Procedures for Regrading a Paper in Political Science 310

When grading papers for the class, the TA reads the papers first, and then gives them to the instructor. The TA writes comments and a proposed grade in pencil. I then grade the papers, adding additional comments and putting on the final grade in pen. If I disagree with a comment the TA has made, I erase it. If I disagree with a grade for a paper, I erase it, and put on a new grade. The instructor has the ultimate responsibility for the grades on the papers. After the papers are returned, the TA cannot change the grade for a paper, although the TA may recommend a change. The TA can only explain comments. Of course, being human, we all make mistakes, and I want to correct any mistakes that I have made, especially in grading. To facilitate such corrections, I have a procedure to allow students to dispute their grades.

If you think that you deserve a higher grade on a paper, follow these steps:

  1. Wait 24 hours after receiving a grade to dispute the grade.
  2. Do not demand that the instructor or TA orally defend the grade without prior notification. The reasons for the grade are already in the comments given. It is now incumbent on the student to show that those reasons are wrong, inadequate, etc., and to do so in a reasoned manner. In addition, the instructor and TA are not able to recall all the particulars of every essay after grading them, so asking for such a defense will not be productive. (Asking for a clarification of comments while not disputing the grade is a different situation.)
  3. Turn in a clean version (no comments) of the paper to me--preferably electronically--which I will then grade from scratch.
  4. At your option, turn in your own comments on how you have fulfilled all/most of the requirements of the paper. This could be a second, marked-up version of your paper, or comments on a separate sheet/email that refer to your paper. More detail is better than less. You may suggest a grade if you wish. I will read these comments after I re-grade the clean version of the paper to see if I have missed something in my grading.
  5. I issue a new grade for the paper, which could be higher, lower, or the same as the previous grade. This new grade replaces the old grade.