Spandel Chapter 7 Reflection The Right to Be Assessed Well
Some “rant-dom” thoughts: From what I gather from the beginning of this chapter, standardized writing assessment as it stands today on PARCC and MCAS is pretty useless. This is not surprising, but it is disheartening to have that fact confirmed. It has always troubled me that the person who scores my students’ essays has no idea that when a particular student began the year, getting more than one paragraph was a struggle. At the beginning of the semester I tell my composition students that they are in complete control of their grade. That their writing is a living thing that can change and grow over time and as long as they are willing to work on making it better, so am I. I tell them that my hope is that they will leave me as a more confident writer with a variety of strategies and techniques they feel comfortable using that they will continue to use as they grow as writers. Standardized assessment of writing has no place in that philosophy. Though the writing portfolio idea used in Kentucky seems like a very good step in the right direction.
One area of frustration for me is one-for-all writing rubrics (an old rubric in our district was meant for grades 3-12 ---- on the SAME rubric!). To have a blanket “Writing Rubric” seems, to me, a ludicrous idea and counter-productive as a blanket rubric doesn’t really leave room for positive reinforcement; all it really does is judge the surface - not the effort it took to get there, not the PROCESS which (as we know) is so different from student to student.
“So student writers have the right to assessment that is not just about numbers, but also includes room for a smile, a laugh, a sigh, applause, and the honest and passionate response that all writers hunger to hear” (111). YES!!! Sign me up! THAT’S the writing teacher I want to be : )
I was also intrigued by the Kentucky writing assessment. I am going to try to learn more about it. It sounds like you do a nice job building the confidence of your student writers!
Debbie, I second your opinion that these tests do not show who our students are as learners and as people. They are so much more than numbers on data charts, and now I think we are faced with difficult tasks as teachers. We need to prepare them for these assessments that are required to the best of our ability but we also need to show them who they are as students and to help them see their own potential and strengths!
And one more thought about rubrics. If you teach in a high school, you're probably aware that NEASC (the New England Association of Schools and Colleges) requires a high school to use "school-wide rubrics" for each of our learning standards. We adopted rubrics in time for our last visit two years ago, and recently revised them from a 4 point to a 5 point scale. While they do make grading easier (?) it is certainly less meaningful in terms of feedback. Rubrics do nothing to promote the type of feedback (encouragement, passion) that Spandel talks about in this chapter.
School wide rubrics, NEASC requirements, remind me of John Collins writing folders: they make it easier for the teacher and not necessarily better for the students. Also, the wording seems vague and the categories come from some grammar books. As Spandel might ask, where is the category for voice? Where are the beginning, developing assessments?
We have to use school-wide rubrics for writing too and it makes me crazy. I like the idea of having a rubric that keeps us all shooting toward a common goal, but it shouldn't tie our hands behind our backs…and I feel like our does in many cases. I agree with Al the wording is so vague and students don't know what to do with it. I always end up creating a "translated" version for my kids so that it is more useful to them.
A few things in this chapter stuck with me. Kentucky's portfolio assessment was very interesting and unique. The arguments against states' on-demand writing were very strong, but the two that resonated with me were "it forces us to question whether the writing produced under such conditions represents or even approaches students' best efforts," and "it may persuade educators to spend less time on complex writing tasks..and more time training students to be comfortable with the quick-write formulaic response they are likely to see on the assessment." In Massachusetts we use the snapshot assessment and teach to the test. The next section highlighted how subjective assessors can be at both the classroom and state level. The solution offered to this situation is to clarify expectations for writing and to include student input when creating the requirements. The most poignant question from this article was the question posed to a teacher, "What would you say to this writer?" when a student included humor and strong voice in a writing sample. I find myself guilty of scribbling (sometimes illegibly) in the margins and white space of student essays, and often the comments are negative. I want to include positive feedback in addition to my other comments. Some would argue I should only include positive feedback. One comment not included in this article was the right for students to receive timely feedback. There are moments in the semester when my correcting piles up, and I know students would have done better had I reviewed their writing earlier. While it is good to take a step back from our writing and then review it, our semester system is so fast-paced that often students receive graded essays when we are in the middle of the next work of literature. Although I always give my students the opportunity to rewrite their pieces, if the essay is returned too late, the ideal moment for revision passes. This was another chapter that highlighted the negatives of standardized assessment but didn't offer a lot of solutions.
