MARCH 2010 Assessing students in the writing workshop

Anticipation Guide 1) Students should be graded on a daily basis in the writing workshop. 2) Formative assessment refers to the grading of a final piece of writing. 3) Self-assessment of one’s writing is a component of the workshop. 4) Writing on demand should never be practiced in the classroom. 5) Summative assessment is a component of a balanced assessment system. 6) Formative assessment is used to grow writers. 7) It is impossible to assess writing engagement or a writer’s processes.

Anticipation Guide 1) Students should be graded on a daily basis in the writing workshop. (D) 2) Formative assessment refers to the grading of a final piece of writing. (D) 3) Self-assessment of one’s writing is a component of the workshop. (A) 4) Writing on demand should never be practiced in the classroom. (D) 5) Summative assessment is a component of a balanced assessment system. (A) 6) Formative assessment is used to grow writers. (A) 7) It is impossible to assess writing engagement or a writer’s processes. (D)

The Language of Assessment Assidere: to sit beside Formative Summative Benchmarks Holistic scoring Analytic scoring Rubrics Reflection Self-assessment Writing on demand High stakes testing

Assessment in the Writing Workshop Teacher’s conference notebooks Student writing folders Formative Assessment of works in progress Summative assessment of student selected pieces Portfolio assessment

Profiles: Macomb Same prompt through the grades Identifies traits of each grade level Review traits, K-5 What do you notice?

A Common Language to “Grow Writing” 6 Traits allows us to assess student writing analytically 6 Traits Color-Coded Rubric (MEAP) illustrates how the traits are embedded in descriptors Color-Coded Rubric Analytic Scoring Practice: Ideas

Holistic Scoring: MEAP Writing on Demand Start with “4” on the rubric Determine what score you would give and why

What Can We Learn From Looking at Student Work? Protocols Look at strengths Determine next instructional goal Share teaching ideas with colleagues

Portfolios  Larger body of work  Represents “best” and/or skills/craft learned  Allows for student reflection and self-assessment  Provides information for future teachers Challenges  Storage and organization  Cost  Not always a schoolwide practice

Questions? Workshop Time Multi-genre Inquiry Projects due next week!