Toward a New Understanding of Classroom Writing Assessment

1. Toward a New Understanding of Classroom Writing Assessment 2009 Writing Development: Multiple Perspectives Institute of Education University of London Dr. Brian Huot Kent State University Dr. Jeffrey Perry North Carolina Wesleyan

2. Agenda for Classroom Writing Assessment Distinction between Assessment and Grades. Distinction between Portfolio as Product and Portfolio as Process. Distinction between Response and Reading.

3. The Power of Grades • strong cultural capital • summary for students of their school experience & identity as students • grades are given to individual papers; aggregated for final grades • commentary on papers mostly to justify the grade • grades are a form of evaluation only seen in schools and only given to students

4. formative & summative assessment • The distinction between formative and summative assessment refers to whether or not an assessment comes at a time when the artifact that is being assessed can be improved based upon the assessment.

5. The Problem with this Distinction For example, a teacher could give a student an F on a paper marking all grammar, usage, mechanical and stylistic errors. If the teacher allows the student to correct these errors and improve the grade of the paper, then we could call this formative assessment.

6. Instructive Assessment • Assessment can empower students • Assessment can give authorial, creative, and composing control that writers enjoy • good writing instruction should be organized around important evaluative decisions • students should be taught to set specific targets

7. The Argument for Portfolios Portfolios 1. Allows the teacher to organize instruction and evaluation around the writing process. 2. Multiple drafts allow the focus of the class to remain on student writing and the student’s role as a writer.

8. Process versus Product Traditional notions of writing assessment are more concerned with the product that students produce as opposed to the process through which students undertake the task of writing.

9. The Traditional Assignment The concern with product over process is reflected in syllabi and writing prompts that emphasize “grammar, spelling, word/page length,” as opposed to “revision, clarity, organization, critical thinking, and familiarity with course content.”

10. Breaking the Habit of Written Response A review of scholarship on responding to student writing reveals the misguided focus on written commentary.

11. Connors and Lunsford (1993) A study of 3000 papers revealed that of 2000 comments, just 11% of these comments were written to give feedback on drafts in process, while 59% of these comments served to justify the grade given on the paper

12. Sommer’s Paradox The paradox of interlinear comments (grammar, usage, word choice) and marginal notes that give advice on revision.

13. An important part of classroom assessment has always been how to respond to student writing.

14. How do we readstudent writing? • no matter how we respond, we have to read the writing first • reading is an interpretive act • reading is also an act of evaluation especially for those of us who teach and research writing

15. How do we read student writing? ｷ the question is not how to evaluate but what to evaluate ｷ what part of the evaluation do we share with the student? ｷ what would be helpful to this student now?

16. prepare teachers to read student writing in pedagogically productive ways • read as teachers • provide pedagogical & contextual feedback

17. Letters, Interviews, and Conferences Alternative approaches to response.