Heather, I think we are probably all on the same page about timely feedback. I'm proud of myself if I can get a set of papers back in two weeks, and by that time, they are on to the next assignment. I still don't know if anyone has any ideas to control the paperwork and still give the type of feedback that Spandel identifies, but if they do, I'd love to hear it.
I agree that timely feedback is instrumental in helping students develop thier writing. I do have a rule that I have as long to correct and return writing as the students have had to complete it. If I fail, all students earn automatic A's--something that has yet to happen, But I do think my scrawls are too negative and try to put in honest and positive comments. I have found that writing conferences, conducted before and after school or during a class period, help with the work load and add some worhty feedback.
Today I was asked to meet with a columnist from the Boston Globe to discuss the impact of high stakes testing on my students and on curriculum. There was so much to say that I barely scratched the surface. But how I wish I had read this chapter prior to my meeting. After all, I was speaking to a writer! With Spandel's words fresh in my mind, I could have appealed to her understanding of writing to show how our "on demand assessment bears little resemblance to the process-based approach of the classroom".
"Test preparation as a curriculum unto itself" is such an accurate phrase. Of all the unintended consequences of high stakes testing, the impact on writing has always bothered me the most. Formulaic instruction has, in many cases, replaced the process of writing- a real disservice to our students. "We should be very, very careful what we assess, for in the end, what we assess is what we will get".
I love the idea of generating quality rubrics with my students that capture "what matters". I think I'll add this to my list of items to advocate for with central administration. They already recognize the need to share criteria with students, so why not take it to the next level?
I strongly agreed with Spandel's statement that "assessment at its best offers support and insight, not judgment". Finding what writers do well builds confidence and skill, and ultimately motivates students to improve.
This book is refreshingly honest and insightful and validates much of what we intuitively know to be true.
I would love to hear how your quest for the rubrics pans out! One thing I notice is that so many students look to a rubric as a stopping point for their writing, "I've covered everything so I'm done" rather than a jumping off point. I've tried including revisions in the rubric (like the "targeted revisions" I have mentioned I try to require), but so often it feels like rubrics stymie the process of writing which is already so difficult to assess. If anybody has some they like to use and is willing to share them I'd love to see different ideas :)
I love the idea of student created rubrics. It would be interesting to see what students chose as important elements in a good piece of writing and it's a great pre assessment to writing knowledge. What have students picked up on that's important? What is their impression of a put together piece of writing?
One of the most memorable, useful and (surprisingly) enjoyable Professional Development days that I have ever spent occurred two months ago, when I sat down with a team of 4 other sophomore teachers of English and Social Studies to do a double-blind scoring of our students’ second writing assignment as part of our DDM #1. We figured out early on that the essays appearing on our computer screens were not random, but were in fact in an order that allowed for two of us at a time to collaborate on the evaluation of the piece. We had some seriously good conversations about the writing and the writers, and I came away from this day knowing that we all placed value on the same components of writing. While prior episodes of the double-blind scoring felt more like the Death March to Bataan, this one provided an opportunity to truly consider our students’ abilities and shortcomings, and then plan what we might do about them.
While this was one positive experience, I’m still on the fence about applying for a position as a reader on the AP Exam. I understand that it’s an amazing experience for a teacher, but what a daunting task to read eight hours a day for five days. My eyes are killing me after a year of peering at what I estimate to be a couple thousand pieces of writing this past year. I can’t imagine what they’d feel like reading that many in a week.
This was my favorite chapter so far, mostly because I agreed with everything Spandel said, especially “we attribute far too much importance to statistical information and not enough to the reality behind the numbers.” This is such an accurate description of where my administrators, (and my department head) place far too much value. I still can’t believe that I have to go through a day of double-blind scoring on an essay to “inform my teaching” about what my students need. After 23 years in the classroom, I’m pretty sure I can identify what they need on an individual basis after reading their very first essay for me.
