Assessing+Writing

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 * = A few links to sites where teachers are thinking hard about grading: = ||
 * * [|The Struggles of Grading]
 * Twitter: #StopGrading
 * A blog from the same writer (CWP's Sarah Zerwin!): http://thepapergraders.org/?p=1430
 * == [] ==
 * == Part II [] (Scroll down to find Part II.) ==
 * [] (Note: this focuses on English teachers but the points are generalizable.)

[|An open letter to writing teachers]

Slides about one version of a portfolio system:

Chapter 1 from Carl Anderson's Assessing Writers:

For a bit of controversy, check out Barry Lane's interview with Maja Wilson, author of [|Rethinking Rubrics]:

Kelly Gallagher shows how he uses rubrics in his high school English class [|ImprovingAdolescentWriting] [|Tips]

[|Peter Elbow's ideas about grading writing]

= GRADING = Usually I don't like to merge assessment and grading because I think it sends the wrong message. Assessing is "sitting beside" a student to learn about her strengths, needs, successes, and missed steps. Grading is the judging of the work: is it good enough or not up to par? Assessing is providing feedback without a grade while grading is just that: assigning a grade or some other kind of symbol that indicates the level of quality.

Grading of student writing always brings its tensions. How do I get to everyone's work in a timely manner? What does an A really mean? How many comments are should I make? And for high school teachers, is what I'm doing preparing students for college? For the last question, I ran across a blog about a college professor who contracts grades with students. Her syllabus is quite interesting to read and, I believe, offers up some ideas for the middle and high school classroom: [|21st Century Literacies Syllabus]

CONTINUUM OF WRITING DEVELOPMENT: As you think about assessing young writers, think about their growth trajectory. Carrie Ekey and Bonnie Campbell Hill looked at that growth through the lens of Common Core State Standards: