Upload
others
View
3
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
AssessingWriting
by Steve Peha
AssessingWriters
For More inForMationVisit ttMs.org
“Full”
Version
The best way to teachis the way that makes sense
to you, your kids,and your community.
www.ttms.org
Student sample papers are © copyrighted by their respective copyright holders and are provided here for non-commercial educational purposes only. For more information, or for additional teaching materials, please contact: Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. • E-mail [email protected] • Web www.ttms.org
4
“Every study of young writersI’ve done for the last twentyyears has underestimatedwhat they can do. In fact,
we know very little about thehuman potential for writing.”
—Donald Graves, A Fresh Look at Writing (p.99)
�������
���
����
���������
��������������
��������
�������
���
������������������
���������������
�������
��������� ��������
�������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������
������������
�� ���������������!���"������!��#���$������� ������������%������ ������!���������
������������&��!�����'��������������#����������!����������(���������������)���������������*��
)������������������������
�� ��*���������+�������������������!���������������� )���������������������������
������*���*,�#��� -��.���*+��������/���������������-�����*��������*��������0�"���1���������0�������������������������
���������������
��-����������
��2#�����������
����
����������#������3
�������������������
��"���� �������
����������
��4������� ��5� ��
+�!���� ���
�� �����
������"������.�����������
��.���!�������
���5����������
��/������*���������� �������������
��.�(���
�����������!�� ����������������
������������������
�������������
�������
����
���������
����������
�������
���
�������
���
����������
Best Practice Writing Instruction Page 1
1995-2003 by Steve Peha Web www.ttms.org • E-mail [email protected]
What is Best Practice Writing Instruction?
Writing is very important in education today so everyone wants to know the best way to teach it. But that can be a challenge because there are so many different ideas out there. Fortunately, in the last decade, a national consensus has emerged regarding the essential elements of successful in-struction. In the book Best Practice: New Standards For Teaching and Learning in America’s Schools, written by Harvey Daniels, Steve Zemelman, and Arthur Hyde (2nd edition, 1999, pub-lished by Heinemann), the path to effective writing instruction is defined as follows:
Increase student ownership and responsibility by: helping students choose their own topics and goals for improvement; using brief teacher-student confer-ences; teaching students to review their own pro-gress.
Decrease teacher control of decision making by: teacher deciding on all writing topics; suggestions for improvement dictated by teacher; learning objectives determined by teacher alone; instruction given as whole-class activity.
Increase class time spent on writing whole, original pieces through: establishing real purposes for writing and student involvement in the task; instruction in and support for all stages of the writing process.
Decrease time spent on isolated drills on “subskills” of grammar, vocabulary, spelling, paragraphing, pen-manship, etc.
Increase teacher modeling writing as a fellow author and as a demonstration of processes.
Decrease teacher talks about writing but never writes or shares own work.
Increase learning of grammar and mechanics in con-text, at the editing stage, and as items are needed.
Decrease isolated grammar lessons, given in order determined by textbook, before writing is begun.
Increase writing for real audiences, publishing for the class and for wider communities.
Decrease assignments read only by the teacher.
Increase making the classroom a supportive setting for shared learning, using: active exchange and valu-ing of students ideas; collaborative small-group work; conferences and peer critiquing that give responsibil-ity for improvement to authors.
Decrease devaluation of students ideas through: stu-dents viewed as lacking knowledge and language abilities; sense of class as competing individuals; work with fellow students viewed as cheating or dis-ruptive.
Increase writing across the curriculum as a tool for learning.
Decrease writing taught only during “language arts” period—i.e., infrequently.
Increase constructive and efficient evaluation that in-volves: brief informal oral responses as students work; thorough grading of just a few student-selected, polished pieces; focus on a few errors at a time; cu-mulative view of growth and self-evaluation; encour-agement of risk taking and honest expression.
Decrease evaluation as negative burden for teacher and student by: marking all papers heavily for errors, making teacher a bottleneck; teacher editing paper, and only after completed, rather than student making improvements; grading seen as punitive, focused on errors, not growth.
The message of best practice is clear: the more we apply proven principles of successful teaching, the more engaged our students will be in successful learning. This is a gradual process that unfolds over time. Teachers proceed on a continuum of development just like their students. With ongoing exposure to effective teaching methods through high quality in-service training and consistent ad-ministrative leadership that supports and validates contemporary instruction, teachers gradually re-place less successful approaches with proven techniques that maximize student achievement. Since the early 1990s when the best practice movement in American education began to take shape, thousands of teachers and administrators have begun the process of making research-based instruction an integral part of their schools. There is already a large best practice community in our country and many resources to help teachers make the transition. In the face of increasing pressure to improve student learning, everyone is looking for solutions. Best practice defines those solutions and provides for us the most logical and responsible path we can take.
Best Practice Writing Instruction Page 2
1995-2003 by Steve Peha Web www.ttms.org • E-mail [email protected]
How Do Teachers Achieve Best Practice?
Learning about best practice is vital but it’s only the beginning. Knowing what best practice is helps us define where we want our teaching to end up. But it doesn’t necessarily tell us how to get there. In our work, we have found that teachers achieve best practice when they concentrate their efforts on the following six instructional areas:
Writer’s Workshop A system for classroom management and the development of an effective writing community.
Focused mini-lessons taught in the context of authentic writing; status of the class; the majority of class time reserved for writing; conferencing; sharing; students choosing their own topics and forms; emphasis on au-thentic audiences and purposeful communication; writer’s notebooks; frequent teacher modeling; five days a week, 45-60 minutes per day at elementary, three days a week at secondary; etc.
Writing Process Teaching students how to write the way real writers write.
Pre-writing to develop ideas; drafting to increase fluency and expres-sion; sharing to get feedback; revision to apply feedback; editing to pro-duce conventional writing; publishing to make work available with others (twice a month on average); assessing to understand strengths and weaknesses and determine goals for improvement.
Writing Strategies Reliable, re-usable techniques that help writers solve common problems.
Topic T-Chart; What-Why-How; Idea-Details; Tell-Show; Transition-Action-Details; Draw-Label-Caption; Action-Feelings-Setting; Content-Purpose-Audience; The Five Big Questions; The Five Facts of Fiction; lead strategies; ending strategies; pacing strategies, transition strate-gies, sentence strategies, conventions strategies; etc.
Six Traits A language of quality that defines good writing.
Ideas: main idea, details, showing, purpose, originality; Organization: leads, endings, transitions, pacing, sequencing; Voice: personality, style, respect for audience; honesty; control; Word Choice: strong verbs, spe-cific nouns and modifiers, appropriate vocabulary, memorable phrases, grammar and usage; Sentence Fluency: length, beginnings, sound, ex-pression, construction; Conventions: capitalization, ending punctuation, internal punctuation, paragraphing, spelling.
Authentic Forms Helping students explore and master the kinds of writing done by real peo-ple in the real world.
The creation of whole pieces that match as closely as possible the same types of writing done by adults; Primary emphasis on the personal essay (narrative, expository, persuasive) as the foundation of all writing; infor-mational writing, reviews; letters; newspaper and magazine journalism; secondary emphasis on career-related forms such as technical writing, business writing, proposals, etc.; Occasional work on fiction, poetry, drama; etc.
Reading-Writing Connection Helping students internalize reading and writing as complimentary aspects of literate communication.
Writing strategies used in “reverse” as comprehension strategies; ana-lyzing reading texts for writing techniques; Explicit training in expressive reading to improve understanding of conventions; Conventions reading; Studying the same forms in reading that we want students to write; Reading and evaluating the writing of other students; etc.
In addition to dramatic improvements in test scores, teachers who have based the development of their own writing programs on the model presented here note the following advantages over the traditional approaches they used in the past: (1) Students enjoy writing; (2) Students write signif i-cantly more; (3) Low students often make as much progress as high students; (4) Students work in-dependently with significantly greater on-task performance; (5) The burden of correcting and grad-ing is reduced significantly; (6) Parents are thrilled; (7) Overall literacy improves across a broad range of reading, writing, and thinking skills; (8) Students gain confidence; (9) Students demon-strate more accountability and demonstrate greater effort; (10) Success in writing carries over into other subjects; (11) Student behavior improves making the classroom easier to manage; (12) Stu-dents enjoy school more.
What Do I Look For in Writing? Page 1
1995-2003 by Steve Peha Web: www.ttms.org · E-mail: [email protected]
1. Quality What is good writing? What does it look like? How can we describe it in words? What criteria do we use to say that some pieces are better than others? How do we justify our judgments and support our analyses? The goal of this area of the writing curriculum is to provide students with an effective vocabulary that matches real world standards for appreciating the quality of a piece of writing and identifying oppor-tunities for improvement. 1.1 General __ Uses a shared language of quality to express judgments in
ways that others understand. __ Knows that different quality standards apply in different situa-
tions. __ Knows that some traits are more important than others. __ Knows that some traits are more important in some forms. __ Understands how the traits interact, knows that strengths and
weaknesses in one trait may be linked with other traits. __ Knows that Voice is the most important trait. __ Knows that, in general, the communication of ideas is more im-
portant than correctness, but also understands community values with regard to conventions and strives to meet this standard.
__ Knows that success in all traits is required in order to produce successful writing.
1.2 Ideas __ Defines and develops an important main idea. __ Supports ideas with interesting and relevant details. __ Uses "showing" or "descriptive" detail effectively. __ Produces writing that demonstrates a clear and consistent sense
of purpose. __ Occasionally includes something unusual or unexpected that is
appropriate and effective. __ Produces writing that displays insight, knowledge, experience,
and depth of thought. __ Produces writing that makes sense. __ Values the meaning of ideas over organizational structure.
1.3 Organization __ Chooses organizational structure based on structure of own
ideas. __ Uses authentic organizational structures, avoids inauthentic "rec-
ipe" and "fill-in" approaches. __ Creates effective beginnings that catch the audience's attention
and make them want to read more. __ Creates effective endings that feel finished and give the audience
something to think about. __ Determines sequencing based on the logical progression of ideas
and the needs of the audience. __ Paces writing effectively, spends the right amount of time on each
part. __ Produces writing that is easy to follow from section to section. 1.4 Voice __ Chooses own topics. __ Cares about own writing. __ Takes ownership of own writing. __ Writes in ways that make readers care. __ Respects the needs of the audience. __ Writes with honest statements and strong feelings. __ Shows own personality in appropriate ways. __ Writes with energy under thoughtful control. __ Uses humor appropriately. __ Takes risks with writing that lead to new learning. __ Demonstrates an understanding of the connection between Voice
and choice. __ Consistently asserts personal preferences in ways that make own
writing more effective. __ Produces writing that shows evidence of originality and unique-
ness. __ Attempts to develop and assert a personal writing style. __ Asserts individuality in ways that are valued by the community. __ Constructively resists conformity when it is inconsistent with per-
sonal values.
What Do I Look For in Writing?
