Are you worried about how to grade multilingual student writing fairly? Do you wonder how to hold students accountable for correctness without punishing them based on language difference?  Consider the following strategies to make your grading easier and more equitable for all students:

• Design assignments to take advantage of cultural differences rather than punishing students for what they don’t know
• Use the writing process in your course, including brainstorming, drafting, conferencing, and peer review
• Explain explicitly what counts as plagiarism in your field
• Use a minimal marking system that directs students to patterns of errors rather than spending time correcting student papers
• Use a rubric that holds students accountable for grammar and mechanics but that also rewards them for their distinct ideas and ways of expressing themselves
• Differentiate between idiomatic expressions, which often take a lifetime to learn, and true grammatical mistakes