The other idea that I thought was not so obvious was the fact that students need to and do assess themselves. Sadly, I think many of them complete that assessment before they even start writing. I’m very excited about the prospect of establishing more of a process approach in my classroom next year and focusing on more student-centered pieces that may change their views about writing.
An finally, bravo Kentucky. How sensible is it to assess students’ writing with a portfolio? Talk about ownership! And Massachusetts prides itself on being at the head of the class. I think we’re way behind on this one.
I think you make an excellent point about students assessing themselves even before they start writing. So many of my students view their writing so negatively that they find beginning an assignment insurmountable. I agree with you that focusing on the process rather than the product will combat this.
No single assessment can ever be regarded as the truth. (107) I think I found my quote for the area above my white board for next year. Seriously! Imagine being a student and reading that on your first day of class. Powerful.
One take-away from chapter 7 is to create rubrics with my students. I’ve never thought of doing this and yet it makes so much sense. It not only would confirm what I’ve been teaching, i.e., the 6 Traits, WEX, whatever, but it would also allow students to question what we should be looking for when we write. Once the students “got it” we could take samples of writing, both good and bad (104) and model how we (teachers) would use the rubric to grade. Eventually we could get them to grade samples as well.
I also found the comment weather or not writing should be judged if it is powerful, memorable, provocative or moving (102) to be forward thinking. Imagine (second time using that word) the scores some of your writers would receive. Albeit of course, only if the one judging liked/was connected to the writing they were judging. Makes sense, If I don’t care for baseball and the piece is all about the World Series, how would I be at judging it?
I love your idea of writing that quote about your whiteboard. It is so applicable in so many ways to students. Writing can be so personal, but at the same time that line reminds us not to take everything personally.
Yes! I love that quote! Students need to know that the assessment is just a snapshot and that it isn't who they are and all they are capable of.
I love creating rubrics with students based on mentor texts. However, my school is very focused on the use of school-wide rubrics right now. I find these rubrics to be the opposite of student-friendly (at the least the writing one anyway).
When reading Chapter 7, I was really interested in pursuing the use of the checklists Spandel describes. It seems that it is a more flexible way of assessing writing since it comes from the individual assignment being assigned at that point and it comes from teacher/student discussion after the modeling of a good piece of writing, or the modeling of how to develop a good piece of writing. Student input into the development of these checklists ensures that students are aware of their expectations, but not only are they aware but they would have just had the opportunity to see those expectations come to light in a piece of writing. I'd like to try to use this idea in the Fall and see how it would turn out in a classroom environment.
The other part of Chapter 7 that struck me was the letter to the assessor at the end of the Chapter where the writer asks for the assessor to be positive and encouraging. As teachers, isn't this what we hope to do everyday? We want to lift our students up, not put them down. We want to show them the right road, not the wrong road. Heck, we want them to keep traveling down the road with us, not hit a road block and decide we aren't worth all the traffic, construction, and detours! I believe that it is in our core as teachers to bring students up not put them down. I think that in this educational world driven by assessment, educational lawmakers don't see it that way. They see the end result: a student who is proficient across all areas. But. . .what is a student that is proficient across all areas who has no passion for what they learn about, who has no connection to a teacher, and who hasn't learned to problem solve for themselves?
Hi Marina - I agree with your idea of creating (with the students) checklists. For me, they would be in essence the rubrics. It would be great to see this "come to light" for them.
Why is no one following Kentucky's lead? I love the idea of the portfolio and having students deeply involved in their personal writing progress/process. I also agree that we need to see what students can do "when they make use of every resource available to them". I always ask people to proofread emails and give me feedback before I send them. I had someone read my Button Jar entry before I submitted it. If I wasn't home alone right now, I'd probably have my husband read this over before publishing it. I need that feedback, and provided it for myself in college by writing something and then leaving it alone for a few days. Unfortunately I do not have the luxury of that time anymore, and neither do our students. That being said, they need to have all options available to them if they are to successfully prove themselves as writers. Why do we not give them that chance? I also appreciated the discussion of rubrics. I use rubrics and love them. However, I love the ones that I make. There is always the push for district-wide rubrics so that students know what to expect. I hate that as much as I hate standardized writing prompts. We need to trust that if our rubrics are those of quality, as outlined in the chapter, that students will be able to adapt to what is expected. I feel that by making everything the same, we are crippling our students when it comes to writing. We are clipping their wings and then expecting them to be able to fly. I think this is happening because the people assessing are not writing themselves. Students often complain that teachers forget what it is like to be in high school. We totally do, to a certain extent. I think, however, that it can be combated by continuing to write, and reminding ourselves of how difficult a process it can be.
