What It Takes to Get an “A”!
· An “A” is not about hard work.
· An “A” is not about being right.
· An “A” is not about doing what is asked.
Grading is an important part of academic work.
Professors develop courses that deliver knowledge, students participate
in those courses of study, and professors evaluate how well students acquire
that knowledge. Let me share a brief
story. A student came to me with a draft
and asked “Is this OK to turn in for the assignment?” I reviewed it, made some grammatical corrections,
and said yes, it was OK. The student
received a “C” on the paper and was upset.
The student wrote to me: “I
understood my grade would only improve since I brought the paper in to be
proofread before it was due! Was this
taken into account???” I then explained
to the student that the work was, indeed, “OK”—which is exactly what the
student asked me to evaluate. This
student should have asked a very different question: what
would make this an “A” paper? Asking
that question shows a willingness to go above and beyond my expectations for
the assignment. The student would have
received a very different answer from me.
Before we can understand what it takes to get an “A,” we need to understand what it takes to get a “C.” The letter grade of “C” implies average work. It is work that is compliant with the assignment and meets the professor’s expectations. It is the middle point of the letter grade scale and, statistically, most people will fall around that middle point.
Therefore, doing what the assignment asks you to do is “C” level work. Some assignments are immensely complicated and have many details to follow. That is fair game for an assignment. Meeting those details is the average standard.
Not meeting the minimum assignment criteria will lead to a letter grade “D”—which means that improvement is needed to reach average performance. This is not a desirable grade because it means that there is a serious misalignment between what is intended and what is being produced. This is not necessarily the student’s fault, but the reality in a big university is that the student must take the initiative to correct it. If you receive a “D” in any coursework, then you should immediately make an appointment with your professor to diagnose the problem. Clearly, there is some kind of learning disconnect, and it needs to be addressed. I am consistently amazed that I can put “please see me” on a “D” paper and the student never shows up. I’ll send an e-mail requesting a meeting. It goes unanswered. I’ll make a face-to-face request. The promised arrival never happens. Students with such low regard for their own education should reconsider their education strategies or even their reasons for going to college. (Students receiving a letter grade of “F” for failing to meet the minimum requirements should also being making appointments with their professors.)
Students who genuinely exceed the average standard can receive grades of “B” or “A.” Students who receive the letter grade “B” are exceeding expectations. These are students demonstrating not just a functional knowledge that a “C” represents, but are demonstrating above average command of the topics being tested. This is evident by an ability to combine multiple facts into larger conclusions (a bit like inductive reasoning), or by taking larger conclusions and showing an ability to understand the details within (a bit like deductive reasoning).
The highest grade that is awarded is an “A,” which recognizes excellence in knowledge. To achieve an “A,” students must meet all the requirements of the assignment (which is “C” level work), plus demonstrate an above-average command of the topic (which is “B” level work), plus make a distinctive expression of this command. “A” work is superior work. By definition, it is uncommon. Students receiving “A” grades must show not only full command of the topic, but a creative and almost unique approach to exercising that command.
Let us consider an assignment to do research on a particular unit of government and use the data to explain and evaluate that government’s performance. A “C” student might list various statistics about the government unit such as its budget, the number of services provided, and the number of clients served, and then make basic conclusions about the priorities of the government by how much money it is spending, its ability to serve people, and its targeted goals for delivering services. This may be bolstered by basic documentation, such as strategic plans or constitutional obligations.
A “B” student would do all that, plus show a higher command of the knowledge. The “B” student gathers a bit more data than is required and introduces new dynamics. The “B” student might also gather election data for that area and make the connection that those receiving the most services are also those who live in areas with highest voter turnout—thereby suggesting a larger political influence at work.
An “A” student would do all of this, plus make a distinctive contribution or demonstration. This could be finding an existing study in a scholarly journal that supports or refutes what is demonstrated in this particular assignment. This could also be a separate data gathering exercise that compares the assigned study with data gathered about a similar unit of government. Not only is the “A” student analyzing the unit of government required, the “A” student is adding context to the argument by placing it within a larger understanding. In doing so, the “A” student is not only showing mastery of content, but the distinctive ability to understand the larger policy environment and design an appropriate method to express it.
· An “A” will require hard work, but it is not the hard work alone that earns the grade.
· An “A” will require being right, but it is not the accuracy alone that earns the grade.
· An “A” will require doing what’s asked, but it is not the compliance alone that earns the grade.
An “A” is about taking “C” level work and making it “B” level work, and taking “B” level work and demonstrating both the ability to be inquisitive and develop a correct and meaningful way to answer that inquiry.