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Toward Authentic Writing Assessment
The best way to determine and encourage students' writing ability is to focus
on writing that is student-owned, developed over time, and
guided by ongoing feedback and supportive response. These resources explore
the limitations of current standardized assessment and suggest alternatives
for authentic assessment.
Authentic Assessment
"Teaching,
Testing, and Defending the Work that Children Do" (E), from School
Talk,
argues that the most powerful tools
we have to determine a child’s current level of ability are samples
of authentic pieces of work. "Assessment
through Conversation" (E), from Language Arts, demonstrates how conversations
with parents, teachers, and children around portfolios can provide a better
picture
of a
child's growth
and understanding than standardized
test scores ever can.
The Language Arts article "Stories
from the Shadows: High-Stakes Testing and Teacher Preparation" (E) describes
how a group of teacher educators use story to examine their teaching decisions
in the face of a test-driven curriculum that pressures teachers to create curriculum
that imitates the test rather than remaining learner-centered.
"The
Silent Scream: Students Negotiating Timed Writing Assessments" (C),
from Teaching English in the Two-Year College, discusses how current scholarship
argues against one-shot, high-stakes writing tasks. "High
School Writing Practices in the Age of Standards: Implications for College Composition" (S-C),
from Teaching English in the Two-Year College, examines recent attempts
to standardize writing
instruction
at the secondary level and suggests alternative forms of assessment and classroom
research available to teachers of composition in high school and college.
Authentic Writing Instruction
In "Hard
Trying and These Recipes" (M-S), from Voices from the Middle,
Nancie Atwell explains that student feedback during writing workshop can
help provide
the richest and most efficient path to better writing. "Understanding
the Essential Characteristics of the Writing Workshop" (E), the
first chapter from the NCTE book The
Writing Workshop: Working through the Hard Parts (And They're All Hard Parts), explains
how encouraging and supporting students to "write
with purpose and intention first—to enrich their lives in significant ways" ultimately
leads them to write well.
"Toppling
the Idol" (M-S), from English Journal, explores the fallout of
teaching to the test: students who master the
formula
five-paragraph essay formula, but lose their voices in the process. Read
how the author's transformed approach helped students "think outside
the five-paragraph-essay box."
"Writing
for Real, Teaching English in the World" (S-C), from English
Journal,
explores how we can assist students in developing portable writing
skills that will help them succeed beyond
school systems and state exams.
"Writing
beyond Testing: 'The Word as an Instrument of Creation'" (S), from
English Journal, describes a strategies that allow students to
write from their own experiences and feelings, without the pressure of testing
or assessment, building toward a community of strong
writers.
Extra!
Encourage your students to celebrate Teacher
Appreciation Week by connecting with former teachers. The ReadWriteThink
lesson A
Significant Influence: Describing an Important Teacher in Your Life (S)
includes the resources to get you started.
NOTE: Free access to journal articles mentioned in this Inbox is provided
for 21 days. After this free access period expires, articles are available
to journal subscribers only.
Initials in annotations indicate academic level of the resource (E=Elementary,
M=Middle, S=Secondary, C=College, G=General).
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