Ungrading in the Ethical Turn as an Assessment Killjoy

Teaching English in the Two-Year College Dec 2024

Ungrading in the Ethical Turn as an Assessment Killjoy

Jessica Nastal

Abstract

In this article, I provide a chronological narrative to my ungrading choices in composition classes as a neurodiverse single mother from a working-class background. I discuss my positionality as a White person committed to justice and my experiences as an “assessment killjoy” (West-Puckett et al.) during the ethical turn in writing studies. From this foundation, I reflect on my attempts to grade more equitably. I discuss my pedagogical goals, which are grounded in intersectional feminist theory (hooks; Royster and Kirsch), standpoint theory (Harding), learning sciences (Hammond; Ross), and a robust model of the writing construct (White et al.), and analyze the consequences of exit portfolios, labor-based contract grading (Inoue), and specifications grading (Nilson) via this integrated framework.

Journal: Teaching English in the Two-Year College
Published: 2024-12-01
DOI: 10.58680/tetyc2024522169
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multimodality multilingual writers

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Cites in this index (6)

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