The story "The Andersons" fascinates me mostly because it reminds me of the children's book "The Stupids Step Out". The family of Stupids basically do everything backwards: they shower with their clothes on; they wear socks on their hands...I would definitely bring in that book and read it with Rachel Jordan, the second grade author. (She may even know it already.) Spandel writes much about voice throughout the chapter and how voice is cut from rubrics or most state wide assessments yet it is what makes each writer unique and writing, poignant--or as Grant Wiggins identifies it "powerful,memorable, provocative or moving". Maybe we need to move away from rubrics and more to evaluations or assessments that allow for dialogic thinking, both between the teacher and students, and within the writier's own mind. The first step might be from Spandel's advice: design the rubric/assessment with the students. Maybe then students can avoid feeling that they are "locked in a bos" or "getting smashed by a tsunami" (95-96). If we focus on voice all the other areas of assessment should take care of themselves.Short of moving to Kentucky, I do think the students and I will work out the evaluations of their summer reading "essays". Or maybe I will just call them stories.
I agree with Spandel that assessing our students is necessary to establish accountability, as well as strengths and weaknesses. Preparing for a test is one thing, but preparing how to test seems to have taken precedence. I understood right where Spandel was going when she wrote about test preparation becoming a curriculum unto itself. How sad! I like how this chapter explained that a good writing assessment takes perceptiveness into account, along with the criteria of compassion and usefulness. I like that the usefulness component entails strengths to build upon, and not only needs to be addressed. What I will bring into my classroom, from chapter seven, is the state of Kentucky's assessment practice of allowing the students to select the writing that they want assessed. I will also have the students draft a letter to me reflecting on their work. In the reflection, I will have them tell me why they chose the piece, what they like about it, and what they feel are the strengths of that particular piece of writing.
Hi Tracie, I like your idea of incorporating Kentucky's practice into your classroom. The kids would be more engaged if they were allowed to choose the work to be assessed. I also think you have a great idea in having them write a reflection on why they chose each piece. I'll bet you will learn a lot from those letters!
The thought I kept having while reading this chapter was,"Please God, why can't we use a portfolio-style assessment for students?!" It just seems to me that it is really the only fair way to assess student writing. Like Spandel notes, writing takes time…we need to discuss our writing, walk away from it, walk back to it, tear it up, start again. Yes, time limits have grown more lenient in many cases, but the state assessments are still too restrictive and the conditions too unnatural.
I agree with Spandel when she says that writing assessment needs to be compassionate. When we begin a student writing conference with what we think that student did well, then we have done something very important. That student will now feel proud and have a sense of accomplishment. He will also feel more open to the recommendations that we have to offer. I find this to be such a powerful way to approach assessment of student writing.
When I think back to my years as a middle and high school student, I do not remember receiving much helpful feedback on my writing. Teachers mostly proofread and marked grammatical and/or spelling errors in red pen. They wrote "awk" in the margin without explaining what made the sentence awkward. They wrote 'excellent' or 'great' or 'fair' at the top of the paper without showing me WHY it was excellent, great, or fair. It wasn't until college that I received the kind of feedback on assessments that Spandel describes.
