing for a Specific Audience

• The writer occasionally composes texts with educated readers in mind.
• The writer occasionally engages educated readers by contributing to ongoing conversations about their topics.

Organizing Ideas

• The writer composes paragraphs that usually make sense and use some evidence or examples to support the purpose of the writing, but multiple paragraphs are not focused, arranged logically, and/or related to the main idea.
• The writer uses some transition between ideas and paragraphs to lead the reader through the discussion, though some ideas or paragraphs are disconnected or confusing.

Information Literacy

• The writer includes material from credible outside sources, but that information is not synthesized effectively with and/or fully relevant to the writer’s discussion of the topic. 
• The writer integrates sources into their writing by using signal phrases and transitions, but several sources are dropped in without a clear introduction or context.

Style 

• The writer usually chooses words that are clear, though some of these choices are incorrect or confusing to readers. The writer composes some sentences that are short and choppy, long and rambling, vague, or repetitive. 
• The writer uses a voice in each project, but it is not always appropriate for the writer’s purpose or likely and intended readers.

Mechanics

• The writer’s spelling, grammar, and punctuation occasionally interferes with readers’ comprehension.
• The writer cites and documents outside sources, but not always in the appropriate style. Readers can usually determine when source material has been quoted or paraphrased, but there are a few instances of uncited source material. 

D Portfolios

Writing with a Purpose

• The writer does not write with a clear purpose, the writer includes multiple or unrelated topics, and/or the subject is too simplistic for educated readers in each essay/project. 

• The writer does not accomplish the writing purpose of each essay/project because of insufficient discussion, details, and examples. 


Writing for a Specific Audience

• The writer does not compose texts with educated readers in mind. 

• The writer’s topics, purposes, claims, or focuses are simplistic and obvious, so they do not engage educated readers.

Organizing Ideas

• The writer does not maintain a consistent focus because paragraphs are confusing, not arranged logically, and/or use insufficient evidence or examples to support points or the purpose of the writing. 

• The writer does not use transitions, or the transitions are weak, ineffective, or confusing. 


Information Literacy

• The writer does not include material from credible sources and/or the sources the writer cites do not advance the purposes of the writing or meet the expectations of educated readers. 

• The writer does not use signal phrases or transitions to integrate sources into their text. 


Style 

• The writer’s word choice and/or phrasing make reading difficult. Sentences are often short and choppy, long and rambling, vague and wordy, or repetitive. 

• The writer uses a voice in each project that does not complement its purpose or appeal to its likely and intended readers. 


Mechanics

• The writer makes many errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, word choice, and usage that make reading and/or comprehension difficult. 

• The writer does not clearly cite language, ideas, or other material from outside sources so read- ers are unable to find the source material and locate the referenced portions of the sources. This may raise questions about plagiarism for readers. 


F Grades

The grade of F in first-year writing is reserved for the following circumstances: 

• The student did not turn in a portfolio by the last day of class (or the due date set by the instructor’s syllabus, if the instructor chooses another due date). 
• The portfolio did not include three projects that qualified for the portfolio. 
• The student did not meet the portfolio submission eligibility requirement of having at least a 65% process grade by Week 12 of the semester (Week 9 during the 12-week summer session).
• The student violated course policies set by this Guide or the instructor’s syllabus (for example, an attendance policy), if the information made clear that the violation would result in a grade of F. 
• The student violated other policies of Grand Valley State University that clearly state that the violation could result in a grade of F (for example, submitting plagiarized writing or work from another class without first receiving permission from your WRT 130 or WRT 150 instructor). 

If a student submits work in the final portfolio that the instructor believes to be plagiarized, the instructor will report the student to the Office for Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR) with the recommendation that the student earn an F in the course. If the case is unresolved before grades are due, the student will earn an Incomplete until a resolution to the case has been reached and a new grade can be submitted. For more information about this process, please review the materials found on Grand Valley’s OSCCR website: https://www.gvsu.edu/osccr/.