What Makes an Assessment Positive or Negative?

Blog: Write about a time you yourself were assessed and it was a negative experience.  What made it negative? Now think of a time you were assessed and it was a positive experience. What made it positive? 

            A negative assessment is in the eye of the beholder. For the purpose of this response, I am defining negative assessment as the receipt of a lower grade than expected, and one which I felt was not deserved.  The fact that I am still mulling over the situation is very telling.  Last spring, I received my first and only grade lower than an A. At the time, I decided to merely accept it and move on.  Yet, it kept nagging at me.  I kept wondering, from the perspective of the professor, what I could have done differently to earn an A. (It should be noted that throughout the semester, we did not receive letter grades on our work, only comments, which were always very flattering and encouraging.) 

Finally, with the support and encouragement of my advisor, who, incidentally, has also been my professor, I contacted this other professor, politely requesting that she confirm that my grade was correct. She did. She confirmed that my A- was correct and went on to explain, “Especially considering that this was a graduate course, I think this is an impressive grade. You worked hard and should be proud of what you have learned as well as the grade.” Rationally, I should just move on.  However, when this writing assignment was given, the annoyance and frustration resurfaced. What made this a negative assessment is that I felt it was unfair, undocumented, and unexpected.  

            On the other hand, each and every time that I receive good grades, it is a positive experience.  I never take anything for granted and am always pleased when my hard work is acknowledged. Positive assessments make me feel good about myself and my abilities.  They encourage me to continue working as hard as I do because I see that hard work does pay off.