As Howard D Crull Elementary School continues to push and develop our staff ability to implement Balanced Literacy Instruction. It became evident we needed to focus on WRITING and not just on the act of writing but on the assessment portion of the writing. A few essential questions began to emerge in conversations through out our school year:

1. How do we assess and score student writing? (sure we have a common rubric do we all use it the same way?)

2. How do we use the rubric as a tool for teaching?

3. Our are expectations for writing as high as they could or should be?

Our first scoring clinic:

To continue Our district gives a DBA (District Based Assessment) three times per year, each gradelevel has a different prompt, K-1 have a similar rubric and 2-5 use the same rubric. The spring testing window opened two weeks ago. Teachers were asked to score and then provide 2 low samples, 2 medium and 2 high samples to our literacy coach. The coach and principal reviewed the documents then selected about 6 samples to go over. Teachers were grouped into K-1, 2-3 and 4-5 groupings (with intervention staff and specialists mixed in). Each gradelevel was provided another gradelevels best work and asked to score. Then groups were asked to discuss how each teacher scored. In an hour staff meeting this process occurred with 4 different samples per gradelevel. Then cross gradelevel conversations were encouraged to discuss. Finally, 2nd and 4th were combined and 3rd and 5th to review a writing sample from these different gradelevels. Teachers were then asked to compare and contrast.

Heres what we found (based on exit tickets and conversations) :

– When teachers thought the work was “2nd” grade they used the rubric with LESS of a critical eye. Basing their expectations more on the age of the student.
– Even though teachers used the same rubric there were different interpretations
– Teachers realized that 2nd grades could write better than 4th
– Gradelevels were consistent as teams but when two gradelevels compared they were vastly different
– “We were surprised that fourth grade still has some problems with basic conventions”
– “it’s all about exposure to print” (we have a large gap in writing proficiency)

What we would change:

1. MORE samples! It would be interesting to have 10 common samples that all score.

2. DISCUSS the rubrics before scoring papers. What are the critical attributes and components that make the score?

3. Add in samples that would demonstrate and show bias. Teachers tend to be kinder to their students. Perhaps creating that tension in a scoring clinic would help to expand conversations.

 

This was a great first attempt at a writing scoring clinic. I will keep this one in the toolbag for future staff meetings and gradelevel meetings. Setting expectations and understanding how far we need our students to progress in their ability to express though is the way to create better readers, thinkers and learners.