“Quality Assessments for Schools Since 1927”

1. “Quality Assessments for Schools Since 1927” ERBEducational Records Bureau

2. Description of WrAP & WPP Features of the tests Reporting results Interpreting results The scoring rubric as a teaching tool Q & A Agenda

3. WrAP “Writing today is not a frill for the few, but an essential skill for the many.” (National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges, 2003)

4. Helps to structure the school’s writing program Identifies relative strengths and deficits in student writing Provides objective validation for local writing instruction WrAP

5. Overview Provides a direct measure of student writing Done in two class periods Students receive a prompt to write about They may use the scoring rubric, a dictionary, and thesaurus The papers are scored analytically using a 6-point rubric on each of 6 writing elements (overall development, organization, supporting details, sentence structure, word choice, mechanics) WrAP

6. WrAP • Writing Assessment Program (WrAP) • Six-Point Scale in Six Scoring Categories • Overall Development • Organization • Support • Sentence Structure • Word Choice • Mechanics LevelGradesMode of Discourse Elementary 3-4 Narrative Intermediate 5-6 Informative/Descriptive Middle 7-8 Expository/Persuasive Secondary 9-10 Persuasive College Prep 11-12 Critical Thinking

7. What you Receive Report of Individual Student Results (raw score, scale score, percentile, and stanine for suburban and independent school norms) School/grade/class results Scale score information to enable you to measure growthin writing skills over time Benchmark papers to help you understand scoring ERB Scoring Rubric WrAP Prompts & Reports

8. ERB Scoring Rubric

9. ERB Scoring Rubric

10. Two readers score each student’s writing sample, using a set of anchor papers as a scoring guide Extensive training achieves consistent interrater reliability correlations of .90 or higher WrAP Scoring

11. Standard for review will be higher grade covered by the level Scores will be normed to specific grade Scale scores establish baseline and can be used to monitor year-to-year growth & achievement Look at students whose scores reveal lack of skill in one or more of 6 elements measured Report of Student Results

12. Step-By-Step Review of Data Start by reviewing your results to group most similar to yours (suburban or independent) Ask yourself: Do the results bear out your general experience with the students’ writing? Use raw scores by students, class, or school to establish priority for writing emphasis Use the rubric to guide lesson plans and goals Refer to descriptions and questions on back of rubric to further guide work with students Interpreting Results

13. WrAP Class Summary Report

14. WrAP Class Roster Report

15. Adopt the criteria of the rubric as a common vocabulary for instruction Agree upon a sequential approach for teaching skills under each criterion Design specific lessons and units around the criteria Post the scoring guide in classrooms and distribute copies to students and parents Base grading of local written work on the model Use of theWrAPRubricin aWriting Curriculum

16. Review results and discuss their relationship to other written work done by students Examine successful results by students and conduct staff development to build on that success Develop a curriculum timeline around priority needs based on the results Following Up on Outcomes

17. WrAP Rubric – Overall Development • How well does the writer communicate with the reader? • (Audience and Purpose) • How well is the topic developed? • (Support) • Is the paper fluent? • (Organization, Word Choice, Syntax) • Does the writer give voice to the topic? • (Creative, Insightful, Original, Compositional Risk)

18. WrAP Rubric - Organization • Overall plan (vertical dimension) • Sequencing (horizontal dimension) • Paragraphing • Closing (must be present for a score of 4 or more)

19. WrAP Rubric - Support • Multiple Strategies? • Compare/Contrast, Cause/Effect, Anecdotes • Specific Detail/Abstract Ideas • How Much? • Are details sufficient to make the major ideas clear? • Is repetition a factor? • How Specific? • Precise vs. general language • Are the details strong and varied? • How Connected? • Building of ideas (depth vs. breadth) -- the layering of information • Ideas/information that support the chosen focus

20. WrAP Rubric – Sentence Structure • Sentence Errors • Fragments • Run-ons • Awkward • Sentence Variety • Are there a variety of structures or single repetitive patterns? • Is there variety in terms of length and order? • Usage Errors • Subject-verb agreement • Shift in tense • Pronoun-antecedent error • Shift in number • Shift in person

21. WrAP Rubric – Word Choice Vocabulary • Sophistication of words for the level of writing • Is there specialized vocabulary? • Are big words misused or used correctly? Word Choice • Are words appropriate for meaning (affect vs. effect)? • Is the language varied? • Are words chosen for precision and clarity? • Does the writer use picturesque or expressive language? Correct Formation of Words • Are verb forms correct? • Are pronouns properly constructed? • Are plurals properly formed? • Are adjectives and adverbs formed correctly?

22. WrAP Rubric - Mechanics Spelling • Correctness – Consider length and complexity Punctuation • Commas, question marks, colons, semicolons, apostrophes, quotation marks, etc. Capitalization • Consider the length and complexity of the response

23. Online Writing Practice Program (WPP) • Computer scored with instant results • Sample scoring rubric with definition of terms • Error recognition & highlighting • Online tutorials linked to writing traits and scores • Exemplar papers • Portfolio of essays • Student/teacher text messaging “If students are to learn, they must write.” --Vicki Spandel

25. Responding to a Prompt • Students select the Practice tab • Students choose prompt and click, ‘Begin Writing’ • Timer begins • 60 minutes to brainstorm and complete

26. Response Box

27. Instant Scoring Links to tutorials

28. Home Page At their Home Page, students click, “Learn” to access: • Tutorials • Rubrics/Definition of Terms • Example essays Click “Portfolio” to see: • Any piece of writing that has already been completed • Messages from teacher • Scores

29. Portfolio list Click on date for scores

30. Exemplar papers for each level

31. Post message to a student

32. Tutorials • Students can access any tutorial, and target their personal weakness • Tutorials can be practiced individually or in teacher-facilitated settings • Students can practice online and receive immediate feedback • Teachers can access student tutorials and time spent using them

33. Students choose a category and the level Students select a tutorial Example: Organization Tutorial Lessons(Organization, Support, Sentence Structure, Practice)

35. Sentence Structure Exercises

36. Monitor time on tutorials

37. Class Averages View by total score

38. View average by trait score

39. ERB Writing Programs • NEW FEATURES • Even more prompt types and genre • Exemplar responses for each prompt • Enhanced scoring models with error highlighting • Teacher tools to place comments directly into each student response • Error highlighting on essays • Timer on/off • Spell/grammar check • Finish later option

40. Q & A ??