Most freshman composition instructors have to field student inquiries and complaints about grades. Research and thought about alternative methods of evaluation can help lessen this burden. Grading holistically, team and partner grading, and portfolio grading are all effective methods. Often the instructor's evaluation "language" can cause difficulty. Students can help in determining the guidelines by which they will be judged. Through a series of steps, students can be engaged in the process. Among these are asking students to write about what "good writing" is, having them brainstorm on the blackboard, and then having them provide examples of "good writing" to be read aloud and discussed. A survey is then designed based on these classroom activities, and the answers are used to construct a response sheet or grading grid with general categories that outline the criteria agreed upon in class. Teacher comments, including emotional or intellectual reactions to the writing, can be written in the margin or at the end of the paper. Grids are a way to satisfy students' hunger for ranking without giving conventional grades on individual papers. (CR)