Spandel Chapter 7 Reflection
ReplyDeleteThe Right to Be Assessed Well
Some “rant-dom” thoughts:
From what I gather from the beginning of this chapter, standardized writing assessment as it stands today on PARCC and MCAS is pretty useless. This is not surprising, but it is disheartening to have that fact confirmed. It has always troubled me that the person who scores my students’ essays has no idea that when a particular student began the year, getting more than one paragraph was a struggle. At the beginning of the semester I tell my composition students that they are in complete control of their grade. That their writing is a living thing that can change and grow over time and as long as they are willing to work on making it better, so am I. I tell them that my hope is that they will leave me as a more confident writer with a variety of strategies and techniques they feel comfortable using that they will continue to use as they grow as writers. Standardized assessment of writing has no place in that philosophy. Though the writing portfolio idea used in Kentucky seems like a very good step in the right direction.
One area of frustration for me is one-for-all writing rubrics (an old rubric in our district was meant for grades 3-12 ---- on the SAME rubric!). To have a blanket “Writing Rubric” seems, to me, a ludicrous idea and counter-productive as a blanket rubric doesn’t really leave room for positive reinforcement; all it really does is judge the surface - not the effort it took to get there, not the PROCESS which (as we know) is so different from student to student.
“So student writers have the right to assessment that is not just about numbers, but also includes room for a smile, a laugh, a sigh, applause, and the honest and passionate response that all writers hunger to hear” (111). YES!!! Sign me up! THAT’S the writing teacher I want to be : )
I was also intrigued by the Kentucky writing assessment. I am going to try to learn more about it.
DeleteIt sounds like you do a nice job building the confidence of your student writers!
Debbie, I second your opinion that these tests do not show who our students are as learners and as people. They are so much more than numbers on data charts, and now I think we are faced with difficult tasks as teachers. We need to prepare them for these assessments that are required to the best of our ability but we also need to show them who they are as students and to help them see their own potential and strengths!
DeleteAnd one more thought about rubrics. If you teach in a high school, you're probably aware that NEASC (the New England Association of Schools and Colleges) requires a high school to use "school-wide rubrics" for each of our learning standards. We adopted rubrics in time for our last visit two years ago, and recently revised them from a 4 point to a 5 point scale. While they do make grading easier (?) it is certainly less meaningful in terms of feedback. Rubrics do nothing to promote the type of feedback (encouragement, passion) that Spandel talks about in this chapter.
DeleteSchool wide rubrics, NEASC requirements, remind me of John Collins writing folders: they make it easier for the teacher and not necessarily better for the students. Also, the wording seems vague and the categories come from some grammar books. As Spandel might ask, where is the category for voice? Where are the beginning, developing assessments?
DeleteWe have to use school-wide rubrics for writing too and it makes me crazy. I like the idea of having a rubric that keeps us all shooting toward a common goal, but it shouldn't tie our hands behind our backs…and I feel like our does in many cases. I agree with Al the wording is so vague and students don't know what to do with it. I always end up creating a "translated" version for my kids so that it is more useful to them.
DeleteA few things in this chapter stuck with me. Kentucky's portfolio assessment was very interesting and unique. The arguments against states' on-demand writing were very strong, but the two that resonated with me were "it forces us to question whether the writing produced under such conditions represents or even approaches students' best efforts," and "it may persuade educators to spend less time on complex writing tasks..and more time training students to be comfortable with the quick-write formulaic response they are likely to see on the assessment." In Massachusetts we use the snapshot assessment and teach to the test.
ReplyDeleteThe next section highlighted how subjective assessors can be at both the classroom and state level. The solution offered to this situation is to clarify expectations for writing and to include student input when creating the requirements.
The most poignant question from this article was the question posed to a teacher, "What would you say to this writer?" when a student included humor and strong voice in a writing sample. I find myself guilty of scribbling (sometimes illegibly) in the margins and white space of student essays, and often the comments are negative. I want to include positive feedback in addition to my other comments. Some would argue I should only include positive feedback.
One comment not included in this article was the right for students to receive timely feedback. There are moments in the semester when my correcting piles up, and I know students would have done better had I reviewed their writing earlier. While it is good to take a step back from our writing and then review it, our semester system is so fast-paced that often students receive graded essays when we are in the middle of the next work of literature. Although I always give my students the opportunity to rewrite their pieces, if the essay is returned too late, the ideal moment for revision passes.
This was another chapter that highlighted the negatives of standardized assessment but didn't offer a lot of solutions.
