Narrative evaluation should supply more information than letter grades, but it is often only a long-winded way of recording a letter grade. Here, for example, is how I recorded an A minus back in December 1972:
Lynette read all of the assigned books and independently read some of Herman Hesse and Carl Rogers. She was also a member of one of the Program's most productive book seminars and a member of the dream reflection self-study seminar. She attended the lectures and fdms regularly. She also attended the weekly faculty seminar, which was optional. She wrote a series of autobiographical sketches and two formal essays: T h e Proass of Holding On and Letting Go" and "Knowledge-the Answer or the Problem."
Lynette's participation in the Program was of superior quality throughout. She read the books thoughtfully. She listened and spoke with tact and seriousness of purpose in her book seminar. She was a sensitive participant in her self-study seminars. Her writing was more than competent. In a traditional academic setting, she would be placed in the top 10 percent of her class. She is capable of brilliant work, but she did not achieve this level of performance, because much of her energy was advantageously invested in important issues of personal development. She is leaving Evergreen at this time for personal reasons. We would welcome her back with enthusiasm.
The statement does convey more information about Lynette and her work than the A minus, but I could have decided on the grade in a matter of minutes, and it took almost an hour to record the information in narrative form. Moreover, the additional information is likely to be irrelevant (if not misleading) by the time some future employer