Conundrum

CONUNDRUM: co * nun * drum [kuh-nuhn-druh-m]

1. A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma.

So how can you tell the difference between an "A" paper from a "B" when a significant majority of my students wrote exceptional papers?

At other schools, it was easy. You can easily tell who prepared their papers, edited them, and submitted them in a polished format versus papers that were hastily and haphazardly written at 3am. The gulf between an "A" paper from everything else was wide and easy to navigate. With my students, however, it is not that simple or clear cut. On the one hand, they are all "A" papers -- polished, creative, and coherent. On the other hand, I can't possibly give everyone an "A" on their paper and for their final grade.

Can I?

I know my grading standard is based upon past experiences at other institutions and it is fairly straightforward. But at a college where excellence is the standard, I am faced with the reality that I have to be more precise than ever before, that is, not only widening the gulf between an "A" and a "B" paper, but also the pluses and minuses in between.


UPDATE (5:39pm): One class down and one more to go.

UPDATE (6:20pm): Note to self: never grade papers on an empty stomach.