What Do I Look For in Writing? Page 2
1995-2003 by Steve Peha Web: www.ttms.org · E-mail: [email protected]
1.5 Word Choice __ Uses language that is appropriate to content, purpose, audience,
and form. __ Uses strong verbs effectively. __ Writes with specific and precise adverbs and adjectives. __ Produces writing that includes memorable words and phrases. __ Demonstrates effective usage. __ Uses appropriate grammar. __ Demonstrates an understanding of the difference in vocabulary
between formal and informal writing. __ Knows the meanings of words used including connotative mean-
ings. __ Uses colloquial language effectively and appropriately. __ Engages in word play. __ Demonstrates a basic understanding of etymology. 1.6 Sentence Fluency __ Reads own writing with expression. __ Displays effective variety in sentence beginnings. __ Displays effective variety in sentence lengths. __ Produces writing that is easy to read expressively. __ Uses rhythm, rhyme, alliteration and other "sound" effects appro-
priately. __ Constructs sentences in ways that make them easy to under-
stand. __ Modifies sentence structure for audience. __ Uses fragments effectively. 1.7 Conventions __ Applies conventions in ways that makes sense to the audience. __ Alters writing conventions appropriately according to content,
purpose, audience, and form. __ Understands the vocabulary of writing conventions and uses
terms appropriately. __ Knows that conventions are not hard and fast rules but agree-
ments within communities and that these agreements change from time to time.
__ Knows that specific rules are determined by publishers who follow a particular "style" that may, in some respects, be unique to their particular publications.
__ Uses capitalization to indicate where new ideas begin; capitalizes the word "I" as well as names, places, and things that are one of a kind.
__ Uses marks of terminal punctuation—periods, question marks, and exclamation marks—to indicate the ends of statements, questions, and exclamatory remarks.
__ Uses marks of internal punctuation—commas, colons, semico-lons, dashes, and parentheses—to improve readability and en-hance meaning by indicating clause boundaries and logical rela-tionships.
__ Uses apostrophes to indicate possession and contractions. __ Uses quotation marks to indicate dialog, to indicate an uncom-
mon use of a word or phrase, and to signal irony. __ Uses the ellipsis to indicate that text is missing or that something
repeats indefinitely. __ Uses paragraphs to indicate groups of related ideas and to signal
a new speaker when writing dialog; indents or skips a line be-tween paragraphs according to appropriate style.
__ Uses hyphens to indicate the breaking of a word, at a syllable boundary, that is continued on the next line.
__ Spells words correctly as defined by audience or publisher's style. 1.8 Presentation __ Produces legible writing. __ Produces work that is visually appealing. __ Uses appropriate letter formation, size, slant, and spacing. __ Stays on the lines. __ Uses appropriate margins. __ Uses appropriate fonts and other computer formatting. __ Uses layout techniques that increase readability and visual ap-
peal. __ Uses effective illustrations and other visual components such as
diagrams, tables, charts, photographs, etc.
What Do I Look For in Writing? Page 3
1995-2003 by Steve Peha Web: www.ttms.org · E-mail: [email protected]
2. Process How do writers write? What stages do they go through to turn raw ideas into polished pieces? What do writers attempt to accomplish at each stage? How do writers develop and refine their own writing process? The goal of this part of the writing curriculum is to help students de-velop an effective and reliable process for creating finished pieces. 2.1 General __ Knows the stages of the "generic" writing process—pre-writing,
drafting, revising, editing, publishing. __ Understands the purpose of each stage in the writing process. __ Understands the cyclical nature of the writing process. __ Develops and uses own writing process. __ Demonstrates an appreciation of or tolerance for the writing
processes of others. 2.2 Pre-writing __ Pre-writes when necessary. __ Uses a variety of pre-writing strategies,. __ Selects appropriate pre-writing strategies for specific situations. __ Saves pre-writing materials for use at other times. __ Develops own pre-writing strategies. __ Saves pre-writing material for later use. __ Devotes an appropriate amount of time to pre-writing.
2.3 Drafting __ Skips spaces between lines to facilitate easier revision when writ-
ing by hand. __ Makes use of pre-writing to generate material. __ Attends to conventions as they arise in accordance with ability but
does not let correctness impact fluency. __ Writes fluently for sustained periods of time with reasonable pro-
duction. __ Handles writer's block effectively. __ Expresses self freely and unselfconsciously. __ Puts thoughts into words comfortably and naturally. __ Demonstrates a willingness to take risks. __ Writes until ideas are thoroughly expressed, not for word or page
counts, arbitrary periods of time, or other quantitative measures. 2.4 Sharing __ Shares regularly at all stages of the writing process. __ Acknowledges feedback. __ Understands feedback, asks for clarification or elaboration when
confused. __ Asks audience for specific help when sharing. __ Shares parts of a piece when the whole might be too long. __ Gives other writers an equal opportunity to share. __ Allows another writer or the teacher to share own writing when
unwilling or unable to read own work. __ Reads own work with confidence in a loud, clear, and pleasant
manner. __ Demonstrates an understanding of the value of sharing to self,
others, and the writing community as a whole. 2.5 Revising __ Uses specific revision strategies to solve common problems. __ Regular revises beginnings and endings. __ Applies feedback from sharing to improve writing; makes good
decisions about when and when not to apply feedback. __ Often makes more than one revision pass. __ Revises to meet the needs of an authentic audience. __ Adds material when needed based on own analysis or the re-
quests of others. __ Re-organizes material to improve sequencing. __ Deletes material when it is unnecessary or when length require-
ments apply. __ Spends more time in revision than in other stages.
What Do I Look For in Writing? Page 4
1995-2003 by Steve Peha Web: www.ttms.org · E-mail: [email protected]
2.6 Editing __ Finds own errors. __ Corrects own writing. __ Uses editing marks when necessary. __ Helps other writers edit their writing. __ Asks for specific help with specific conventions. __ Finds and fixes one type of error at a time when engaged in for-
mal proofreading. __ Makes several "passes" over a piece to insure correctness. __ Asks others to review own writing for correctness, accepts feed-
back and applies it. __ Expends reasonable effort to make writing as correct as it can be
using all available resources and strategies. 2.7 Publishing __ Publishes writing regularly. __ Produces finished pieces with legible handwriting. __ Illustrates work when appropriate using drawings, photographs,
graphics, artwork, etc. __ Types and formats own writing using a computer or typewriter. __ Keeps a portfolio of work. __ Displays and/or distributes work for appreciation by others. __ Has some familiarity with desktop publishing, computer-aided
slideshows, and web publishing. __ Submits finished work for formal publications like school or class-
room newspapers, or for other situations like contests, admis-sions requirements, etc.
__ Produces finished writing outside of school without being told to do so.
__ Shows good judgment with regard to the publication of personal information and ideas others may find troubling or offensive.
2.8 Assessing __ Expresses judgments of quality using appropriate criteria. __ Produces written reflections about own writing. __ Assesses both process and product of own writing. __ Understands own writing process. __ Accurately assesses own writing and the writing of others. __ Understands own strengths and weaknesses. __ Sets goals for improvement __ Achieves most learning goals. __ Asks for specific help and uses it. __ Sees self as a writer. __ Understands how to improve or seeks to find out. __ Finds writing enjoyable and valuable. __ Focuses on growth and improvement over time rather than on the
success or failure of a single piece.
What Do I Look For in Writing? Page 5
1995-2003 by Steve Peha Web: www.ttms.org · E-mail: [email protected]
3. Forms What kinds of writing are most likely to help students become better writers? What kinds of writing should students practice occasionally in order to develop familiarity though perhaps not mastery? What kinds of writing exist in the world today? What kinds of writing are relevant and practical for each individual student? The goal of this area of the writing curriculum is to expose students to the most common authentic forms of writing that exist in the world today and to help them develop competence in those forms that are most valuable to them. Note: I recognize that this section could be very long as hundreds of forms of writing exist in the world and new forms continue to arise. In this draft, I have chosen to focus on those forms which I feel are es-sential for learning how to write and are beneficial to all students. New forms, and new learning goals, should be added as needed, es-pecially with regard to authentic forms in subject areas outside of the Language Arts. 3.1 General __ Uses a variety of authentic forms to express ideas, to demon-
strate learning, and to clarify and formalize thinking. __ Knows the difference between authentic and inauthentic forms. __ Chooses own forms. __ Expresses personal preferences about forms, has favorite forms. __ Knows different forms have different requirements. __ Can identify key elements that make one form different from an-
other. __ Has some familiarity with the history of some writing forms, knows
that forms change over time in response to technology and cul-ture.
__ Understands the connection between content, purpose, audience, and form.
__ Practices the forms that are mostly likely to improve own writing ability.
__ Focuses on those forms that are most relevant and valuable to own life.
__ Uses all modes of argument (narrative, expository, persuasive, descriptive) effectively, can mix and move between them effec-tively in the same piece.
3.2 Personal Narrative __ Knows that personal narrative writing is the best form for improv-
ing writing skills and the basis for all other forms. __ Writes accurately and honestly from own experience. __ Draws connections in personal narrative writing between own ex-
perience and the experiences of others. __ Interprets events, draws meaningful conclusions, explores life les-
sons. __ Effectively explores own beliefs and world view in ways that others
find entertaining and thought provoking. __ Relates personal experiences naturally in ways the audience can
appreciate. __ Draws on a variety of experiences for material. 3.3 Informational and Expository __ Selects own topics for research based on personal interest within
the framework of the curriculum. __ Produces writing with a clear and well-defined thesis. __ Focuses on a narrowly defined topic area or small set of ques-
tions. __ Knows how to develop good questions for study, pursues follow-
up questions thoroughly. __ Uses a variety of authentic sources such as: original documents,
interviews, the experience of colleagues, personal experience, etc.
__ Constructs logical arguments that are sound, meaningful, and ef-fective.
__ Supports conclusions with reasons and evidence. __ Models informational writing after contemporary newspaper and
magazine journalism.
3.4 Persuasive __ Demonstrates strong belief in positions. __ Understands the perspective of the audience. __ Anticipates and handles all reasonable objections. __ Argues respectfully. __ Supports opinions with ample detail. __ Asserts positions with clarity. __ Uses credible and effective evidence to sustain arguments. __ Demonstrates thoroughness by dealing with all relevant aspects
of a given issue. __ Occasionally succeeds in persuading some readers.
What Do I Look For in Writing? Page 6
1995-2003 by Steve Peha Web: www.ttms.org · E-mail: [email protected]
3.5 Book Reviews and Literary Criticism __ Selects own texts to be reviewed. __ Assesses the quality of the text. __ Draws meaningful connections and comparisons within and
across texts. __ Summarizes effectively. __ Offers thoughtful commentary and original insights based on
thorough analysis. __ Provides sufficient information to allow others to decide if they
would like to read a text. __ Sites sections of the text to support opinions. 3.6 Journaling __ Uses journaling as an opportunity for personal reflection. __ Uses journaling as a means of saving thoughts for use in other
writings. __ Uses journaling to record and track progress. __ Uses journaling to increase fluency. 3.7 Correspondence __ Demonstrates an understanding of the formal conventions of
various kinds of correspondence. __ Writes letters regularly, replies when written to. __ Demonstrates an understanding of e-mail and instant message
etiquette. __ Writes letters of inquiry for research topics and other needs. __ Writes letters to family and friends. __ Writes letters to express opinions about school, community, and
the world. __ Writes "thank you" letters. __ Demonstrates familiarity with common business correspondence. 3.8 Note Taking __ Takes notes in ways that are useful at a later time. __ Knows some specific note taking strategies. __ Knows when and when not to take notes. __ Shows good judgment about what and what not to write down. __ Saves notes for later use.
