This document outlines approaches to writing assessment in schools. It discusses the purpose of writing assessment, which is to identify skills that need improvement, monitor student progress, and guide instruction. It also covers types of writing like informative, expressive, and persuasive pieces. Assessment methods discussed include process writing, rubrics to evaluate content, clarity, and mechanics, self-assessment using tools like checklists, peer assessment through activities like conferencing, and portfolio assessment to track growth over time. The document emphasizes using a variety of informal and formal assessments to obtain a well-rounded picture of students' abilities and inform instruction.

1. Writing Assessment
EDUC 585
Amina Qatan
December 8, 2014

2. Outline
 Nature of Writing in Schools
 The Writer
 Purpose of Writing assessment
 Types of Writing
 Writing Genres
 Instructional Approaches in Assessment
 Authentic assessments
 Criteria of Writing Assessment
 Types of Scoring & Stages of Writing Development
 Self & peer Assessment
 Frame Writing & Writing Portfolio
 Instructional Uses of Writing Assessment
 Conclusion

3. Nature of Writing in Schools
Writing assessment is a teacher-centered approach in setting up a criteria
which is mainly based on:
 Content
 Clarity
 Writing Mechanics; spelling, capitalization & punctuation & grammar.
Despite the importance of writing, many high school students do not learn to
write well enough to meet the demands of school or the workplace because of;
 More focus on component skill in sequential order rather than the content.
 Isolate teaching writing from reading and other skills.
 Over focus given to Writing Mechanics & grammar in account to content
of the composition.
Therefore, authentic assessment measures are performance-based, and
should be used to guide instruction (Evaluation Springboard.org, 2006).

4. The Writer
The writer draws on background knowledge and complex mental
processes in developing new insights. Thus, students are highly advised
to incorporate the content of the topic to their own unique approach
of writing: How can they do so?
Four types of knowledge:
 Knowledge of content.
 Procedural knowledge to organize the content.
 Knowledge of conventions.
 Procedural knowledge to integrate all the above.

5. Purpose of Writing Assessment
 identify skills that need review, monitor student progress, guide
teacher instruction,
 demonstrate the effectiveness of instruction,
 provide teachers with information on how the instruction can be
improved.

6. Types of Writing
 Informative:
 describes events, experiences
 analyzes causes & effects
 composes a biography about a person
 Expressive/narrative:
 personal & imaginative observations and interpretations
 composes an autobiography. i:e more “fun”
 Persuasive:
 influences, initiates, analyses & argues any topic of
interest to convince for a specific point of view

7. Writing Genres
 Biographies
 Essays
 Stories
 Journal entries
 Letters
 Newspaper reports
 Manuals
 Research papers
 Dialogue journals
 Learning logs

8. Instructional Approaches in Assessment
 Process Writing: interactive (S-S) or (T-S) through:
1. Prewriting: graphic organizer, brainstorm ideas
2. Writing: in class or at home.
3. Postwriting: revise, edit and evaluate the writing-in-
process.
 Writing Across the Curriculum: Students write to:
1. Manipulate information
2. Consolidate prior knowledge
3. Prepare further learning activities
4. Reformulate prior knowledge

9. Authentic assessments benefit students best when
they are utilized across the curriculum. Summaries,
journaling, quick-writes, rewriting a story, and letter-writing
are some examples of well-designed activities that provide
teachers with fast authentic assessments of student
performance. A variety of writing rubrics are available from
reliable sources that can assist teachers and students before,
during, and after writing activities. It is also suggested that
peer editing can be utilized to provide interaction among
students. Students often benefit from reading, editing, and
rewriting one another’s work.

10. Criteria of Writing Assessment
 invite the desired type of writing or genre.
 engage the thinking, problem-solving, composing, and
text-making processes central to the type of writing.
 be challenging for many students and accessible to all.
 provide equitable opportunities for all students to
respond.
 produce interesting, not just proficient writing.
 be liked by many students.