Heather, I think we are probably all on the same page about timely feedback. I'm proud of myself if I can get a set of papers back in two weeks, and by that time, they are on to the next assignment. I still don't know if anyone has any ideas to control the paperwork and still give the type of feedback that Spandel identifies, but if they do, I'd love to hear it.
DeleteI agree that timely feedback is instrumental in helping students develop thier writing. I do have a rule that I have as long to correct and return writing as the students have had to complete it. If I fail, all students earn automatic A's--something that has yet to happen, But I do think my scrawls are too negative and try to put in honest and positive comments. I have found that writing conferences, conducted before and after school or during a class period, help with the work load and add some worhty feedback.
DeleteToday I was asked to meet with a columnist from the Boston Globe to discuss the impact of high stakes testing on my students and on curriculum. There was so much to say that I barely scratched the surface. But how I wish I had read this chapter prior to my meeting. After all, I was speaking to a writer! With Spandel's words fresh in my mind, I could have appealed to her understanding of writing to show how our "on demand assessment bears little resemblance to the process-based approach of the classroom".
ReplyDelete"Test preparation as a curriculum unto itself" is such an accurate phrase. Of all the unintended consequences of high stakes testing, the impact on writing has always bothered me the most. Formulaic instruction has, in many cases, replaced the process of writing- a real disservice to our students. "We should be very, very careful what we assess, for in the end, what we assess is what we will get".
I love the idea of generating quality rubrics with my students that capture "what matters". I think I'll add this to my list of items to advocate for with central administration. They already recognize the need to share criteria with students, so why not take it to the next level?
I strongly agreed with Spandel's statement that "assessment at its best offers support and insight, not judgment". Finding what writers do well builds confidence and skill, and ultimately motivates students to improve.
This book is refreshingly honest and insightful and validates much of what we intuitively know to be true.
I would love to hear how your quest for the rubrics pans out! One thing I notice is that so many students look to a rubric as a stopping point for their writing, "I've covered everything so I'm done" rather than a jumping off point. I've tried including revisions in the rubric (like the "targeted revisions" I have mentioned I try to require), but so often it feels like rubrics stymie the process of writing which is already so difficult to assess. If anybody has some they like to use and is willing to share them I'd love to see different ideas :)
DeleteThat is a really good point! Stopping points present a problem. I bet we could come up with a solution to that. Let's think about it.
DeleteI love the idea of student created rubrics. It would be interesting to see what students chose as important elements in a good piece of writing and it's a great pre assessment to writing knowledge. What have students picked up on that's important? What is their impression of a put together piece of writing?
DeleteOne of the most memorable, useful and (surprisingly) enjoyable Professional Development days that I have ever spent occurred two months ago, when I sat down with a team of 4 other sophomore teachers of English and Social Studies to do a double-blind scoring of our students’ second writing assignment as part of our DDM #1. We figured out early on that the essays appearing on our computer screens were not random, but were in fact in an order that allowed for two of us at a time to collaborate on the evaluation of the piece. We had some seriously good conversations about the writing and the writers, and I came away from this day knowing that we all placed value on the same components of writing. While prior episodes of the double-blind scoring felt more like the Death March to Bataan, this one provided an opportunity to truly consider our students’ abilities and shortcomings, and then plan what we might do about them.
ReplyDeleteWhile this was one positive experience, I’m still on the fence about applying for a position as a reader on the AP Exam. I understand that it’s an amazing experience for a teacher, but what a daunting task to read eight hours a day for five days. My eyes are killing me after a year of peering at what I estimate to be a couple thousand pieces of writing this past year. I can’t imagine what they’d feel like reading that many in a week.
This was my favorite chapter so far, mostly because I agreed with everything Spandel said, especially “we attribute far too much importance to statistical information and not enough to the reality behind the numbers.” This is such an accurate description of where my administrators, (and my department head) place far too much value. I still can’t believe that I have to go through a day of double-blind scoring on an essay to “inform my teaching” about what my students need. After 23 years in the classroom, I’m pretty sure I can identify what they need on an individual basis after reading their very first essay for me.