3.9 Fiction __ Occasionally attempts, but may not always finish, short fiction. __ Demonstrates a familiarity with strategies for creating stories, de-
veloping characters, constructing plots, etc. __ Demonstrates an understanding of how fiction works. __ Demonstrates a knowledge of common sub-genres. __ Uses information learned through the writing of fiction to improve
ability to read fiction. __ Attempts some of the common techniques used by professional
fiction writers. 3.10 Test Writing __ Knows how to write appropriately and effectively for tests. __ Understands the criteria of the test and the process of how work
will be scored. __ Uses specific test taking strategies when necessary. __ Knows that test writing is not the same as authentic writing,
merely a genre of writing that is practiced only occasionally. 3.11 Other Forms __ Has attempted the common forms of newspaper and magazine
journalism—straight news, feature story, interview, commentary, editorial, etc.
__ Has attempted the commonly used authentic forms of writing in mathematics, the physical sciences, and the social sciences.
__ Has attempted to write poetry, songs, and drama. __ Has attempted technical writing. __ Has practiced writing college entrance essays or similar works
produced for similar situations. __ Has some familiarity with important business documents—
business plan, request for proposal, invoice, job cost estimate, letter of complaint, memorandum, job offer, employment contract, etc.
__ Has written a resume. __ Writes successfully in forms that match a personal interest but
may not be taught in school: sports writing, travel writing, restau-rant and movie reviews, spiritual writing, interactive writing, televi-sion and movie scripts, e-mail and instant messaging, etc.
What Do I Look For in Writing? Page 7
1995-2003 by Steve Peha Web: www.ttms.org · E-mail: [email protected]
4. Strategies What is a writing strategy? What are the problems writers face and which strategies do writers use to solve them? Which strategies are most efficient and effective? Which strategies are best for which types of writing? What does it mean to think strategically about writing? The goal of this area of the writing curriculum is to provide students with a large repertoire of reliable techniques for solving the common problems writers face and to expose students to the idea of thinking strategically about writing. 4.1 General __ Notices frequent problems and selects appropriate strategies for
solving them. __ Develops a repertoire of strategies for elements in the criteria for
quality, for each stage in the writing process, and for relevant forms.
__ Uses a large repertoire of authentic and reliable strategies that can be used in a variety of writing situations.
__ Chooses strategies to match genre, form, or mode of writing. __ Uses many strategies for selecting effective topics, knows what a
good topic is. __ Uses at least one strategy for creating or refining a main idea,
knows what a main idea is and how it functions in a piece of writ-ing.
__ Uses at least one strategy for identifying and clarifying purpose and writing toward that goal.
__ Uses strategies for determining and meeting the needs of an au-dience.
__ Uses strategies for determining when a piece is finished. __ Uses strategies for sounding out words independently. __ Uses many strategies for the creation of supporting details,
knows what a detail is and how it functions in a piece of writing. __ Uses single strategies or strategy sets that are particularly effec-
tive for certain forms, genres, or modes of writing. __ Uses many strategies for creating effective beginnings, often tries
several different beginnings for a piece. __ Uses many strategies for creating effective endings, often tries
several different endings for a piece. __ Uses strategies to identify and correct errors in writing conven-
tions. __ Uses strategies to determine the meaning or correct spelling of a
word. __ Uses strategies for dealing with writer's block. __ Uses strategies for effective summarizing. __ Uses strategies for narrative sequencing and procedural writing. __ Develops own repertoire of personal strategies based on own
writing process. __ Demonstrates an eagerness to learn new strategies. __ Thinks strategically about writing.
5. Community What is a writing community? What value is there in working with other writers when learning to write? How do we create and sustain a supportive environment for writing? What rules or other agree-ments should we follow so that all writers have an opportunity to learn? What format or structure should we use in our writing class-room? The goal of this area of the writing curriculum is to provide students with the knowledge and abilities they need to work together effectively as writers and to establish guidelines that assure the success of all participants and the teacher. 5.1 General __ Contributes to the success of the writing community. __ Shares regularly. __ Provides helpful responses to other writers. __ Conferences regularly with the teacher. __ Applies conference suggestions offered by the teacher. __ Peer conferences effectively. __ Participates effectively in small group sharing. __ Requests specific feedback and incorporates it as needed. __ Moves from stage to stage in the writing process independently. __ Makes good decisions about when to move on to a new piece. __ Functions independently when required. __ Requests specific help and applies it effectively. __ Knows which writers to ask for certain kinds of help. __ Makes deadlines. __ Helps others. __ Participates appropriately. __ Shares "status" when asked. __ Works well during work time. __ Attends well to mini-lessons. __ Applies lesson content. __ Takes writing seriously. __ Has appropriate writing materials. __ Observes the rules of the writing community.
What Do I Look For in Writing? Page 8
1995-2003 by Steve Peha Web: www.ttms.org · E-mail: [email protected]
6. Connection What is the reading-writing connection? How are reading and writ-ing related? How can we learn about one subject while engaging in the other? What is the value of studying reading and writing as two parts of the same thing? How do we define reading and writing as complimentary processes? The goal of this area of the writing curriculum is to help students use the knowledge and skills of reading to improve their knowledge and skills in writing and vice versa. 6.1 General __ Analyzes and assesses reading models to learn more about writ-
ing. __ Acquires new writing techniques from reading. __ Identifies forms and analyzes their components. __ Applies writing strategies in reverse to improve reading compre-
hension. __ Demonstrates knowledge of the complimentary nature of reading
and writing. __ Imitates texts read in writing. __ Demonstrates an understanding of the connection between ex-
pressive reading, sentence fluency, and writing conventions. __ Reads own writing thoroughly. __ Reads the writing of other student writers. __ Learns about the use of conventions from examples in books. __ Analyzes and attempts to emulate the writing style of favorite au-
thors. __ Writes down and keeps favorite passages from other texts. __ Uses sentences in other texts as models for sentence structures
in writing.
For m
ore
info
rmat
ion
visit
www.
nwre
l.org
A
dapt
ed b
y St
eve
Peha
s
teve
peha
@ao
l.com
Offic
ial S
ix T
raits
Crit
eria
Fro
m N
WRE
L
Rate
r:__
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
__
Pape
r:__
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
_ Da
te:_
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
Inst
ruct
ions
: (1)
Rea
d th
e pa
per a
ll the
way
thro
ugh.
(2)
Sta
rt wi
th th
e cr
iteria
for a
“5”
and
wor
k do
wn. (
3) R
ead
each
item
and
ent
er “
Y” fo
r “ye
s”; “
N” fo
r “no
”; “S
” fo
r “so
rt of
”; M
ark
your
sco
re a
t the
bot
tom
of t
he a
ppro
priat
e co
lum
n. (
4) Y
ou n
eed
not m
ark
ever
y ite
m; o
nly
thos
e th
at y
ou fe
el se
rve
to ju
stify
your
sco
re.
(5)
Don’
t ago
nize
; tru
st yo
ur g
ut re
actio
n. (
6) T
here
are
no
right
or w
rong
sco
res.
Just
be
sure
you
can
just
ify y
our a
sses
smen
t usin
g th
e cr
iteria
. (7)
Be
accu
rate
, not
em
otio
nal.
You’
re n
ot g
iving
out
a g
rade
or t
ellin
g so
meo
ne th
at h
e or
she
is a
“ba
d” o
r a “
good
” wr
iter;
you’
re ju
st tr
ying
to fi
nd o
ut, a
s be
st y
ou c
an, w
hat t
he p
aper
’s st
reng
ths
and
weak
ness
es a
re.
Idea
s Th
e he
art o
f the
mes
sage
, the
con
tent
of t
he p
iece
, the
mai
n th
eme
toge
ther
with
the
deta
ils th
at e
nrich
and
dev
elop
that
them
e.
5 T
he p
aper
is c
lear
and
focu
sed.
It h
olds
the
read
er’s
at-
tent
ion.
Rel
evan
t ane
cdot
es a
nd d
etai
ls en
rich
the
cent
ral
them
e or
sto
ry li
ne.
4 Id
eas
are
fresh
and
orig
inal.
4
The
writ
er s
eem
s to
be
writin
g fro
m k
nowl
edge
or e
xper
ience
and
sh
ows
insig
ht: a
n un
ders
tand
ing
of lif
e an
d a
knac
k fo
r pick
ing
out
what
is s
igni
fican
t. 4
Rele
vant
, sho
wing
, qua
lity d
etail
s gi
ve th
e re
ader
impo
rtant
info
rma-
tion
that
goe
s be
yond
the
obvio
us o
r pre
dict
able.
4
The
writ
er d
evelo
ps th
e to
pic
in a
n en
light
enin
g, p
urpo
sefu
l way
that
m
akes
a p
oint
or t
ells
a st
ory.
4 E
very
piec
e ad
ds s
omet
hing
to th
e wh
ole.
3
The
writ
er is
beg
inni
ng to
def
ine
the
topi
c, e
ven
thou
gh
deve
lopm
ent i
s st
ill b
asic
or g
ener
al.
4 It
is p
retty
eas
y to
see
wher
e th
e wr
iter i
s he
aded
, tho
ugh
mor
e in
-fo
rmat
ion
is ne
eded
to “
fill in
the
blan
ks.”
4 T
he w
riter
see
ms
to b
e dr
awin
g on
kno
wled
ge o
r exp
erien
ce, b
ut h
as
diffi
culty
goi
ng fr
om g
ener
al ob
serv
atio
ns to
spe
cifics
. 4
Idea
s ar
e re
ason
ably
clear
, tho
ugh
they
may
not
be
deta
iled,
per
-so
naliz
ed, o
r ext
ende
d en
ough
to s
how
in-d
epth
und
erst
andi
ng o
r a
stro
ng s
ense
of p
urpo
se.
4 S
uppo
rt is
atte
mpt
ed, b
ut d
oesn
’t go
far e
noug
h ye
t in
flesh
ing
out
the
main
poi
nt o
r sto
ry lin
e.
4 D
etail
s of
ten
blen
d th
e or
igin
al wi
th th
e pr
edict
able.
1
As
yet,
the
pape
r has
no
clear
sen
se o
f pur
pose
or c
en-
tral t
hem
e. T
o ex
tract
mea
ning
from
the
text
, the
read
er m
ust
mak
e in
fere
nces
bas
ed o
n sk
etch
y de
tails
. The
writ
ing
refle
cts
mor
e th
an o
ne o
f the
se p
robl
ems:
4
The
writ
er is
still
in s
earc
h of
a to
pic,
or h
as n
ot b
egun
to d
efin
e th
e to
pic i
n a
mea
ning
ful,
pers
onal
way.
4 In
form
atio
n is
very
limite
d or
unc
lear.
4 T
he te
xt m
ay b
e re
petit
ious
, or m
ay re
ad lik
e a
colle
ctio
n of
disc
on-
nect
ed, r
ando
m th
ough
ts.
4 E
very
thin
g se
ems
as im
porta
nt a
s ev
eryt
hing
else
; the
read
er h
as a
ha
rd ti
me
siftin
g ou
t wha
t’s c
ritica
l.
Orga
niza
tion
The
inte
rnal
stru
ctur
e of
a p
iece
, the
thre
ad o
f cen
tral m
eani
ng, t
he
logi
cal p
atte
rn o
f ide
as.