11. Examples
 Writer Checklist: it
should mirror the
components of the scoring
rubric to rate the student
writing. E.g (p141)
 Integrated Language
Assessment: it should
observe & assess integrated
skills like reading,
speaking & writing

12. o Holistic Scoring:
rates all the criterion
in the rubric like
organization, fluency
word choice and
Mechanics. (p143)
o Primary Trait: rates
specifically one or
more of the
mentioned above.
o Analytic Scoring:
rates each criteria
separately. (p145)
1. Pre-Emergent
2. Emergent
3. Dependent
4. Developing
5. Independent
6. Fluent
7. Proficient
p146

13. Writing Conferences
Research on the writing process
advocates that writers learn most
efficiently about writing when they share
and reflect on their writing. In classrooms,
this is most commonly done through writing
conferences as part of the revision stage.
Whether they occur with pairs, with small
groups, or with the teacher, the social
benefits of sharing writing improves writing
(Reading Rockets, 2011d).
Donald Graves (1982) identified six
characteristics of successful writing
conferences. Conferences should: (a) have a
predictable structure; (b) focus on a few
points; (c) demonstrate solutions to
students' problems; (d) permit role
reversals; (e) encourage use of a vocabulary
appropriate for writing; and (f) stimulate
pleasure in writing. Most teachers use some
variation of these characteristics in their
classrooms across the curriculum.

14. Self Assessment
 encourages students to;
o think about their purpose of writing and
o reflect on what and how much they are learning
 through;
 Dialogue journals
 Learning logs
 Surveys of Interests & awareness
 Writing Checklists

15. Peer Assessment
Revising one’s writing is a way to learn about the craft of writing.
Learning to revise, teaches students about the characteristics of good
writing, which will help to improve the quality of their future writing.
Revision skills complement reading skills and require that writers distance
themselves from their writing in order to critically evaluate their own work
(Reading Rockets, 2011c). It is important to instill good revision practices in
young writers because it gives them an opportunity for reflection about their
process. Peer editing has proven to be a successful way to help students
develop revision skills (Graham & Harris, 2007, as cited by Reading Rockets,
2011c). This is particularly true when peer groups have explicit goals for
revision (MacArthur, 2007, as cited by Reading Rockets, 2011c).

16. Framed writing models are graphic
organizers that offer students a solid
framework in which to write
paragraphs and essays. The
instructor-provided frame guides
students through a formal writing
structure while making available
scaffolding for writing skills like
transitional sentences and
compound-complex syntax (Reading
Rockets, 2011).
An individual portfolio is an
informal way to assess. It models
reflection of their own work
while encouraging students to
take an active role in learning
information they feel they have
not yet mastered (Reading
Rockets.org, 2011b). This allows
the teacher to compare and check
the progress of students over the
course of an academic year.
Portfolio

17. Instructional Uses of Writing Assessment
 Assess the stages of writing development for students gradually.
 Assess writing in the context of other language skills, when appropriate
 Assess all domains of writing.
 Include self assessment of writing, share scoring rubrics, and involve
students in setting criteria well as in developing and selecting writing
prompts.
 Assess the products of written efforts.
 Use multiple assessments of writing various purposes, genres, and
content areas, including written summaries and learning logs.
 Include writing samples in portfolios to illustrate student growth over
time.
 Use the results of writing assessments and of your conferences with
students to plan instruction and identify student strengths and areas of
shortcomings that need to be developed.

18. Both instructor and student
benefit from the results of
initial and ongoing assessment.
Informal assessments (partner
reading, class discussion, role-
playing, brainstorming, etc.):
 provide a more
well-rounded picture
of their skills, abilities,
and ongoing progress.
 design immediate
instruction based on the
results of informal
assessment.
Mastering reading and writing
skills are extremely important
because they are used in every
subject area. Achieving these
skills at every level of learning
helps students to be successful
life-long learners.
Conclusion

19. Thanks