Writing Assessment

EDUC 585

Amina Qatan

December 8, 2014

Outline Nature of Writing in Schools The Writer Purpose of Writing assessment Types of Writing Writing Genres Instructional Approaches in Assessment Authentic assessments Criteria of Writing Assessment Types of Scoring & Stages of Writing

Development Self & peer Assessment Frame Writing & Writing Portfolio Instructional Uses of Writing Assessment Conclusion

Nature of Writing in

Schools Writing assessment is a teacher-centered approach in

setting up a criteria which is mainly based on:

Content

Clarity

Writing Mechanics; spelling, capitalization & punctuation

& grammar.

Despite the importance of writing, many high school

students do not learn to write well enough to meet the

demands of school or the workplace because of;

More focus on component skill in sequential order

rather than the content.

Isolate teaching writing from reading and other skills.

Over focus given to Writing Mechanics & grammar in

account to content of the composition.

Therefore, authentic assessment measures are

performance-based, and should be used to guide instruction

(Evaluation Springboard.org, 2006).

The WriterThe writer draws on background knowledge and complex mental processes in developing new insights. Thus, students are highly advised to incorporate the content of the topic to their own unique approach of writing: How can they do so?

Four types of knowledge:

Knowledge of content.

Procedural knowledge to organize the content.

Knowledge of conventions.

Procedural knowledge to integrate all the above.

Purpose of Writing Assessment identify skills that need review, monitor student

progress, guide teacher instruction,

demonstrate the effectiveness of instruction,

provide teachers with information on how the

instruction can be improved.

Types of Writing Informative:

describes events, experiences

analyzes causes & effects

composes a biography about a person

Expressive/narrative:

personal & imaginative observations and interpretations

composes an autobiography. i:e more “fun”

Persuasive:

influences, initiates, analyses & argues any topic of interest to convince for a specific point of view

Writing Genres Biographies

Essays

Stories

Journal entries

Letters

Newspaper reports

Manuals

Research papers

Dialogue journals

Learning logs

Instructional Approaches in Assessment

Process Writing: interactive (S-S) or (T-S) through:

1. Prewriting: graphic organizer, brainstorm ideas

2. Writing: in class or at home.

3. Postwriting: revise, edit and evaluate the writing-in-process.

Writing Across the Curriculum: Students write to:

1. Manipulate information

2. Consolidate prior knowledge

3. Prepare further learning activities

4. Reformulate prior knowledge

Authentic assessments benefit students best

when they are utilized across the curriculum.

Summaries, journaling, quick-writes, rewriting a story,

and letter-writing are some examples of well-designed

activities that provide teachers with fast authentic

assessments of student performance. A variety of

writing rubrics are available from reliable sources that

can assist teachers and students before, during, and

after writing activities. It is also suggested that peer

editing can be utilized to provide interaction among

students. Students often benefit from reading, editing,

and rewriting one another’s work.

Criteria of Writing Assessment invite the desired type of writing or genre.

engage the thinking,  problem-solving,  composing, and text-making processes central to the type of writing.

be challenging for many students and accessible to all.

provide equitable opportunities for all students to respond.

produce interesting,  not just proficient writing.

be liked by many students.

Examples

Writer Checklist: it should mirror the components of the scoring rubric to rate the student writing. E.g (p141)

Integrated Language Assessment: it should observe & assess integrated skills like reading, speaking & writing

Types

of Sco

ring

o Holistic Scoring: rates all the criterion in the rubric like organization, fluency word choice and Mechanics. (p143)

o Primary Trait: rates specifically one or more of the mentioned above.

o Analytic Scoring: rates each criteria separately. (p145)

1. Pre-Emergent

2. Emergent

3. Dependent

4. Developing

5. Independent

6. Fluent

7. Proficientp146

Stages of Writing Development

Writing Conferences

Research on the writing

process advocates that writers learn

most efficiently about writing when

they share and reflect on their writing.

In classrooms, this is most commonly

done through writing conferences as

part of the revision stage. Whether

they occur with pairs, with small

groups, or with the teacher, the social

benefits of sharing writing improves

writing (Reading Rockets, 2011d).

Donald Graves (1982) identified six

characteristics of successful writing

conferences. Conferences should: (a)

have a predictable structure; (b) focus

on a few points; (c) demonstrate

solutions to students' problems; (d)

permit role reversals; (e) encourage

use of a vocabulary appropriate for

writing; and (f) stimulate pleasure in

writing. Most teachers use some

variation of these characteristics in

their classrooms across the curriculum.

Self Assessment

encourages students to;

o think about their purpose of writing and

o reflect on what and how much they are learning

through; Dialogue journals

Learning logs

Surveys of Interests & awareness

Writing Checklists

Peer Assessment

Revising one’s writing is a way to learn about the craft of

writing. Learning to revise, teaches students about the characteristics

of good writing, which will help to improve the quality of their future

writing. Revision skills complement reading skills and require that

writers distance themselves from their writing in order to critically

evaluate their own work (Reading Rockets, 2011c). It is important to

instill good revision practices in young writers because it gives them

an opportunity for reflection about their process. Peer editing has

proven to be a successful way to help students develop revision skills

(Graham & Harris, 2007, as cited by Reading Rockets, 2011c). This is

particularly true when peer groups have explicit goals for revision

(MacArthur, 2007, as cited by Reading Rockets, 2011c).

Framed writing models are

graphic organizers that offer

students a solid framework in

which to write paragraphs and

essays. The instructor-

provided frame guides

students through a formal

writing structure while making

available scaffolding for

writing skills like transitional

sentences and compound-

complex syntax (Reading

Rockets, 2011).

Framed Writing

An individual portfolio is an informal way to assess. It models reflection of their own work while encouraging students to take an active role in learning information they feel they have not yet mastered (Reading Rockets.org, 2011b). This allows the teacher to compare and check the progress of students over the course of an academic year.

Writing Portfolio

Instructional Uses of Writing Assessment

Assess the stages of writing development for students gradually.

Assess writing in the context of other language skills,  when appropriate

Assess all domains of writing.

Include self assessment of writing,  share scoring rubrics,  and involve students in setting criteria well as in developing and selecting writing prompts. 

Assess the products of written efforts.

Use multiple assessments of writing various purposes,  genres,  and content areas,  including written summaries and learning logs.

Include writing samples in portfolios to illustrate student growth over time.

Use the results of writing assessments and of your conferences with students to plan instruction  and identify student strengths and areas of shortcomings that need to be developed.

Both instructor and student

benefit from the results of

initial and ongoing

assessment. Informal

assessments (partner

reading, class discussion,

role-playing, brainstorming,

etc.):

provide a more

well-rounded picture

of their skills, abilities,

and ongoing progress.

design immediate

instruction based on the

results of informal

assessment.

Mastering reading and

writing skills are

extremely important

because they are used in

every subject area.

Achieving these skills at

every level of learning

helps students to be

successful life-long

learners.

Conclusion

Thanks