5 T
he o
rgan
izat
ion
adva
nces
and
sho
wcas
es th
e ce
ntra
l id
ea o
r sto
ry li
ne. T
he o
rder
, stru
ctur
e, o
r pre
sent
atio
n of
in-
form
atio
n is
com
pelli
ng a
nd m
oves
the
read
er th
roug
h th
e te
xt.
4 D
etails
seem
to fit
whe
re th
ey ar
e plac
ed; s
eque
ncing
is lo
gical
and
effec
tive.
4 A
n in
vitin
g in
trodu
ctio
n dr
aws
the
read
er in
; a s
atisf
ying
conc
lusio
n lea
ves
the
read
er w
ith a
sen
se o
f res
olut
ion.
4
Pac
ing
is we
ll con
trolle
d; th
e wr
iter k
nows
whe
n to
slo
w do
wn a
nd
elabo
rate
, and
whe
n to
pick
up
the
pace
and
mov
e on
. 4
Tho
ught
ful t
rans
itions
clea
rly s
how
how
idea
s co
nnec
t. 4
Org
aniza
tion
flows
so
smoo
thly
the
read
er h
ardl
y th
inks
abo
ut it
. 3
The
org
aniz
atio
nal s
truct
ure
is st
rong
eno
ugh
to m
ove
the
read
er th
roug
h th
e te
xt w
ithou
t und
ue c
onfu
sion.
4
The
pap
er h
as a
reco
gniza
ble
intro
duct
ion
and
conc
lusio
n. T
he in
-tro
duct
ion
may
not
crea
te a
stro
ng s
ense
of a
ntici
patio
n; th
e co
nclu
-sio
n m
ay n
ot ti
e up
all l
oose
end
s. 4
Seq
uenc
ing
is us
ually
logi
cal,
but m
ay s
omet
imes
be
so p
redi
ctab
le th
at th
e st
ruct
ure
take
s at
tent
ion
away
from
the
cont
ent.
4 P
acin
g is
fairl
y we
ll con
trolle
d, th
ough
the
write
r som
etim
es s
purts
ah
ead
too
quick
ly or
spe
nds
too
muc
h tim
e on
det
ails
that
do
not
mat
ter.
Tran
sitio
ns o
ften
work
well
; at o
ther
tim
es, c
onne
ctio
ns b
e-tw
een
idea
s ar
e fu
zzy.
4 T
he o
rgan
izatio
n som
etime
s sup
ports
the m
ain p
oint o
r sto
ry lin
e; at
othe
r tim
es, th
e rea
der f
eels
an ur
ge to
slip
in a t
rans
ition o
r mov
e thin
gs ar
ound
. 1
The
writ
ing
lack
s a
clear
sen
se o
f dire
ctio
n. Id
eas,
de-
tails
, or e
vent
s se
em s
trung
toge
ther
in a
loos
e or
rand
om
fash
ion,
or e
lse th
ere
is no
iden
tifia
ble
inte
rnal
stru
ctur
e. T
he
writi
ng re
flect
s m
ore
than
one
of t
hese
pro
blem
s:
4 S
eque
ncin
g ne
eds
work
. 4
The
re is
no
real
lead
to s
et u
p wh
at fo
llows
, no
real
conc
lusio
n to
wr
ap th
ings
up.
4
Pac
ing
feels
awk
ward
; the
writ
er s
lows
to a
craw
l whe
n th
e re
ader
wa
nts
to g
et o
n wi
th it
, and
vice
vers
a.
4 C
onne
ctio
ns b
etwe
en id
eas
are
conf
usin
g or
miss
ing.
4
Pro
blem
s wi
th o
rgan
izatio
n m
ake
it ha
rd fo
r the
read
er to
get
a g
rip
on th
e m
ain p
oint
or s
tory
line.
Voice
Th
e he
art a
nd s
oul o
f a p
iece
, the
mag
ic, th
e wi
t. It
is th
e wr
iter’s
un
ique
and
per
sona
l exp
ress
ion
emer
ging
thro
ugh
word
s.
5 T
he w
riter
spe
aks
dire
ctly
to th
e re
ader
in a
way
that
is
indi
vidua
listic
, exp
ress
ive, a
nd e
ngag
ing.
Cle
arly
, the
writ
er is
in
volve
d in
the
text
, is
sens
itive
to th
e ne
eds
of a
n au
dien
ce,
and
is wr
iting
to b
e re
ad.
4 T
he re
ader
feels
a s
trong
inte
ract
ion
with
the
write
r, se
nsin
g th
e pe
rson
beh
ind
the
word
s. 4
The
tone
and
voi
ce g
ive fl
avor
to th
e m
essa
ge a
nd s
eem
app
ropr
iate
for t
he p
urpo
se a
nd a
udien
ce.
4 T
he w
ritin
g se
ems
hone
st, a
ppea
ling,
and
writ
ten
from
the
hear
t. 4
The
writ
ing re
flects
a st
rong
com
mitm
ent t
o th
e to
pic, a
nd a
n eff
ort t
o br
ing th
e to
pic to
life
by a
ntici
patin
g th
e re
ader
’s qu
estio
ns, a
nd sh
owing
wh
y the
read
er sh
ould
care
or w
ant t
o kn
ow m
ore.
3 T
he w
riter
see
ms
since
re, b
ut n
ot fu
lly e
ngag
ed o
r in-
volve
d. T
he re
sult
is pl
easa
nt o
r eve
n pe
rson
able
, but
not
co
mpe
lling
. 4
The
writ
ing
com
mun
icate
s in
an
earn
est,
plea
sing
man
ner.
Mom
ents
he
re a
nd th
ere
surp
rise,
am
use,
or m
ove
the
read
er.
4 V
oice
may
em
erge
stro
ngly
on o
ccas
ion,
then
retre
at b
ehin
d ge
n-er
al, d
ispas
siona
te la
ngua
ge.
4 T
he w
ritin
g hi
des
as m
uch
of th
e wr
iter a
s it
reve
als.
4 T
he w
riter
seem
s awa
re o
f an
audie
nce,
but o
ften
tend
s to
weigh
wor
ds
care
fully
or d
iscar
d pe
rson
al ins
ights
in fav
or o
f safe
gen
erali
ties.
1 T
he w
riter
see
ms
indi
ffere
nt, u
ninv
olve
d, o
r dist
ance
d fro
m th
e to
pic
and/
or th
e au
dien
ce. A
s a
resu
lt, th
e wr
iting
is
lifel
ess
or m
echa
nica
l; de
pend
ing
on th
e to
pic,
it m
ay b
e ov
erly
te
chni
cal o
r jar
goni
stic.
The
pap
er re
flect
s m
ore
than
one
of
the
follo
wing
pro
blem
s:
4 It
is h
ard
to se
nse
the
write
r beh
ind th
e wo
rds.
The
write
r doe
s not
seem
to
reac
h ou
t to
an a
udien
ce, o
r to
antic
ipate
their
inte
rests
and
que
stion
s. 4
The
writ
er s
peak
s in
a k
ind
of m
onot
one
that
flat
tens
all p
oten
tial
high
s or
lows
of t
he m
essa
ge.
4 T
he w
ritin
g m
ay c
omm
unica
te o
n a
func
tiona
l leve
l, bu
t it d
oes
not
mov
e or
invo
lve th
e re
ader
. 4
The
writ
er d
oes
not s
eem
suf
ficien
tly a
t hom
e wi
th th
e to
pic
to ta
ke
risks
, sha
re p
erso
nal in
sight
s, or
mak
e th
e to
pic/
stor
y pe
rson
al an
d re
al fo
r the
read
er.
Sco
re fo
r the
trait
of I
deas
: __
____
_ S
core
for t
he tr
ait o
f Org
aniz
atio
n: _
____
__
Sco
re fo
r the
trait
of V
oice
: ___
____
Word Choice
The use of rich, colorful, precise language that moves and enlightens
the reader. It is the love of language, a passion for words, combined
with a skill in choosing words that creates just the right mood.
5 W
ords convey the intended message in a precise, inter-
esting, and natural way. 4
Words are specific and accurate; it is easy to understand just what the writer m
eans. 4
The language is natural and never overdone; phrasing is highly indi-vidual.
4 Lively verbs energize the writing. Precise nouns and m
odifiers create pictures in the reader’s m
ind. 4
Striking words and phrases often catch the reader’s eye—and linger
in the reader’s mind.
4 Clichés and jargon are used sparingly, only for effect.
3 The language is functional, even if it lacks punch; it is
easy to figure out the writer’s meaning on a general level.
4 Words are alm
ost always correct and adequate; they simply lack flair.
4 Fam
iliar words and phrases comm
unicate, but rarely capture the reader’s im
agination. Still, the paper may have one or two fine m
o-m
ents. 4
Attempts at colorful language com
e close to the mark, but som
e-tim
es seem overdone.
4 Energetic verbs or picturesque phrases liven things up now and then; the reader longs for m
ore. 1
The writer struggles with a limited vocabulary, searching
for words to convey meaning. The writing reflects m
ore than one of these problem
s: 4
Language is so vague (e.g., It was a fun time, She was neat, It was nice, We did lots of stuff) that only the m
ost general message com
es through.
4 Persistent redundancy distracts the reader.
4 Jargon or clichés serve as a crutch.
4 Words are used incorrectly, som
etimes m
aking the message hard to
decipher. 4
Problems with language leave the reader wondering what the writer
is trying to say.
Sentence Fluency The rhythm
and flow of the language, the sound of word patterns, the way the writing plays to the ear—
not just to the eye.
5 The writing has an easy flow and rhythm
when read aloud. Sentences are well built, with strong and varied struc-ture that invites expressive reading. 4
Sentences are constructed in a way that helps make m
eaning clear. 4
Purposeful sentence beginnings show how each sentence relates to and builds upon the one before it.
4 The writing has cadence, as if the writer has thought about the sound of the words as well as the m
eaning. 4
Sentences vary in length as well as structure. 4
Fragments, if used, add style.
4 Dialog, if used, sounds natural.
3 The text hum
s along with a steady beat, but tends to be m
ore pleasant or businesslike than musical, m
ore mechanical
than fluid. 4
Sentences may not seem
artfully crafted or musical, but they are
usually gramm
atical. They hang together. They get the job done. 4
There is at least some variation in sentence length and structure.
Sentence beginnings are not all alike. 4
The reader sometim
es has to hunt for clues (e.g., connecting words and phrases like however, therefore, on the other hand, to be spe-cific, for example, etc.) that show how sentences interrelate.
4 Parts of the text invite expressive oral reading; others m
ay be stiff, awkward, choppy, or gangly. Overall though, it is pretty easy to read the paper aloud with a little practice.
1 The reader has to practice in order to give this paper a
fair interpretive reading. The writing reflects more than one of
these problems:
4 Sentences are choppy, incom
plete, rambling, or awkward; they need work.
4 Phrasing does not sound natural, the way som
eone might speak.
The reader must som
etimes pause or read over to get the m
eaning. 4
Many sentences begin the sam
e way—and m
any follow the same
patterns (e.g., subject-verb-object) in a monotonous pattern.
4 Endless connectives (and, and so, but then, because, and then, etc.) create a m
assive jumble of language in which clear sentence begin-
nings and endings get swallowed up. 4
The text does not invite expressive oral reading.
Conventions The m
echanical correctness of the writing.
5 The writer dem
onstrates a good grasp of standard writing conventions and uses conventions effectively to enhance readability. Errors tend to be so few and so m
inor that the reader can easily overlook them
unless hunting for them spe-
cifically. 4
Paragraphing tends to be sound; it reinforces organizational structure. 4
Gramm
ar and usage contribute to clarity and style. 4
Punctuation is accurate and guides the reader through the text. 4
Spelling is generally correct, even on more difficult words.
4 The writer m
ay manipulate conventions—
especially gramm
ar and spelling—
for stylistic effect. 4
The writing is sufficiently long and complex to allow the writer to show
skill using a wide range of conventions. 4
Only light editing is required to polish the text for publication. 3
The writer shows reasonable control over a limited range
of standard writing conventions. Conventions are sometim
es handled well and enhance readability; at other tim
es, errors are distracting. 4
Paragraphing is attempted. Paragraphs som
etimes run together or
begin in the wrong places. 4
Problems with gram
mar or usage are not serious enough to distort m
ean-ing.
4 Terminal (end-of-sentence) punctuation is usually correct; internal punctua-tion (commas, semicolons, dashes, colons, etc.) is sometimes missing or wrong.
4 Spelling is usually correct or reasonably phonetic on com
mon words.
4 M
oderate editing is required to polish the text for publication. 1
Errors in spelling, punctuation, gramm
ar, captalization, etc., repeatedly distract the reader and m
ake the text difficult toread. The writing reflects m
ore than one of these problems:
4 Paragraphing is m
issing, irregular, or so frequent (e.g., every sentence) that it has no relationship to the organizational structure of the text.
4 Errors in gram
mar or usage are very noticeable, and m
ay affect meaning.
4 Punctuation is often m
issing or incorrect. 4
Spelling errors are frequent, even on comm
on words. 4
The reader must read once to decode, then again for m
eaning. Ex-tensive editing is required.
Score for the trait of Word Choice: _______
Score for the trait of Sentence Fluency: _______ Score for the trait of Conventions: _______
1
BEGINNING The writer is searching, exploring, struggling; looking for a sense of purpose or a way to begin working with this trait. This is an early perform
ance; there is great need for revision.
2 EM
ERGING There are brief m
oments when we get a glim
pse of the writer’s ability with this trait, but no consistent use. The paper shows prom
ise, a hint of things to com
e, but there is a need for revision as weak-nesses clearly outweigh strengths.
3 DEVELOPING
The writer is beginning to take control of this trait. The paper shows a balance between strengths and weaknesses. There is definite direction, coherence, m
omentum
, and a sense of purpose, but some revi-
sion is called for.
4 M
ATURING The writer is showing m
ore control of this trait including the confidence to experim
ent. Strengths definitely outweigh weaknesses. One m
ore revision will probably bring it to closure.
5 STRONG
The writer has control of this trait and is able to use it skillfully to shape the direction of the writing. This is a very strong and controlled perform
ance (though not necessarily perfect). Little or no revision is needed.
For more inform
aton visit www.nwrel.org Official Six Traits Criteria From
NWREL (Page 2)
Adapted by Steve Peha
From
“Cre
atin
g W
riter
s”
L
ayou
t by
Stev
e Pe
haby
Ric
k St
iggi
ns a
nd V
icki
Spa
ndel
ww
w.tt
ms.
org
1
996
Addi
son-
Wes
ley/
Long
man
stev
epeh
a@ao
l.com
Six
Trai
ts C
riter
ia F
or R
esea
rch
Pape
rs
Rate
r:___
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
_ Pa
per:_
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
___
Date
:___
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
_
Inst
ruct
ions
: (1)
Rea
d th
e pa
per a
ll th
e w
ay th
roug
h. (2
) Sta
rt w
ith th
e cr
iteria
for a
“5” a
nd w
ork
dow
n. (3
) Rea
d ea
ch it
em a
nd e
nter
“Y” f
or “y
es”;
“N” f
or “n
o”; “
S” fo
r “so
rt of
”; M
ark
your
sco
re a
t the
bot
tom
of t
he a
ppro
pria
te c
ol-
umn.
(4) Y
ou n
eed
not m
ark
ever
y ite
m; o
nly
thos
e th
at y
ou fe
el s
erve
to ju
stify
you
r sco
re.
(5) D
on’t
agon
ize;
trus
t you
r gut
reac
tion.
(6) T
here
are
no
right
or w
rong
sco
res.
Jus
t be
sure
you
can
just
ify y
our a
sses
smen
t usi
ng th
e cr
iteria
. (7)
Be
accu
rate
, not
em
otio
nal.
You’
re n
ot g
ivin
g ou
t a g
rade
or t
ellin
g so
meo
ne th
at h
e or
she
is a
“bad
” or a
“goo
d” w
riter
; you
’re ju
st tr
ying
to fi
nd o
ut, a
s be
st y
ou c
an, w
hat t
he p
aper
’s s
treng
ths
and
wea
knes
ses
are.
IDE
AS
The
hear
t of t
he m
essa
ge, t
he c
onte
nt o
f the
pie
ce, t
he m
ain
them
e to
geth
er w
ith th
e de
tails
that
enr
ich a
nd d
evel
op th
at th
eme.
5 T
he p
aper
is c
lear
and
focu
sed.
It th
orou
ghly
ans
wer
s a
wel
l-def
ined
key
que
stio
n in
und
erst
anda
ble,
con
vinc
ing,
and
ex
pans
ive
term
s.
4 T
he m
ain
idea
, the
sis,
or r
esea
rch
ques
tion
is c
lear
ly d
efin
ed a
nd
deta
iled.
The
re m
ay b
e m
ore
than
one
key
poi
nt, b
ut th
e pa
per i
s no
t si
mpl
y a
list.
4 T
he w
riter
see
ms
wel
l inf
orm
ed a
nd, a
s ap
prop
riate
, dra
ws
on re
le-
vant
info
rmat
ion
from
a v
arie
ty o
f res
ourc
es (e
.g.,
pers
onal
exp
eri-
ence
, rea
ding
, inv
estig
atio
n, in
terv
iew
s, o
bser
vatio
ns, f
ilms)
. 4
The
writ
er c
ontin
uous
ly a
ntic
ipat
es a
nd re
spon
ds to
the
read
er’s
in-
form
atio
nal n
eeds
and
que
stio
ns.
4 S
uppo
rting
det
ails
(exa
mpl
es, f
acts
, ane
cdot
es, q
uota
tions
, etc
.) ar
e ac
cura
te, s
igni
fican
t, an
d he
lpfu
l in
clar
ifyin
g or
exp
andi
ng th
e m
ain
idea
(s).
3 T
he p
aper
add
ress
es a
n id
entif
iabl
e ke
y qu
estio
n by
of-
ferin
g th
e re
ader
gen
eral
, bas
ic in
form
atio
n.
4 T
he re
ader
can
iden
tify
or in
fer a
t lea
st o
ne m
ain
asse
rtion
or t
hesi
s.
4 S
ome
supp
ort s
eem
s gr
ound
ed in
rese
arch
or e
xper
ienc
e. S
ome
seem
s ba
sed
on c
omm
on k
now
ledg
e or
bes
t gue
sses
. 4
The
writ
er s
omet
imes
resp
onds
to th
e re
ader
’s in
form
atio
nal n
eeds
; at
oth
er ti
mes
, im
porta
nt q
uest
ions
are
left
unan
swer
ed.
4 M
ore
inve
stig
atio
n, s
trong
er s
uppo
rt, a
nd g
reat
er a
ttent
ion
to d
etai
l w
ould
stre
ngth
en th
is p
aper
. 1
The
writ
er h
as n
ot y
et c
larif
ied
an im
porta
nt q
uest
ion
or
issu
e th
at th
is p
aper
will
add
ress
. One
or m
ore
of th
e fo
llow
-in
g pr
oble
ms
may
be
evid
ent:
4 T
he p
aper
may
wan
der o
r dis
solv
e in
to a
ram
blin
g lis
t of i
deas
. It
need
s fo
cus.
4
Sup
port
is e
ither
mis
sing
, or t
oo v
ague
or q
uest
iona
ble,
to b
e he
lp-
ful.
4 T
he w
riter
doe
s no
t see
m to
hav
e th
e qu
estio
ns, n
eeds
, or i
nter
ests
of
the
audi
ence
cle
arly
in m
ind.
4
The
writ
er d
oes
not y
et h
ave
or u
se th
e in
form
atio
n ne
eded
to h
elp
a re
ader
und
erst
and
this
topi
c.
OR
GA
NIZ
AT
ION
Th
e in
tern
al s
truct
ure
of a
pie
ce, t
he th
read
of c
entra
l mea
ning
, the
lo
gica
l pat
tern
of i
deas
.
5 A
stro
ng in
tern
al s
truct
ure
give
s pu
rpos
e an
d di
rect
ion
to
the
mai
n th
esis
. The
org
aniz
atio
n pr
opel
s th
e re
ader
tow
ard
the
key
poin
t(s) o
r log
ical
con
clus
ions
the
writ
er w
ants
to e
mph
a-si
ze.
4 T
he in
trodu
ctio
n en
gage
s th
e re
ader
and
sho
ws
whe
re th
e w
riter
is
head
ed.
4 P
lace
men
t of d
etai
ls, a
necd
otes
, fac
ts, a
nd e
xam
ples
see
ms
wel
l th
ough
t out
, del
iber
ate,
and
hel
pful
to th
e re
ader
’s u
nder
stan
ding
. 4
Pur
pose
ful tr
ansit
ions
gui
de th
e re
ader
to k
ey p
oint
s an
d co
nclu
sions
. 4
The
con
clus
ion
effe
ctiv
ely
reso
lves
lefto
ver q
uest
ions
and
sho
ws
the
read
er h
ow e
very
thin
g tie
s to
geth
er.
4 T
he re
ader
’s u
nder
stan
ding
of t
he to
pic
grow
s th
roug
hout
the
pape
r. 3
The
org
aniz
atio
nal s
truct
ure
is s
trong
eno
ugh
to m
ove
the
read
er th
roug
h th
e te
xt w
ithou
t und
ue c
onfu
sion
. 4
The
intro
duct
ion
offe
rs a
t lea
st a
hin
t of t
hing
s to
com
e.
4 D
etai
ls, e
xam
ples
, fac
ts, a
nd o
ther
sup
porti
ve fe
atur
es a
re u
sual
ly lin
ked
to m
ain
idea
s, th
ough
they
may
som
etim
es p
op u
p in
illog
ical p
lace
s.
4 T
rans
ition
s ar
e at
tem
pted
, but
the
writ
er s
omet
imes
mis
ses
oppo
r-tu
nitie
s to
gui
de th
e re
ader
’s th
inki
ng.
4 T
he c
oncl
usio
n w
raps
up
the
disc
ussi
on, b
ut m
ay le
ave
loos
e en
ds
unat
tend
ed.
4 D
espi
te s
ome
ques
tions
, the
read
er c
an fo
llow
wha
t is
bein
g sa
id.
1 T
he o
rgan
izat
iona
l stru
ctur
e ne
eds
a st
rong
er s
ense
of
purp
ose
and
dire
ctio
n. T
he re
ader
may
feel
con
fuse
d ab
out
wha
t to
focu
s on
or w
hat c
oncl
usio
ns to
dra
w. O
ne o
r mor
e of
the
follo
win
g pr
oble
ms
may
be
evid
ent:
4 A
stro
ng le
ad is
nee
ded
to s
et u
p th
e pa
per;
it ju
st s
tarts
in.
4 Id
eas
and
supp
ortin
g de
tails
see
m ra
ndom
ly o
rder
ed; t
he re
ader
of-
ten
won
ders
whe
re th
e w
riter
is h
eade
d.
4 S
trong
er tr
ansit
ions
and
con
nect
ions
wou
ld h
elp
the
read
er lin
k id
eas.
4
The
read
er m
ay m
iss
the
who
le p
oint
or h
ave
grea
t diff
icul
ty fo
llow
-in
g w
hat t
he w
riter
is tr
ying
to s
ay.
4 T
he c
oncl
usio
n do
es n
ot h
elp
the
read
er m
ake
grea
ter s
ense
of
wha
t has
alre
ady
been
sai
d.
VO
ICE
Th
e he
art a
nd s
oul o
f a p
iece
, the
mag
ic, th
e w
it. It
is th
e w
riter
’s un
ique
and
per
sona
l exp
ress
ion
emer
ging
thro
ugh
wor
ds.
5 T
he w
riter
add
ress
es th
e au
dien
ce in
a v
oice
that
is li
vely
, en
gagi
ng, a
nd w
holly
app
ropr
iate
to th
e to
pic
and
purp
ose
of
the
pape
r. 4
The
writ
er’s
pas
sion
and
ent
husi
asm
for t
his
topi
c ar
e ev
iden
t th
roug
hout
the
piec
e.
4 T
he w
riter
see
ms
to k
now
his
or h
er a
udie
nce
wel
l and
to s
peak
rig
ht to
them
, dra
win
g th
em in
to th
e di
scus
sion
and
sho
win
g co
ncer
n fo
r the
ir un
ders
tand
ing
of th
e to
pic.
4
Fro
m o
peni
ng to
clo
se, t
he w
riter
sus
tain
s a
kind
of e
nerg
y th
at
hold
s th
e re
ader
’s a
ttent
ion.
4
The
read
er fi
nds
him
self
or h
erse
lf ca
ught
up
in th
is to
pic.
3
The
writ
er p
roje
cts
a to
ne a
nd v
oice
that
see
m s
ince
re,
plea
sant
, and
gen
eral
ly a
ppro
pria
te fo
r the
topi
c an
d au
di-
ence
. 4
Ent
husi
asm
and
com
mitm
ent t
o th
e to
pic
are
som
etim
es e
vide
nt,
thou
gh o
ften
rest
rain
ed.
4 M
omen
ts o
f spo
ntan
eity
enl
iven
the
piec
e bu
t may
be
som
ewha
t da
mpe
ned
by a
mor
e pr
osai
c vo
ice
that
see
ms
less
invo
lved
. 4
The
writ
er s
eem
s oc
casi
onal
ly a
war
e of
the
info
rmat
iona
l nee
ds o
r in
tere
sts
of th
e au
dien
ce.
4 T
he re
ader
feel
s in
form
ed b
ut n
ot re
ally
“inv
ited
in.”
1 T
he w
riter
see
ms
indi
ffere
nt to
eith
er to
pic
or a
udie
nce,
an
d as
a re
sult,
the
tone
may
be
dist
ant,
flat,
jarg
onis
tic,
stilt
ed, o
r jus
t ina
ppro
pria
te. O
ne o
r mor
e pr
oble
ms
may
be
evid
ent:
4 T
he w
riter
doe
s no
t see
m to
reac
h ou
t to
the
audi
ence
or t
o th
ink
how
the
tone
, sty
le, o
r lan
guag
e of
the
piec
e m
ight
affe
ct th
eir r
e-sp
onse
. 4
The
writ
er s
eem
s bo
red,
dis
tract
ed, o
r jus
t anx
ious
to b
e do
ne w
ith
it; c
onse
quen
tly, i
t is
hard
for t
he re
ader
not
to fe
el th
e sa
me.
4
Mom
ents
of e
xcite
men
t, w
hich
mig
ht h
ave
brou
ght t
his
topi
c to
life
, ju
st a
re n
ot th
ere.
4
The
writ
er m
ay b
e w
ritin
g m
ore
for h
imse
lf or
her
self
than
for a
n au
-di
ence
, and
the
resu
lt is
impe
rson
al—
calc
ulat
ed m
ore
to s
how
off
the
writ
er’s
spe
cial
ized
kno
wle
dge
than
to e
ngag
e th
e re
ader
.
Sco
re fo
r the
trai
t of I
deas
: __
____
_ S
core
for t
he tr
ait o
f Org
aniz
atio
n: _
____
__
Sco
re fo
r the
trai
t of V
oice
: ___
____
W
OR
D C
HO
ICE
The use of rich, colorful, precise language that moves and enlight-
ens the reader. It is the love of language, a passion for words, com
-bined w
ith a skill in choosing words that creates just the right m
ood.
5 W
ell-chosen words convey the w
riter’s message in a
clear, precise, and highly readable way, often taking the
reader to a new level of understanding.
4 The vocabulary suits the w
riter, the subject, and the audience. 4
The writer uses the language of the content area w
ith skill and ease, alw
ays helping to make m
eaning clear from context.
4 Technical or little-know
n words are defined or clarified as appropri-
ate, with the w
riter always taking into account w
hat the audience (probably) already know
s. 4
The writer consistently chooses explicit, vivid w
ords and phrases that m
ake the message both clear and m
emorable.
3 W
ords are reasonably accurate and make the m
essage clear on a general level. 4
Though most language in the paper is both correct and functional,
the vocabulary is sometim
es inappropriate (too difficult, technical, or inform
al) for the topic, audience, or both. 4
The writer com
municates broad concepts but m
ay not have suffi-cient vocabulary to explore the finer points w
ith precision, detail, or confidence.
4Technical or special term
s may som
etimes be used w
ithout suffi-cient explanation or contextual clarity.
1 The w
riter struggles with a lim
ited vocabulary that re-stricts w
hat he or she is able to convey, or the writing is so
technical and difficult to penetrate that the reader feels shut out. O
ne or more of the follow
ing problems m
ay be evident: 4
Vocabulary may be inappropriate (incorrect or too general, technical,
or informal) for the topic, audience, or both.
4 Technical language or specialized vocabulary m
ay be overused, used incorrectly, or m
issing where it w
ould be really helpful in mak-
ing a particular point. 4
Language lacks the precision needed to convey an explicit, clear message.
4 The w
riter may be using language that “speaks” to an insider but
does not help other readers understand or appreciate the topic.
SE
NT
EN
CE
FL
UE
NC
Y
The rhythm and flow
of the language, the sound of word patterns,
the way the w
riting plays to the ear—not just to the eye.
5 The writing has an easy flow
and rhythm w
hen read aloud. Sentences are w
ell built, with strong and varied struc-
ture that invites expressive reading. 4
Sentences are constructed in a way that helps m
ake meaning clear.
4 Purposeful sentence beginnings show
how each sentence relates to
and builds upon the one before it. 4
The writing has cadence, as if the w
riter has thought about the sound of the w
ords as well as the m
eaning. 4
Sentences vary in length as well as structure.
4 Fragm
ents, if used, add style. 4
Dialog, if used, sounds natural.
3 The text hums along w
ith a steady beat, but is more pleasant
or businesslike than musical, m
ore mechanical than fluid.
4 Sentences m
ay not seem artfully crafted or m
usical, but they are usually gram
matical. They hang together. They get the job done.
4 There is at least som
e variation in sentence length and structure. Sentence beginnings are not all alike.
4 The reader som
etimes has to hunt for clues (e.g., connecting w
ords and phrases like how
ever, therefore, naturally, after a while, on the
other hand, to be specific, for example, next, first of all, later, but as
it turned out, although, etc.) that show how
sentences interrelate. 4
Parts of the text invite expressive oral reading; others may be stiff,
awkw
ard, choppy, or gangly. Overall though, it is pretty easy to read
the paper aloud with a little practice.
1 The reader has to practice in order to give this paper a fair interp-retive reading. The writing reflects m
ore than one of these problems:
4 Sentences are choppy, incom
plete, rambling, awkward; they need work.
4 Phrasing does not sound natural, the w
ay someone m
ight speak. The reader m
ust sometim
es pause or read over to get the meaning.
4 M
any sentences begin the same w
ay—and m
any follow the sam
e patterns (e.g., subject-verb-object) in a m
onotonous pattern. 4
Endless connectives (and, and so, but then, because, and then, etc.) create a m
assive jumble of language in w
hich clear sentence beginnings and endings get sw
allowed up.
4 The text does not invite expressive oral reading.
CO
NV
EN
TIO
NS
The mechanical correctness of the w
riting.
5 The writer dem
onstrates a good grasp of standard writing
conventions and also uses specialized conventions (titles and subtitles, footnotes, a table of contents, a bibliography) effectively to enhance layout and readability of the text. 4
Basic conventions are essentially correct; errors are so few and so minor
the reader could skip right over them unless searching for them
specifically. 4
The writer uses titles and subtitles as needed to effectively set off
sections of the text. 4
The writer uses a table of contents as needed and sets it up w
ith care; each section is easy to locate.
4 Footnotes and/or bibliography are form
atted and punctuated correctly. 4
The writer m
ay manipulate conventions for stylistic effect.
4 O
nly light editing would be required to prepare this text for publication. 3 Errors in w
riting conventions, while not overw
helming,
begin to impair readability.
4 Errors in basic conventions occur often enough or are serious enough to be som
ewhat distracting and noticeable.
4 The w
riter sometim
es uses titles and subtitles, but more frequent or
different division of the text would be helpful.
4 A table of contents is present but requires som
e editing in order to be use-ful.
4 Footnotes and/or bibliography are present but require som
e editing. 4
Moderate editing would be required to prepare this text for publication.
1 Numerous errors in w
riting conventions consistently dis-tract the reader and m
ake the text difficult to read. One or
more of the follow
ing problems m
ay be evident. 4
Errors in basic conventions are frequent or serious enough that it is som
etimes hard to understand or focus on the m
essage. 4
Titles or subtitles would be helpful but are not used.
4 A table of contents w
ould be helpful but is not used; if used, it con-tains m
any errors that need correcting. 4
Footnotes and/or bibliography are needed but are not used; if used, they contain m
any errors that need correcting. 4
Extensive editing would be required to prepare this text for publication.
Score for the trait of Word Choice: _______
Score for the trait of Sentence Fluency: _______ Score for the trait of Conventions: _______
1 BEG
INNING
The writer is searching, exploring, struggling;
looking for a sense of purpose or a way to begin
working w
ith this trait. This is an early perform-
ance; there is great need for revision.
2 EM
ERGING
There are brief m
oments w
hen we get a glim
pse of the writer’s ability with this trait, but no consis-tent use. The paper show
s promise, a hint of
things to come, but there is a need for revision as
weaknesses clearly outw
eigh strengths.
3 DEVELO
PING
The writer is beginning to take control of this
trait. The paper shows a balance betw
een strengths and w
eaknesses. There is definite di-rection, coherence, m
omentum
, and a sense of purpose, but som
e revision is called for.
4 M
ATURING
The writer is show
ing more control of this trait
including the confidence to experiment.
Strengths definitely outweigh w
eaknesses. One
more revision w
ill probably bring it to closure.
