On-Demand and Open Response… What’s the Difference???

What is On Demand writing? Students are asked to produce a particular form of writing (letter or article) The writing exhibits a specific purpose: -To entertain -To inform -To persuade

Each prompt includes… Situation The form (letter or article) The purpose for writing The intended audience

Sample On-demand prompt: Situation: The fourth grade has decided to recycle the plastic bottles and the aluminium cans from their homes in order to raise money for a classroom project. All classmates are encouraged to participate in this activity. The money earned from this recycling activity will go toward additional reading books for the classroom.

Writing task… Write a letter to your parents or guardians persuading them to support you and your class in collecting plastic bottles and aluminium cans in order for you to do your part in this class project.

Situation, purpose, audience, and mode (type of writing), … SPAM Situation – class is having a recycling drive Purpose – to persuade Audience – parent or guardian Mode / Task - letter

How is on-demand writing assessed? An analytical scoring guide is used to score the student’s work: – Content (purpose, audience awareness, idea development) – Structure (organization, transitional elements, sentence structure) – Conventions (grammar, word choice, corrections – spelling, punctuation, capitalization) ● Students are expected to take their idea through the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing) ● Students are given one hour to complete the work with extended time of one hour available.

Goals of the On-demand writing… Serves as documentation of a student’s ability to apply writing strategies and skills while working independently Promotes a student’s ability to communicate to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes

On-demand writing and portfolio writing…how are they different? Portfolio Writing (4 th grade) – The writing is conferenced by peers and teachers – The portfolio is developed over a one-year period – Student have the opportunity to develop and use writing skills taught during the year On-demand Writing (5 th grade) -Students work independently -The writing is developed during a one-hour time limit (with one hour of additional time available) -Students must self-assess and demonstrate writing strategies learned thus far

To sum it up… The writing portfolio process in fourth grade aids in developing the skills required to complete a proficient on- demand writing exercise in fifth grade. The writing assessment in fifth grade will require the students to apply the writing tools acquired in the previous years of school.

What is an open response question? Students are taught core content concepts throughout the year in content areas such as science, math, social studies, reading, and arts/humanities. An open response item assesses a student’s ability to apply concepts and or processes in the context of a new situation based on the content learned.

Open Response questions… Contain a lead-in followed by one or more content-related tasks /questions which use high level power verbs (describe, explain, evaluate, compare, contrast, predict, or summarize, etc.)

An open response question… Does NOT assess the student’s use of grammar or mechanics nor the ability to write paragraphs Can be successfully be completed in 10 to 15 minutes using only one page Often has sever parts to be addressed (Question A, B, and C)

Example ORQ… You are going on a trip for a week and have put your clothes in your suitcase. There is so much in the suitcase, it will not close. However, when your dad sits on it, you are able to sip it shut. A. Using what you know about the properties (characteristics) of air, explain why you are able to close the suitcase now.

SC Materials can exist in different states – solid, liquid, and gas...Resulting cause and effect relationships should be explored, described, and predicted. DOK 3

Core Content that would help you to answer the question: Core Content in science: Students were taught that the properties of air include the following characteristics: AIR – surrounds Earth, is a gas, has weight, and takes up space

What’s the answer??? Students can infer that since air takes up space, if a person pushes the air from inside the suitcase to the outside of the suitcase, it will zip shut. Without the extra air inside the suitcase taking up space, it will close.

ORQ…APPLICATION OF CONTENT… As you can see, in the open response question, the student was asked to use a concept taught in a science class and apply that knowledge to a new situation.

Let’s compare on demand and open response questioning… ON DEMAND: Develops good habits of thinking Focused on a purpose for writing Assessment for the development of writing through the writing process No limit on pages written 60 minutes given with an additional 60 minutes available Scored as novice, proficient, apprentice, or distinguished after being assigned a score of 0 – 4 in each subdomain (content, structure, conventions) OPEN RESPONSE QUESTIONS: Develops good habit of thinking Focused on a topic / concept Assessment of the application of content / concepts taught One page limit to each ORQ answer Generally completed in 15 – 20 minutes Scored as a 1 – 4 with one being the lowest score and four being the best