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Bridging Standardized Tests and Writing Instruction
State- and federally-mandated testing are prominent in this week's news, which naturally leads to questions about how to improve students' academic achievement in the context of what we already do in the classroom? How do we bridge between these mandates and our own pedagogical beliefs about English language arts and composition instruction? These resources suggest solutions for all academic levels.
The Language Arts article "Creating Space for Teaching Writing and for Test Preparation" (E) explores how one teacher worked to implement a writing workshop approach within a school context focused on high test scores. Illustrated with children's work and the teacher's personal voice, the article suggests how to cultivate the knowledge and passion for writing in students and prepare them intensively for the state writing test.
What happens when students are not reading and writing at grade level and need to pass standardized tests? Read one teacher's solution in "What If They Can't?" (M) from Voices from the Middle. The article includes details on themed settings for oral performance of student writing and picture books composed for younger readers -- as well as information on the effects of the approach on students' test scores.
What role can literature play in test preparation? The English Journal article "Teaching Conventions in a State-Mandated Testing Context" (S) shares a strategy which taps excerpts from To Kill a Mockingbird to help students understand and create powerful writing. In the process, students also learned the grammar and punctuation conventions they needed to know for the test.
Can we expect college students to craft papers that exude energy and insight after twelve years of carefully orchestrated official writing? The Teaching English in the Two Year College article "Standardized Testing and the College Composition Instructor" (C) explains the conflicts between writing to the test and "writing outside the lines." The article suggests actions teachers can take to help students move toward energetic and insightful writing.
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