NECAP Writing Grade 5 Digging Into Data to Improve Instruction

Lee Anne LarsenLiteracy Specialist

Leeann.larsen@maine.gov

Susan SmithNECAP Coordinator

Susan.Smith@maine.gov

Outcomes for Session

Examine the design of the NECAP writing assessment at grade 5, including GLEs, item types, and released items.

Examine data sources for the

NECAP writing assessment and explore their implications for instruction.

NECAP Writing GLEs (Grade Level Expectations)

W-1: Structures of Language—Applying Understanding of Sentences, Paragraphs, Text Structures

W-2: Reading-Writing Connection—Writing in Response to Literacy or Informational Text —Showing Understanding of Ideas in Text

W-3: Reading-Writing Connection—Writing in Response to Literacy or Informational Text —Making Analytical Judgments about Text

W-4: Expressive Writing—Narratives—Creating a Story Line

W-5: Expressive Writing—Narratives —Applying Narrative Strategies

NECAP Writing GLEs (Grade Level Expectations)

W-6: Informational Writing—Reports, Procedures, or Persuasive Writing—Organizing Information

W-7: Informational Writing—Reports, Procedures, or Persuasive Writing—Conveying Information

W-8: Informational Writing—Reports, Procedures, or Persuasive Writing—Using Elaboration Strategies

W-9: Writing Conventions—Applying Rules of Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

Comparison to Common Core State Standards for Writing

3 Types of Writing—Opinion (Argument), Informative, Narrative

Writing about Literary and Informational Texts

Language and Text Structures Conventions Research Writing via technology

Assessment Design—Writing

2 Sessions of Writing Minimum 45 minutes to maximum 90 minutes

Item Types by SessionSession 1

10 Multiple Choice (1 pt each) 4 Short Responses (4 pts each)

Session 2 1 Long Essay (12 pts)

Multiple Choice Items

Assess Accurate spelling Correct use of end punctuation Correct use of commas in series and

dates Accurate capitalization of words Correct and efficient combining of

sentences Correct use of grammar

Short Response

Construct paragraph length responses for 3 of the following 4 types of writing, after first reading or viewing grade appropriate stimulus materials (short texts or photos):

Response to literature Response to informational texts Report Narrative

Long Response

One prompt will assess the type of writing not included in the short response items.

Stimulus materials for the extended response prompt are read by the teacher.

Let’s Look at the Assessment

Tour of the 2011 Released Items for Grade 5 Writing

http://www.maine.gov/education/necap/released.html

Reflections and Questions

Let’s Explore the NECAP Writing Assessment Data

http://iservices.measuredprogress.org/

Big Picture

Teaching Year vs. Testing Year

Types of data reports School Results Reports Released Item Summary Item Analysis Reports

Instructional Implications

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A significant gender gap exists in writing results at both grades 5 and 8.

Sub Group Data - Gender

15

NECAP October 2011 Performance Analysis

Gender Differences in Writing Performance

Chart Statistics Based on Oct. 2011 Student Performance

Questions

What questions do you have?

Instructional Implications

Correct Grammar: Pronoun Order

Many students struggle with correct pronoun order when speaking and writing. Linda Hoyt suggests teaching students to “be polite and write or say the other person’s name first”.

A self-check strategy to teach children is to remove the other person’s name from the sentence and leave the pronoun they are using for themselves in place. Then, have children ask themselves if that sounds correct.

Correct Grammar: Pronoun Order

Model this practice in a sample of your own writing. Change the order of the pronouns in this

sentence from my story to be more polite.

At lunch, me and my mom ate in a local seafood restaurant.

becomes

At lunch, my mom and I ate in a local seafood restaurant.

Correct Grammar: Pronoun Order

Next, provide guided practice. Have students try recognizing inaccurate pronoun order in a sample of text and work to make the changes, in partners and then independently.

Example: Me and my cousins like to swim in the lake. We get together everyday in the summer to cool off. My cousin, Julie, likes to swim to the raft. Me and her race out there every chance we get.

Finally, ask students to apply this practice to their own writing.

Sentence Combining

Research suggests that teaching students sentence combing techniques helps them become more proficient writers and also benefits their reading.

With respect to writing, sentence combining promotes students’ understanding and application of:

Punctuation Capitalization Connecting/transition words Complex sentence structures

Sentence Combining Model the practice for students by presenting a couple of short

sentences written on sentence strips. Then, cut the sentences apart and combine them to form a new sentence that maintains the meaning but in a more interesting way. Insert appropriate mechanics and connecting words as necessary.

Provide guided practice by giving students sentences on strips and have them work in partners to cut the strips apart to combine the sentences into a more interesting sentence that maintains meaning.

Search texts for compound sentences that students can practice breaking into shorter sentences or short sentences that could be recombined.

Have students search their own writing for short sentences that could be combined more creatively.

Ideas to Consider when Teaching Constructed Response

Use simplistic text first, then increase difficulty Model the process/gradual release Teach “language of stimulus” and

deconstructing prompts Teach models for organizing responses

(acronyms, graphic organizers) Teach strategies for finding evidence/specific

details Teach analysis and deconstruction of sample

responses/anchors with scoring guides Teach students to write their own constructed

response questions and anchor responses

Annotating Stimuli for Writing Prompts

Big Ideas

Important Facts and Details

Analysis and Interpretation

Opinion Writing: Book Reviews

Writing book reviews provides students with a real world application for expressing an opinion. As students learn to write reviews, they can also become better consumers of reviews they read that are written by others.

Writing book reviews (and other forms of opinion writing like travel brochures, editorials, and letters to persuade) require students to understand:

Point of view and thesis statements Arguments and counter arguments Examples, explanations, statistics, and details Leads and conclusions Transitions words and phrases

Opinion Writing: Book Reviews

Strategies for teaching book reviews:

Examine effective and ineffective reviews and identify their qualities.

Teach students to use Pro/Con charts to identify the positives and negatives about a text. These can be used to develop arguments and counter arguments.

Teach students how to find clear examples of the pros and cons to illustrate their review.

Teach use of transition words to connect the ideas in a logical progression.

Research: Very Important Ideas (VIP)

VIP is a strategy that helps readers determine importance of ideas as they research for writing.

Begin by presenting students with a passage (1-2 pages in length) about a topic and set a purpose for reading the passage (e.g. collecting information to write a report about interesting aspects of the moon).

Show students how, as you read the passage aloud, you use 4 sticky notes to mark 4 VIPs (very important ideas).

Model the thinking that guides your choice of ideas. The ideas you mark should be ideas that you can explain the importance of in your own words.

Research: Very Important Ideas (VIP)

Apply the VIP strategy to the Extended Response you examined earlier about clothes from 1899.

As you read the list, consider how these statements show ways in which the clothes of today are similar or different from the clothes of 1899.

Try to identify 4 VIPs. Think about how you would explain why this is a VIP and/or how you might combine some of the facts on the list into VIPs.

Resources and Questions

NECAP Resources can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/education/necap/index.html

Burning Questions

Exit Ticket

Please complete the final polling questions before leaving the

session.