5 STRO
NG
The writer has control of this trait and is able to
use it skillfully to shape the direction of the writ-
ing. This is a very strong and controlled per-form
ance (though not necessarily perfect). Little or no revision is needed.
____ Not Assessable. The paper could not be assessed using these criteria because: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From “C
reating Writers” by R
ick Stiggins and Vicki Spandel Six Traits Research Paper Criteria (Page 2) Layout by Steve Peha
use,
mos
t pe
ople
thi
nk o
fas
sess
men
t as
a s
ynon
ymfo
r te
stin
g. T
o te
st c
hild
ren
is t
o as
sess
the
m. A
ndw
hat’s
mor
e, it
’s t
he o
nly
way
to
asse
ss t
hem
beca
use
only
pre
cise
nu
mbe
rs c
an p
reci
sely
asse
ss le
arni
ng. O
r so
it
goes
.B
ut t
rue
asse
ssm
ent
has
little
to
do w
ith g
athe
r-in
g st
atis
tical
info
rmat
ion
abou
t st
uden
t le
arni
ng a
ndev
eryt
hing
to
do w
ith h
oww
e us
e th
at in
form
atio
n.A
sses
smen
t is
the
gath
erin
g of
info
rmat
ion
for
the
purp
ose
of g
uidi
ngin
stru
ctio
n.If
the
info
rma-
tion
we
gath
er d
oesn
’tdi
rect
ly in
form
our
teac
hing
,th
en it
’s n
ot tr
ue a
sses
s-m
ent.
The
trut
h is
tha
t th
eva
st m
ajor
ity o
f da
ta
gene
rate
d by
tes
ting
indi
vidu
al s
tude
nts
is n
ever
used
to
dete
rmin
e th
e
spec
ific
inst
ruct
ion
thos
est
uden
ts s
houl
d re
ceiv
e.Ta
ke t
he t
radi
tiona
lsp
ellin
g te
st, f
or e
xam
ple.
One
stu
dent
get
s 10
0%,
one
stud
ent
gets
75%
and
one
stud
ent
gets
50%
. Is
itlik
ely
that
the
se t
hree
st
uden
ts w
ill r
ecei
ve
appr
opria
tely
diff
eren
tiate
din
stru
ctio
n b
ased
on
thei
rsc
ores
? N
o. S
o ho
w d
oes
the
test
hel
p th
e te
ache
r or
the
stu
dent
s?A
nd t
hat’s
the
pro
blem
:w
hat
we
call
asse
ssm
ent
isof
ten
som
ethi
ng e
lse
that
ista
king
up
our
valu
able
tim
ean
d pr
ecio
us r
esou
rces
, and
give
s us
litt
le in
ret
urn.
Effe
ctive
Lea
rnin
g Se
ries
hat
Are
We
Talk
ing
Ab
out
Her
e?Th
e fr
ustr
atin
g th
ing
abou
t as
sess
men
t is
fig
urin
g ou
t w
hat
it is
. Do
I ass
ess
my
stud
ents
by
givi
ng t
hem
a t
est?
Are
gr
ades
a f
orm
of
asse
ss-
men
t? Is
the
Was
hing
ton
Ass
essm
ent
of S
tude
ntLe
arni
ng (
WA
SL)
tes
t an
asse
ssm
ent
beca
use
it ha
sth
e w
ord
"ass
essm
ent"
in
the
title
? P
eopl
e th
ink
of a
sses
s-m
ent
as m
any
diffe
rent
thin
gs. F
or t
each
ers,
adm
inis
trat
ors
and
polic
y-m
aker
s, it
’s h
ard
to m
ake
sens
e of
ass
essm
ent
whe
nth
ere’
s so
muc
h co
nfus
ing
info
rmat
ion
goin
g ar
ound
.P
aren
ts a
nd k
ids
don’
t ge
tit
eith
er.
In a
wor
ld w
here
eve
rytis
sue
is a
Kle
enex
, eve
ryco
py a
Xer
ox, a
nd la
ngua
geev
olve
s ac
cord
ing
to it
s
You’
ll fin
d m
ore
info
rmat
ion
abou
t as
sess
men
t in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es N
IE s
ectio
n of
the
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
seW
eb s
ite. Y
ou c
an e
ven
dow
n-lo
ad fr
ee c
opie
s of
art
icle
s or
send
the
m t
o yo
ur fr
iend
s vi
a e-
mai
l. Ju
st g
o to
ww
w.tt
ms.
org.
For
mor
e in
form
atio
n ab
out
NIE
,vi
sit
seat
tletim
es.c
om/n
ie.
On
the
Web
Take
a lo
ok a
t bu
sine
ss, s
port
s or
wea
ther
info
rmat
ion
in T
heS
eatt
le T
imes
and
hav
e st
uden
tsm
ake
asse
ssm
ents
. Hel
p st
uden
ts d
raw
sol
id c
oncl
usio
nsba
sed
on d
ata
and
not
on
conj
ectu
re. H
elp
them
dis
tingu
ish
betw
een
mea
ning
less
ass
ess-
men
ts a
nd t
hose
pro
vidi
ng
good
val
ue.
In t
he N
ewsp
aper
Talk
to
your
stu
dent
s ab
out
the
asse
ssm
ents
you
con
duct
, and
how
you
use
tha
t in
form
atio
n to
dete
rmin
e w
hat
you
teac
h ne
xt.
Hel
p th
em t
o se
e th
at y
ou h
ave
a sp
ecifi
c ra
tiona
le fo
r w
hat
you
ask
them
to
do, b
ased
on
wha
t yo
u ne
ed t
o kn
ow t
o te
ach
them
effe
ctiv
ely.
Begi
nnin
g A
ctivi
ty
Issu
e 3
4: A
sse
ssm
en
t T
ha
t M
ak
es
Se
nse
,P
art
1(1
of
3)
The
Effe
ctiv
e Le
arni
ng S
erie
s is
par
t of
a 3
5-w
eek
curr
icul
umfo
r im
prov
ing
basi
c th
inki
ng s
kills
.Use
ful f
or t
each
ers,
hom
esc
hool
ers,
par
ents
and
stu
dent
s al
ike,
new
issu
es a
ppea
r in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es o
n M
onda
y, W
edne
sday
and
Frid
ay.I
f yo
um
isse
d an
y in
thi
s se
ries,
you
can
ord
er b
ack
issu
es b
y ca
lling
Circ
ulat
ion
back
cop
ies
at 2
06/4
64-2
001.
206/
652-
6290
•
1-88
8/77
5-26
55
Asse
ssm
ent T
hat M
akes
Sen
se,P
art 1
W
‘@ @
33333333333333333333333333333
©1995–2000 by Steve Peha.Used by permission.Copies may be made for non-commercial purposes only.
Ste
ve P
eha
is t
he P
resi
dent
of
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
se, a
n ed
ucat
ion
cons
ultin
g co
mpa
ny in
Sea
ttle
, WA
. Vis
it hi
s W
eb s
ite a
tw
ww
.ttm
s.or
g or
sen
d hi
m a
co
mm
ent
abou
t th
is a
rtic
le a
t st
evep
eha@
ttm
s.or
g.
Ass
essi
ng A
sses
smen
tYo
u kn
ow y
ou’re
ass
essi
ng w
hen:
• I
look
ed a
t my
stud
ents
’ las
t pub
lishe
d w
ritin
g pi
eces
. I n
otic
edm
any
kids
hav
ing
trou
ble
with
run
-on
sent
ence
s. T
hey’
re u
sing
"and
" an
d "t
hen"
like
per
iods
.•
In o
ur la
st r
eadi
ng c
onfe
renc
e, I
notic
ed M
ary
Ann
e ha
d tr
oubl
e de
codi
ng lo
nger
wor
ds b
ecau
se s
he r
ead
too
quic
kly.
• I
notic
ed J
osh
still
uses
fing
er c
ount
ing
as h
is m
ain
stra
tegy
fo
r ad
ding
and
sub
trac
ting
even
whe
n w
orki
ng w
ith
two-
digi
t num
bers
.
You
know
you
’re n
ot a
sses
sing
whe
n yo
u’re
thin
king
:
• M
y st
uden
ts c
an’t
punc
tuat
e se
nten
ces
beca
use
they
did
po
orly
on
our
gram
mar
wor
kshe
et.
• M
ary
Ann
e is
a lo
w r
eade
r be
caus
e sh
e co
uldn
’t an
swer
the
ques
tions
abo
ut th
e st
ory
we
read
in c
lass
.•
Jos
h is
ver
y sl
ow in
mat
h. W
hen
we
do o
ur "
mat
h-a-
min
ute"
wor
kshe
ets,
he
com
plet
es fa
r fe
wer
pro
blem
s th
an th
e ot
hers
.
What
’s a
Good A
sses
smen
t?A
goo
d as
sess
men
t:
• U
ses
spec
ific
and
appr
opria
te la
ngua
ge to
des
crib
e th
e da
taga
ther
ed a
nd th
e pa
ttern
s th
at a
re o
bser
ved.
• U
ses
dire
ct r
efer
ence
s to
act
ual s
tude
nt w
ork
and
beha
vior
.•
Is b
ased
on
auth
entic
dat
a ga
ther
ed in
an
auth
entic
man
ner
from
with
in a
n au
then
tic c
onte
xt.
Bef
ore
you
do a
ny a
sses
sing
, ask
you
rsel
f thi
s qu
estio
n: "
How
do I
plan
to u
se th
e in
form
atio
n I a
m g
athe
ring
to g
uide
m
y in
stru
ctio
n?"
If yo
u do
n’t k
now
wha
t you
’re g
oing
to d
o w
ith th
e da
ta,
don’
t was
te ti
me
gath
erin
g it.
Ass
essm
ent i
s ex
trem
ely
time
cons
umin
g; it
sho
uldn
’t be
don
e ca
sual
ly. A
nd it
sho
uld
only
be
done
to d
eter
min
e w
hat t
o te
ach
next
.
If yo
u’re
gat
herin
g in
form
atio
n ab
out y
our
stud
ents
is to
com
e up
with
a g
rade
, you
’re m
akin
g tw
o m
ista
kes
at th
e sa
me
time:
(1
) You
’re s
pend
ing
valu
able
tim
e an
d en
ergy
gat
herin
g in
form
atio
n th
at h
as li
ttle
or n
othi
ng to
do
with
you
r te
achi
ng o
ryo
ur s
tude
nts’
lear
ning
, and
(2) Y
ou’re
usi
ng th
at in
form
atio
n to
form
ill-c
onsi
dere
d ju
dgm
ents
abo
ut y
our
stud
ents
that
cou
ldha
ve s
erio
us c
onse
quen
ces
for
thei
r fu
ture
.
Teac
hers
, par
ents
and
stu
dent
s: t
hese
thi
nkin
g sk
ills
stra
tegi
es a
re b
roug
ht t
o yo
u by
our
New
spap
ers
In E
duca
tion
prog
ram
. Th
is s
trat
egy
prov
ides
sen
sibl
e ad
vice
on
a se
nsiti
ve t
opic
tha
t af
fect
s ev
ery
teac
her
and
ever
y st
uden
t.
12/4
Exa
mple
the
pers
on b
eing
ass
esse
d?H
ow d
oes
the
asse
ssor
com
mun
icat
e as
sess
men
tin
form
atio
n to
the
per
son
bein
g as
sess
ed?
