Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: I am writing to request a formal grade review of my Assignment 2 based on rubric application concerns, insufficient explanation for the assigned grade, and information resolution tried but unsuccessful. The rubric states that a good assignment must: clearly answer the assigned question, identify and apply the relevant concepts, demonstrate understanding of the readings and lectures (for clarity, the lecture we were intended to use was based on the two assigned readings, so I cited specific page numbers from the readings), and apply those concepts to the issue at hand. During my conversation over Zoom with the TA after receiving my grade, he confirmed that my assignment met these criteria, and offered no further feedback in these areas. The only feedback he was able to give me was that my assignment was lacking originality/creativity (corresponding to the “excellent assignment” range in the rubric). The assignment did not specify a relative grading system, yet in my correspondence with the TA, he explained that my grade was determined relative to other submissions, not strictly according to the rubric criteria supplied to us. I have attached correspondence with the TA where he confirmed this. This suggests a discrepancy between the written rubric and the grading method. The TA was able to give me no further explanation as to how 28 points were deducted. The professor was unable to give me any feedback on my mark and advised me that only the TA can give me information/reassessment, but I have been unable to get into contact with the TA. My correspondence with the TA, which is attached, led to him requesting a highlighted document demonstrating originality in order to gain points in the “excellent assignment” range. I did so and sent the highlighted document which showed original reasoning within the boundaries of the assignment, which required the use of assigned readings rather than external research, but he never replied. I respectfully request that the assignment be reviewed by an independent marker, following the rubric as written. I believe the current grade does not accurately reflect the quality of the work according to the stated criteria. Thank you for your time and consideration. I would be happy to provide any additional information if needed.