The other idea that I thought was not so obvious was the fact that students need to and do assess themselves. Sadly, I think many of them complete that assessment before they even start writing. I’m very excited about the prospect of establishing more of a process approach in my classroom next year and focusing on more student-centered pieces that may change their views about writing.
An finally, bravo Kentucky. How sensible is it to assess students’ writing with a portfolio? Talk about ownership! And Massachusetts prides itself on being at the head of the class. I think we’re way behind on this one.
I think you make an excellent point about students assessing themselves even before they start writing. So many of my students view their writing so negatively that they find beginning an assignment insurmountable. I agree with you that focusing on the process rather than the product will combat this.
DeleteNo single assessment can ever be regarded as the truth. (107) I think I found my quote for the area above my white board for next year. Seriously! Imagine being a student and reading that on your first day of class. Powerful.
ReplyDeleteOne take-away from chapter 7 is to create rubrics with my students. I’ve never thought of doing this and yet it makes so much sense. It not only would confirm what I’ve been teaching, i.e., the 6 Traits, WEX, whatever, but it would also allow students to question what we should be looking for when we write. Once the students “got it” we could take samples of writing, both good and bad (104) and model how we (teachers) would use the rubric to grade. Eventually we could get them to grade samples as well.
I also found the comment weather or not writing should be judged if it is powerful, memorable, provocative or moving (102) to be forward thinking. Imagine (second time using that word) the scores some of your writers would receive. Albeit of course, only if the one judging liked/was connected to the writing they were judging. Makes sense, If I don’t care for baseball and the piece is all about the World Series, how would I be at judging it?
I love your idea of writing that quote about your whiteboard. It is so applicable in so many ways to students. Writing can be so personal, but at the same time that line reminds us not to take everything personally.
DeleteYes! I love that quote! Students need to know that the assessment is just a snapshot and that it isn't who they are and all they are capable of.
DeleteI love creating rubrics with students based on mentor texts. However, my school is very focused on the use of school-wide rubrics right now. I find these rubrics to be the opposite of student-friendly (at the least the writing one anyway).
When reading Chapter 7, I was really interested in pursuing the use of the checklists Spandel describes. It seems that it is a more flexible way of assessing writing since it comes from the individual assignment being assigned at that point and it comes from teacher/student discussion after the modeling of a good piece of writing, or the modeling of how to develop a good piece of writing. Student input into the development of these checklists ensures that students are aware of their expectations, but not only are they aware but they would have just had the opportunity to see those expectations come to light in a piece of writing. I'd like to try to use this idea in the Fall and see how it would turn out in a classroom environment.
ReplyDeleteThe other part of Chapter 7 that struck me was the letter to the assessor at the end of the Chapter where the writer asks for the assessor to be positive and encouraging. As teachers, isn't this what we hope to do everyday? We want to lift our students up, not put them down. We want to show them the right road, not the wrong road. Heck, we want them to keep traveling down the road with us, not hit a road block and decide we aren't worth all the traffic, construction, and detours! I believe that it is in our core as teachers to bring students up not put them down. I think that in this educational world driven by assessment, educational lawmakers don't see it that way. They see the end result: a student who is proficient across all areas. But. . .what is a student that is proficient across all areas who has no passion for what they learn about, who has no connection to a teacher, and who hasn't learned to problem solve for themselves?
Hi Marina - I agree with your idea of creating (with the students) checklists. For me, they would be in essence the rubrics. It would be great to see this "come to light" for them.
DeleteYour final thoughts (and traffic metaphors) are, in my opinion, right on point and well stated, especially as they relate to the teaching of writing!
