I assume most people have heard about this controversy (and it was referenced in a recent discussion on here) so I think its worth having a discussion about this. If you haven't seen it yet, here is a link to an AP article about it.
When I first heard about this controversy, I rolled my eyes. It sounded like someone wanted a free pass for turning in a sloppy paper and then hiding behind religion when they got called on it. In most college classes, “the Bible says so” is not an argument. It is a belief statement. If you do not connect it to the material and explain your reasoning, you should expect to lose points.
Then I read the actual instructions and rubric, and my view changed. The prompt calls it a reaction paper and it warns students not to write a summary. It asks for a thoughtful discussion of some aspect of the article. The rubric is simple. It gives 10 points for a clear tie-in to the assigned article. It gives 10 points for a thoughtful reaction rather than a recap. It gives 5 points for clear writing. The only hard requirements it lists are word count and basic formatting like font and margins. It does not require citations, outside sources, or a specific style like APA. If that is the grading standard, the right move is to deduct points for clarity and quality. It is not to fail the student because the grader found the opinion offensive.
To me, this clearly looks like a case where a low-stakes assignment (3% of the final grade) asked for a personal reaction to confirm the student had actually read the material and then punished the student for having a reaction that the grader found offensive. There’s a real difference between deducting points for weak writing, overgeneralizations, or shallow engagement and issuing a zero in a way that reads less like “you didn’t follow the rubric” and more like “your viewpoint is unacceptable and I'm going to use my power to force you to say what I want to hear.” That’s the core problem here: if we say “give your opinion,” we can’t turn around and fail students because their opinion is offensive.
To me this is a case where actually reading the material changed my opinion on the topic. All of have biases, and I'm sure that colors my perspective here. If you disagree with my take, I’d like to hear why, especially if you think the rubric supports the zero score.
The only link I have found to both the completed assignment and the rubric is here, uploaded by one of the Oklahoma News pages. Assuming this is complete, here is what the rubric actually says:
You must write a 650 words (body of text), double- spaced reaction paper demonstrating that you read the assigned article, and includes a thoughtful reaction to the material presented in the article. Points will be deducted when papers are deficient in any of these areas. | will deduct 10 points if your paper is between 620 and 649 words, and | will not give credit for papers under 620 words. Papers not turned in by the deadline will not receive credit.
Please remember that your reaction paper should not be a summary, but rather a thoughtful discussion of some aspect of the article. Possible approaches to reaction papers include:
1. A discussion of why you feel the topic is important and worthy of study (or not)
2. An application of the study or results to your own experiences
There are other possibilities as well. The best reaction papers illustrate that students have read the assigned materials and engaged in critical thinking about some aspect of the article.
Formatting requirements: 12-point Times New Roman or Calibri font, one-inch margins on all sides.
GRADING: Reaction papers are graded on a 25-point scale, and are evaluated based on the following:
1. Does the paper show a clear tie-in to the assigned article? (10 points)
2. Does the paper present a thoughtful reaction or response to the article, rather than a summary? (10 points)
3. Is the paper clearly written? (5 points)
I am curious if this is a complete account or if there are other requirements elsewhere, but I haven't been able to find any claims that any other instructions were given to students.
When I first heard about this controversy, I rolled my eyes. It sounded like someone wanted a free pass for turning in a sloppy paper and then hiding behind religion when they got called on it. In most college classes, “the Bible says so” is not an argument. It is a belief statement. If you do not connect it to the material and explain your reasoning, you should expect to lose points.
Then I read the actual instructions and rubric, and my view changed. The prompt calls it a reaction paper and it warns students not to write a summary. It asks for a thoughtful discussion of some aspect of the article. The rubric is simple. It gives 10 points for a clear tie-in to the assigned article. It gives 10 points for a thoughtful reaction rather than a recap. It gives 5 points for clear writing. The only hard requirements it lists are word count and basic formatting like font and margins. It does not require citations, outside sources, or a specific style like APA. If that is the grading standard, the right move is to deduct points for clarity and quality. It is not to fail the student because the grader found the opinion offensive.
To me, this clearly looks like a case where a low-stakes assignment (3% of the final grade) asked for a personal reaction to confirm the student had actually read the material and then punished the student for having a reaction that the grader found offensive. There’s a real difference between deducting points for weak writing, overgeneralizations, or shallow engagement and issuing a zero in a way that reads less like “you didn’t follow the rubric” and more like “your viewpoint is unacceptable and I'm going to use my power to force you to say what I want to hear.” That’s the core problem here: if we say “give your opinion,” we can’t turn around and fail students because their opinion is offensive.
To me this is a case where actually reading the material changed my opinion on the topic. All of have biases, and I'm sure that colors my perspective here. If you disagree with my take, I’d like to hear why, especially if you think the rubric supports the zero score.
The only link I have found to both the completed assignment and the rubric is here, uploaded by one of the Oklahoma News pages. Assuming this is complete, here is what the rubric actually says:
You must write a 650 words (body of text), double- spaced reaction paper demonstrating that you read the assigned article, and includes a thoughtful reaction to the material presented in the article. Points will be deducted when papers are deficient in any of these areas. | will deduct 10 points if your paper is between 620 and 649 words, and | will not give credit for papers under 620 words. Papers not turned in by the deadline will not receive credit.
Please remember that your reaction paper should not be a summary, but rather a thoughtful discussion of some aspect of the article. Possible approaches to reaction papers include:
1. A discussion of why you feel the topic is important and worthy of study (or not)
2. An application of the study or results to your own experiences
There are other possibilities as well. The best reaction papers illustrate that students have read the assigned materials and engaged in critical thinking about some aspect of the article.
Formatting requirements: 12-point Times New Roman or Calibri font, one-inch margins on all sides.
GRADING: Reaction papers are graded on a 25-point scale, and are evaluated based on the following:
1. Does the paper show a clear tie-in to the assigned article? (10 points)
2. Does the paper present a thoughtful reaction or response to the article, rather than a summary? (10 points)
3. Is the paper clearly written? (5 points)
I am curious if this is a complete account or if there are other requirements elsewhere, but I haven't been able to find any claims that any other instructions were given to students.
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