Writing Performance Assessment

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Writing Performance Assessment
Last updated 08/20/09
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Writing

• Objectives
• Understand the ways in which the writing
  assessment differs from other assessments.
• Conduct writing testing appropriately

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Writing
Definition

• The writing assessment is a performance
  assessment where students produce an essay over a
  2-3 day period. It is considered an authentic
  assessment in that students follow a writing
  process, including prewriting, drafting, editing
  and publishing, much as they would for a typical
  classroom assignment.

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Writing
Purpose

• The purpose of the writing assessment is to
  measure student proficiency on adopted state
  standards in the area of writing. Through
  analytic trait scoring, strengths and weaknesses
  may be identified to inform classroom
  instruction.
• Participation, not performance in the writing
  assessment is included in the Report Card
  ratings.

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Writing
Test Schedule

• Winter window (Jan. 11 Feb. 26) for grades 4,
  7, and high school
• Spring window (April 12 April 30) for high
  school only
• Online window for participating high schools
  (Jan. 11-April 30)

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Writing
Scoring

• High School Level
• Paper assessments will be scored same as last
  year
• Online assessments will be double scored but will
  incorporate computer based scoring
• The Online Writing Assessment will include a
  multiple choice section, administered before the
  essay portion, as a means to gain more reliable
  determinations of writing proficiency.

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Writing
Dos and Donts
Dos

• Testing Coordinators may test students in Grade 9
  if they are taking HS-level classes and have
  produced work that shows they are capable of
  meeting HS standards.
• Students may test once during one of the two
  regular windows.
• Students in Grade 10 (or their second year in
  high school) must test once during one of the two
  regular windows unless they met the previous year.

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Writing
Dos and Donts (cont)
Dos

• Not applicable until 2010-2011 or if a HS
  requires assessments for graduation earlier
• Students in Grade 11 may test once during one of
  the two regular windows
• Students in Grade 12 may test once and need to
  test during the winter window to receive results
  prior to graduation

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Writing
Dos and Donts (cont)
Donts

• Grade 9 students who are not yet ready to
  successfully complete the high school writing
  assessment should not participate it is not
  intended as a practice opportunity in
  anticipation of the tenth grade attempt.
• Do not provide resources unless they are
  explicitly described in the test administration
  manual

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Writing
Promising Practices

• Local classroom assessments scored using the
  official scoring guide for providing feedback in
  some or all of the writing traits prepares
  students for the writing assessment.
• Districts require that students in 9th grade meet
  the standard on a work sample before taking the
  state writing assessment.
• Districts create a system where teachers trade
  papers for double scoring and ensuring reliability

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Writing
In a Nutshell

• Writing is essentially the same as last year
• Expanding the OAKS online writing assessment to
  all high schools

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Acorns for Storage
Writing

• How can districts use local work samples to
  ensure that the state writing assessment is used
  effectively?
• How can we use the state assessment to improve
  student writing?

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