Criteria
The hardest area in grading for many of us involves specifying the standards we use to perform an evaluation. Many of us know what is good when we see it, taste it or read it, but we often spend little time describing, explicitly, the criteria we use to make those judgments. Because the criteria are the standards against which we judge a paper, service, a dish or a test, we should be able to say what we look for. For example, in a test, are you looking for accurate, well-written or comprehensive answers? In a research paper, are you looking for a comprehensive approach, an in-depth approach, a well organized-essay, a certain quantity of references or a lack of spelling or grammatical errors? If we do not say what we are looking for, our students will not know how they are being graded.

If you have criteria already specified, you might take the next step and write them into rubrics by specifying what level of performance on each criterion merits what specific grade. For example, if a paper is very comprehensive, it might merit an A; if it was pretty comprehensive (missing only two areas), it might merit a B; if it did not include some of the major issues regarding the topic, then it might merit a C; if it does not focus on the topic at all, it might merit a D, and so on. Writing rubrics is not easy because it can be hard to clarify the exact level of performance that merits which grade, but it is a wonderful discipline to undertake, and it provides students with a lot of useful information. Of course, then you have to follow it.

Although the main reason to specify criteria is to help students succeed by knowing how they will be evaluated, being clear about grading criteria often makes it easier for us to assign a grade and diminishes the negotiation with students about grades.

Self Assessment
One of the key skills you can help students develop and that will change the dynamics of grading involves their making an assessment of their performance. As we teach our students how to critique food-products presentations by first showing them what we look for and then asking them to make their own judgments, we can do the same thing with other parts of their performance. (Of course, if you are still always doing the critique of station set-up, flavor of a dish, plate or table presentation, then this idea may seem strange to you. In that case, try helping students make their own critiques of what they have done and you can provide corrections. If they rely on you for the evaluation of a dish, what will they do when you are no longer there? How will they be able to function in a professional kitchen or dining room?)

Because students are not used to making their own evaluation of their performance or are often caught up in wanting to know the grade rather then learn what they did well and what can be improved, we need to help them learn how to assess their performance. One of my colleagues developed the practice of asking students to prepare a short assessment of their papers when they handed them in. She gave them some criteria, and the assignment was not complete unless it included the paper and the assessment. Although it was hard in the beginning—and, for some, frustrating—students really grew into that activity.

Another way is to ask students to hand in their daily grade (for kitchen and dining-room courses that use daily grades) on a 3” x 5” card along with a few reasons for that grade. In my Advanced Topics Research courses, I require them to assess their own performance and that of their teammates; students must complete a self assessment and one of each team member at mid-term and at the end of the course. This activity causes them to be aware of how well they and their colleagues have contributed to the group project.

Whatever works for you, I encourage you to experiment with giving your students the responsibility to make an assessment of their own performance and remind you to provide some clear criteria for them to use. If you want a copy of the self- and peer-assessment form I use, just email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Summary
Paying attention to these two aspects of evaluation—criteria and self assessment—can make a real difference in the way you teach and the attitude of your students toward evaluation. Try delineating the criteria you use—and discussing them in both your syllabus and in class—and see what happens. Also, I encourage you to help your students learn to make their own assessment of their work and their performance. It is an important way to help them become professionals and change the dynamics of the teaching/ learning situation.

If you have other ideas or suggestions about evaluation, let me know and I will share them in future Mayo’s Clinics. Next month we shall discuss curriculum.

Fred Mayo is a clinical professor at New York University and a frequent presenter at CAFÉ events nationwide. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it...