ReplyDeleteWhy is no one following Kentucky's lead? I love the idea of the portfolio and having students deeply involved in their personal writing progress/process. I also agree that we need to see what students can do "when they make use of every resource available to them". I always ask people to proofread emails and give me feedback before I send them. I had someone read my Button Jar entry before I submitted it. If I wasn't home alone right now, I'd probably have my husband read this over before publishing it. I need that feedback, and provided it for myself in college by writing something and then leaving it alone for a few days. Unfortunately I do not have the luxury of that time anymore, and neither do our students. That being said, they need to have all options available to them if they are to successfully prove themselves as writers. Why do we not give them that chance? I also appreciated the discussion of rubrics. I use rubrics and love them. However, I love the ones that I make. There is always the push for district-wide rubrics so that students know what to expect. I hate that as much as I hate standardized writing prompts. We need to trust that if our rubrics are those of quality, as outlined in the chapter, that students will be able to adapt to what is expected. I feel that by making everything the same, we are crippling our students when it comes to writing. We are clipping their wings and then expecting them to be able to fly. I think this is happening because the people assessing are not writing themselves. Students often complain that teachers forget what it is like to be in high school. We totally do, to a certain extent. I think, however, that it can be combated by continuing to write, and reminding ourselves of how difficult a process it can be.
ReplyDeleteColleen, I completely agree with you. Why don't we follow Kentucky's lead? That is one thing that I am going to try this coming year with my classes.
DeleteThe story "The Andersons" fascinates me mostly because it reminds me of the children's book "The Stupids Step Out". The family of Stupids basically do everything backwards: they shower with their clothes on; they wear socks on their hands...I would definitely bring in that book and read it with Rachel Jordan, the second grade author. (She may even know it already.) Spandel writes much about voice throughout the chapter and how voice is cut from rubrics or most state wide assessments yet it is what makes each writer unique and writing, poignant--or as Grant Wiggins identifies it "powerful,memorable, provocative or moving". Maybe we need to move away from rubrics and more to evaluations or assessments that allow for dialogic thinking, both between the teacher and students, and within the writier's own mind. The first step might be from Spandel's advice: design the rubric/assessment with the students. Maybe then students can avoid feeling that they are "locked in a bos" or "getting smashed by a tsunami" (95-96). If we focus on voice all the other areas of assessment should take care of themselves.Short of moving to Kentucky, I do think the students and I will work out the evaluations of their summer reading "essays". Or maybe I will just call them stories.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Spandel that assessing our students is necessary to establish accountability, as well as strengths and weaknesses. Preparing for a test is one thing, but preparing how to test seems to have taken precedence. I understood right where Spandel was going when she wrote about test preparation becoming a curriculum unto itself. How sad!
ReplyDeleteI like how this chapter explained that a good writing assessment takes perceptiveness into account, along with the criteria of compassion and usefulness. I like that the usefulness component entails strengths to build upon, and not only needs to be addressed.
What I will bring into my classroom, from chapter seven, is the state of Kentucky's assessment practice of allowing the students to select the writing that they want assessed. I will also have the students draft a letter to me reflecting on their work. In the reflection, I will have them tell me why they chose the piece, what they like about it, and what they feel are the strengths of that particular piece of writing.
Hi Tracie, I like your idea of incorporating Kentucky's practice into your classroom. The kids would be more engaged if they were allowed to choose the work to be assessed. I also think you have a great idea in having them write a reflection on why they chose each piece. I'll bet you will learn a lot from those letters!
DeleteThe thought I kept having while reading this chapter was,"Please God, why can't we use a portfolio-style assessment for students?!" It just seems to me that it is really the only fair way to assess student writing. Like Spandel notes, writing takes time…we need to discuss our writing, walk away from it, walk back to it, tear it up, start again. Yes, time limits have grown more lenient in many cases, but the state assessments are still too restrictive and the conditions too unnatural.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Spandel when she says that writing assessment needs to be compassionate. When we begin a student writing conference with what we think that student did well, then we have done something very important. That student will now feel proud and have a sense of accomplishment. He will also feel more open to the recommendations that we have to offer. I find this to be such a powerful way to approach assessment of student writing.
When I think back to my years as a middle and high school student, I do not remember receiving much helpful feedback on my writing. Teachers mostly proofread and marked grammatical and/or spelling errors in red pen. They wrote "awk" in the margin without explaining what made the sentence awkward. They wrote 'excellent' or 'great' or 'fair' at the top of the paper without showing me WHY it was excellent, great, or fair. It wasn't until college that I received the kind of feedback on assessments that Spandel describes.