Culturally Responsive Teaching Fall 23-Spring 24

Psyc 9: Introductory Statistics for Psychology

Grading for Equity / No Late Penalties / Assessment Retakes

Reflection on Instructional Change

Implementation #1: No Late Penalties

The practices I implemented were selected from the “Grading for Equity” book that we read at the culmination of our ESCALA training.

I removed late deductions for assessments or other assignments turned in after the due date (but put a limit on how late the assignment could be turned in). I selected this option to provide students more flexibility with arranging their school schedules around work or other commitments outside of their control.

An assignment lists a suggested due date and a period of availability for penalty free submission after the due date. To implement this practice, I added a “due date” in Canvas to assessments and other learning activities. I made clear (in the syllabus, in weekly announcements, and in a weekly information page) that the due dates were suggested in order to keep students on track with the course schedule. Second, I added an “available until” date on each due date that extended the opportunity to complete the assigned item within a period of 20 days. The 20 day period mirrored my previous policy where I deducted 5% per day for each day late. However, this semester, there were no deductions for work submitted after the suggested due date.

Implementation #2: Unlimited Assessment Retakes (within 20 days of the suggested due date)

The second practice I implemented was the opportunity to retake graded assessments as many times as the student wanted to in order to achieve the score that they felt best matched what they knew about the topic. I selected this option because many students have test anxiety or don’t have a good idea how to prepare for assessments or are sometimes buried in other work or non-school commitments at the time of the assessment. I wanted to identify a practice where an assessment grade reflected what the student knew about the topic, but did not also include other non-school factors in the grade.

Students have the option to submit a retake request ticket for any assessment

In order to be eligible to retake an assessment, students were required to submit a “Retake Request Form” that detailed what they did to prepare for their first attempt and what they had done differently to prepare for their second attempt. I was alerted via email when a student submitted the form and could review the information that they had entered. If they had adequately described their changed preparation, I could easily add attempts in Canvas. If their descriptions were a repetition of what they’d done previously, it enabled me to have a conversation with them about how better to prepare for their subsequent attempt(s).

**Implementation #3: Calculate Final Grade Based Only on Assessments**
Gradebook BEFORE Equity-Based Changes	Gradebook AFTER Equity-Based Changes
All items are graded and have a point value that contributes to the calculation of the student's final grade. This includes homework and practice activities, along with quizzes and the final exam.	Only quizzes and the final exam are included in the calculation of the final grade. Homework and practice activities are optional and students can choose to submit them for feedback, if they wish.
STATEMENT OF EQUITY BASED CHANGE: The removal of practice activities and homework from the calculation of the final grade enables students to practice without fear of penalty. They also have the opportunity to choose which activities and which pace works best for themselves and for their learning (and also to determine what works best for them if they have never had the opportunity to before).

**Pre- and Post-FLC Course Syllabi**
Pre-FLC Syllabus and Schedule	Pre-FLC Syllabus and Schedule

**Faculty Bio**
	I have a Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience and an M.S. in Animal Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Prior to teaching full-time in the Psychology department, I managed non-human primate research at the UC Davis Primate Center. I have been a lecturer in the Department of Psychology since Fall 2011, teaching both upper and lower-division courses. I also created a Psychology of Religion course and was invited to teach it while on sabbatical in Finland and Sweden in Fall 2022. In AY 2021-22, I received the Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching in the College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies.

This work was supported by:
	Grant funding from Sacramento State Division of Inclusive Excellence *Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sacramento State.