Assessing Writing

Approaches to Writing Assessment Indirect measures: Assesses correct usage in sentence level Assesses spelling and punctuation Main aim: to assess students’ writing sub-skills: grammar and sentence construction Focus is more on accuracy than on communication Error correction, cloze test, dictation can be used as indirect measures

Direct measures: Assesses students’ ability to communicate Based on actual production of written text Integrates all elements of writing: Producing the content Organizing ideas Using appropriate vocabulary, grammatical conventions, and syntax

Designing writing assessment tasks Good writing assessment involves four basic elements: 1) Rubric Instructions for carrying out the task Or a set of criteria used to assess the task A good rubric should Specify the rhetorical pattern and length Indicate the resources students can find Indicate the overall weighting of the task (compared to other parts in the exam)…

2) prompt The stimulus the students must respond to Three main forms Base Framed Text-based

Types of prompts 1. Base prompt: formulates the whole task in one or more sentences. E.g. Do you agree or disagree with the opinion that men make poorer teachers than women? Why?

Read the following prompt and tell the weaknesses in this prompt (considering the rubric as well): “Life in New York is dangerous.” Write between words. A) Too short: doesn’t give all the necessary info B) Topic itself might be a problem: specifying the city is not good as some Ss might not be familiar C) Not known what text type Ss are required: A story? An essay?...

An improved version: You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write an essay with the title ‘The dangers of living in a big city’ in which you explain what dangers people living in big cities face day-by-day. Write between 200 and 250 words.

2. framed prompt: longer and helps candidates to interpret the task by placing it into a richer context. It usually describes a situation from which candidates can understand who they are, why they are writing, what they are writing about, and who will read their texts. E.g. Your school is planning to start an English language school magazine and has asked students to write articles with the title “Thoughts about my school”. You have decided to write an article in which you describe what you like and dislike about your school and explain your reasons.

Read the following prompt and tell the weaknesses in this prompt (considering the rubric as well): You have recently come home from an English-speaking country. Write to your host family. Include the following points: thank for hosting you how food is different at home customs you liked events you particularly enjoyed Word limit and timing not given The last two content points should be revised: in the first one, the Ss might not know enough about English culture; in the last, if the Ss doesn’t know events in England, s/he will have to create, which might be a disadvantage for some. More info about the audience can be given (host family)

A revised version: You have recently come home from an English-speaking country where you studied English and lived with a nice elderly couple. Write a letter to your host family in which you: tell them about the trip home thank them for hosting you describe how your family welcomed you and say what it feels like to be home (food, friends, own room) Write your letter in the space below in about 45 minutes using no more than words. Do not write any dates or addresses. Dear Mr and Mrs Brown, …………………………………………………………………..

3. text-based prompt: requires the test takers to read a text and to use it to write the task. E.g. Use the information in Section 7 (a reading text) to help you write your answer. Use your own words. You have read the article about local communities in Section 7. Write a letter to your local newspaper to encourage your local community to work together. Write 90–120 words and include the following information: some environmental concerns in your local area what you can do as a community to help the consequences of doing nothing.

Issues in Writing Assessment Time allocation depends on whether you are assessing process or product Process versus product some tests assess the whole process (from the first drafting to the final; e.g. portfolio); some assess the products (timed, impromptu essays) best is to use a combination of both Use of technology advance in technology also affects assessment while using technology for writing assessment, keep in mind the computers have grammar and spelling checkers

Topic restriction Should all the student write on the same topic? Giving choices may be beneficial for students (reducing student anxiety and addressing their interests) On the other hand, choices may have problems in marker consistency

Techniques for Assessing Writing Guided Writing A bridge between objective and subjective formats You should be clear about what you expect students to do Points to keep in mind: Be clear about the expected form and length (e.g. 250 words, essay) If you want particular info, clearly specify it (e.g. Three causes and effects) Specify the discourse pattern (e.g. Compare and contrast)

Free writing Aim is to elicit comparable products. Some important points: Multiple raters important Decide on the criteria (holistic, analytic,..) Get students to be familiar with the criteria

Authentic Writing Assessment Student-teacher conference Aim is to learn students’ writing habits, to guide them for further development. Some questions to be asked: How did you select this topic? What do you think are your strengths in this task/writing? How would you like to improve this task/your writing?

Self-assessment Helps students be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses Can be in the form of Checklists Dialogue journals Learning logs Peer assessment Involving students in the assessment process Can be in the form of Checklists Scoring rubrics

Portfolio-based assessment Assesses multiple pieces of writing in process Porfolios should Present the stages students have gone through Reflect students goals and objectives Involve students’ organization

Writing Assessment Scales (Rubrics / Scoring Criteria) Holistic Scales Based on the marker’s total impression of the essay as a whole. Quick and reliable Some disadvantages Not reliable if done under time constraints Longer essays tend to receive higher marks Inable to provide washback (no diagnostic information): doesn’t provide a profile of student’s writing ability See p. 82 for a sample holistic scoring

Analytic Scales Based on marking different aspects of a writing piece More effective for inexperienced teachers More reliable for scales with a larger point range Provides teachers with a profile of their students’ strengths and weaknesses BUT Time consuming Necessitates a set of specific criteria and rater training