Assessing Young Writers

1. Assessing Young Writers By Idalia Orozco 2nd Grade Teacher Rizzuto Elementary LPISD “Assessment must promote learning, not just measure it. When learners are well served, assessment becomes a learning experience that supports and improves instruction”. Regie Routman

2. Three Levels of Assessment • Large-Scale, Formal Assessment • Classroom Assessment • Personal Assessment

3. Large Scale, Formal Assessment • Large-scale assessment happens at district or state level usually. • In large-scale writing assessment more than one rater reads each paper.

4. Classroom Assessment • Usually looks at multiple assessments. • Daily work, long-term multi-day projects, publishing projects and so on. • Can be based on growth over time, participation in the writing process, skill in revising or editing text, and the student “story” told by a portfolio.

5. Forms of Writing James Kinneavy - Theory of Discourse 1971 • Expressive/Narrative Organization, Beginning, Ending, Development & Mechanics • Persuasive Audience, Organization, Reasons, Conclusion and Mechanics • Informative Focus, Organization, Development, Ending, Mechanics

6. Using Rubrics • Rubrics make expectations public and visible. • Rubrics focus on what students can do, and not on what they can’t do. • To create your own rubric visit web-site www.rubistar.org

7. Scoring • Holistic • Primary (Rubrics) • Analytical

8. How to improve assessment • Make the vision clear • Use rubrics • Share your vision with parents and children. • Become very familiar with state performance standards of writing. (TAKS) • Do not assess everything your students write. • Practice assessing your student’s work. • Make self-assessment the goal of your writing program (Personal Assessment). • Keep collections of writing (portfolios). • Keep your expectations high. • Provide practice

9. Personal Assessment “Writing is predominantly learned rather than taught”. Janet Emig • Students use portfolios, rubrics and are taught to make reading-writing connections. • Students become skilled assessors. • Personal assessment becomes the most fundamental and trustworthy basis for revision as well as for improvement in writing.

10. Have students respond in their native language or in both languages. Have a teacher who is familiar with the second language interpret and score the paper but not in the conversational manner. Instead you would make a general overall judgement of the students’ language proficiency in English. ESL

11. Bibliography • Creating Young Writers By Vickie Spandel • Reflections on Assessment By Kathleen & James Strickland • Literacy Assessment of Second Language Learners By Sandra Rollins Hurley & Josefina Villamil Tinajero • 6 + 1 Traits of Writing By Ruth Culham