… w
ould
rea
lly u
se …
Wha
t in
form
atio
n ca
n be
gath
ered
with
out
affe
ctin
gth
e re
sults
? W
hat
info
rmat
ion
can
be u
sed
to g
uide
our
inst
ruct
ion?
How
is s
peci
ficin
stru
ctio
n co
nnec
ted
to
spec
ific
outc
omes
?
… in
the
rea
l wor
ld.
How
is t
his
asse
ssm
ent
info
rmat
ion
used
in t
he
real
wor
ld?
Wha
t ar
e th
eas
sess
or’s
ulti
mat
e re
al-
wor
ld g
oals
? W
hat
is t
heva
lue
of t
he a
sses
smen
tpr
oces
s?N
o cl
assr
oom
ass
ess-
men
t is
eve
r 10
0% a
uthe
ntic
.Th
e be
st w
e ca
n do
whe
nga
ther
ing
info
rmat
ion
abou
tou
r st
uden
ts is
to
ask
ours
elve
s th
ese
ques
tions
and
do o
ur b
est
to a
nsw
erth
em.
Aut
hent
icity
det
erm
ines
the
relia
bilit
y of
the
ass
ess-
men
t in
form
atio
n yo
u ga
ther
.Th
e m
ore
auth
entic
ally
it is
gath
ered
, the
mor
e it
will
help
you
fig
ure
out
wha
t to
tea
ch.
Whe
neve
r po
ssib
le, t
ryto
bas
e yo
ur in
stru
ctio
nal
deci
sion
s on
info
rmat
ion
you
have
gat
here
d in
an
auth
entic
way
. Try
als
o to
redu
ce t
he a
mou
nt o
f tim
e,ef
fort
and
ene
rgy
you
put
into
inau
then
tic m
etho
ds
of g
athe
ring
asse
ssm
ent
info
rmat
ion
such
as
test
s,w
orks
heet
s, t
extb
ook
exer
cise
s an
d so
on.
Effe
ctive
Lea
rnin
g Se
ries
hat
is
Auth
enti
cA
sses
smen
t?Th
e w
ord
"aut
hent
ic"
sim
ply
mea
ns "
real
."A
uthe
ntic
ass
essm
ent
is a
real
way
of g
athe
ring
perf
orm
ance
info
rmat
ion
that
a r
eal p
erso
n w
ould
real
ly u
se in
the
rea
l wor
ld.
So
wha
t do
es t
hat
real
lym
ean?
Wel
l, if
you
brea
k it
dow
n an
d ap
ply
it to
the
activ
ities
you
ass
ess
inyo
ur c
lass
room
, you
can
thin
k ab
out
it th
is w
ay:
A r
eal w
ay o
f ga
ther
ing
real
per
form
ance
in
form
atio
n …
H
ow is
info
rmat
ion
gath
ered
abo
ut t
his
activ
ityin
the
rea
l wor
ld?
Wha
tin
form
atio
n is
wor
th
gath
erin
g? W
hy d
o pe
ople
in t
he r
eal w
orld
do
this
?
… t
hat
a re
al p
erso
n …
Wha
t ro
le d
oes
this
per
son
play
in t
he r
eal w
orld
? In
the
real
wor
ld, w
hat
is t
heas
sess
or’s
rel
atio
nshi
p to
You’
ll fin
d m
ore
info
rmat
ion
abou
tas
sess
men
t in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
esN
IE s
ectio
n of
the
Tea
chin
g Th
atM
akes
Sen
se W
eb s
ite. Y
ou c
anev
en d
ownl
oad
free
cop
ies
ofar
ticle
s or
sen
d th
em t
o yo
urfr
iend
s vi
a e-
mai
l. Ju
st g
o to
ww
w.tt
ms.
org.
For
mor
e in
form
atio
n ab
out
NIE
,vi
sit
seat
tletim
es.c
om/n
ie.
On
the
Web
Hav
e st
uden
ts s
urve
y Th
eS
eatt
le T
imes
to
find
thin
gspe
ople
do
in t
he r
eal w
orld
that
the
y co
uld
purs
ue in
clas
s. T
he n
ewsp
aper
feat
ures
ever
y ki
nd o
f pro
fess
iona
lca
reer
or
past
ime.
It is
a fa
irre
pres
enta
tion
of t
he w
orld
arou
nd u
s an
d a
good
mod
elw
e ca
n us
e fo
r in
stru
ctio
nal
cont
ent.
In t
he N
ewsp
aper
Talk
to
kids
abo
ut a
uthe
ntic
ity.
Tell
them
how
thi
ngs
done
insc
hool
rel
ate
to r
eal t
hing
sou
tsid
e of
sch
ool;
how
writ
ers
real
ly w
rite,
how
rea
ders
rea
llyre
ad, a
nd h
ow s
cien
tists
and
mat
hem
atic
ians
go
abou
t th
eir
wor
k. A
nd d
o yo
ur b
est
tom
odel
cla
ssro
om p
ract
ice
onth
e re
al w
orld
.
Inte
rmed
iate
Act
ivity
Issu
e 3
5: A
sse
ssm
en
t T
ha
t M
ak
es
Se
nse
,P
art
1(2
of
3)
The
Effe
ctiv
e Le
arni
ng S
erie
s is
par
t of
a 3
5-w
eek
curr
icul
umfo
r im
prov
ing
basi
c th
inki
ng s
kills
.Use
ful f
or t
each
ers,
hom
esc
hool
ers,
par
ents
and
stu
dent
s al
ike,
new
issu
es a
ppea
r in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es o
n M
onda
y, W
edne
sday
and
Frid
ay.I
f yo
um
isse
d an
y in
thi
s se
ries,
you
can
ord
er b
ack
issu
es b
y ca
lling
Circ
ulat
ion
back
cop
ies
at 2
06/4
64-2
001.
206/
652-
6290
•
1-88
8/77
5-26
55
Asse
ssm
ent T
hat M
akes
Sen
se,P
art 1
W
‘@ @
33333333333333333333333333333
©1995–2000 by Steve Peha.Used by permission.Copies may be made for non-commercial purposes only.
Ste
ve P
eha
is t
he P
resi
dent
of
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
se, a
n ed
ucat
ion
cons
ultin
g co
mpa
ny in
Sea
ttle
, WA
. Vis
it hi
s W
eb s
ite a
tw
ww
.ttm
s.or
g or
sen
d hi
m a
co
mm
ent
abou
t th
is a
rtic
le a
t st
evep
eha@
ttm
s.or
g.
What
is
an A
uth
entic
Act
ivity?
Onc
e yo
u se
e th
e va
lue
of a
uthe
ntic
ass
essm
ent,
you
begi
n to
see
the
nece
ssity
of h
avin
g st
uden
ts p
ursu
e au
then
tic a
ctiv
ities
.B
ut w
hat e
xact
ly is
an
auth
entic
act
ivity
?
An
auth
entic
act
ivity
is s
omet
hing
rea
l tha
t rea
l peo
ple
in th
e re
alw
orld
rea
lly d
o, d
one
the
way
rea
l peo
ple
real
ly d
o it,
for
real
re
ason
s th
at r
eally
mat
ter.
Thin
k of
it th
is w
ay:
Som
ethin
g r
eal …
Is th
e ac
tivity
per
form
ed in
the
real
wor
ld?
Can
I sh
ow th
e ki
ds a
rea
l wor
ld m
odel
? C
an w
e de
velo
p re
alw
orld
crit
eria
to d
escr
ibe
the
proc
ess
and/
or th
e re
sult?
… t
hat
rea
l peo
ple
in t
he
real
worl
d r
eally
do, …
Who
does
this
? C
an w
e le
arn
abou
t rea
l peo
ple
who
do
this
rea
l ac
tivity
? U
nder
wha
t circ
umst
ance
s do
they
do
it?
… d
one
the
way
rea
l peo
ple
rea
lly d
o it,
…H
ow d
o re
alpe
ople
do
this
? W
hat i
s th
eir
"wor
k pr
oces
s”?
Wha
t str
ateg
ies
do th
ey u
se to
sol
ve th
e pr
oble
ms
they
enc
ount
er?
… f
or
real
rea
sons
that
rea
lly m
atte
r.W
hy d
o pe
ople
do
this
? W
ho is
the
audi
ence
? H
ow c
an w
e pr
ovid
e a
"rea
l wor
ld"
soci
al c
onte
xt fo
r th
is a
ctiv
ity?
Ther
e’s
noth
ing
wro
ng w
ith d
oing
inau
then
tic a
ctiv
ities
. We
doth
em a
ll th
e tim
e in
our
ow
n liv
es. I
n th
e cl
assr
oom
we
do th
emto
bui
ld c
omm
unity
, eas
e te
nsio
n or
just
to h
ave
fun.
Not
ev
eryt
hing
we
do in
sch
ool n
eed
be a
uthe
ntic
, nor
is th
ere
any
such
thin
g as
a c
ompl
etel
y au
then
tic s
choo
l act
ivity
. (S
choo
l is
artif
icia
l, af
ter
all.)
But
aut
hent
ic a
ctiv
ities
sho
uld
acco
unt f
or
mos
t of w
hat o
ur c
hild
ren
do in
sch
ool b
ecau
se th
e m
ore
auth
entic
an
activ
ity is
, the
mor
e lik
ely
it is
that
chi
ldre
n w
ill de
velo
p au
then
tic s
kills
by
doin
g it.
Teac
hers
, par
ents
and
stu
dent
s: t
hese
thi
nkin
g sk
ills
stra
tegi
es a
re b
roug
ht t
o yo
u by
our
New
spap
ers
In E
duca
tion
prog
ram
. Th
is s
trat
egy
prov
ides
sen
sibl
e ad
vice
on
a se
nsiti
ve t
opic
tha
t af
fect
s ev
ery
teac
her
and
ever
y st
uden
t.
12/6
Exa
mple
the
pers
on b
eing
ass
esse
d?H
ow d
oes
the
asse
ssor
com
mun
icat
e as
sess
men
tin
form
atio
n to
the
per
son
bein
g as
sess
ed?
… w
ould
rea
lly u
se …
Wha
t in
form
atio
n ca
n be
gath
ered
with
out
affe
ctin
gth
e re
sults
? W
hat
info
rmat
ion
can
be u
sed
to g
uide
our
inst
ruct
ion?
How
is s
peci
ficin
stru
ctio
n co
nnec
ted
to
spec
ific
outc
omes
?
… in
the
rea
l wor
ld.
How
is t
his
asse
ssm
ent
info
rmat
ion
used
in t
he
real
wor
ld?
Wha
t ar
e th
eas
sess
or’s
ulti
mat
e re
al-
wor
ld g
oals
? W
hat
is t
heva
lue
of t
he a
sses
smen
tpr
oces
s?N
o cl
assr
oom
ass
ess-
men
t is
eve
r 10
0% a
uthe
ntic
.Th
e be
st w
e ca
n do
whe
nga
ther
ing
info
rmat
ion
abou
tou
r st
uden
ts is
to
ask
ours
elve
s th
ese
ques
tions
and
do o
ur b
est
to a
nsw
erth
em.
Aut
hent
icity
det
erm
ines
the
relia
bilit
y of
the
ass
ess-
men
t in
form
atio
n yo
u ga
ther
.Th
e m
ore
auth
entic
ally
it is
gath
ered
, the
mor
e it
will
help
you
fig
ure
out
wha
t to
tea
ch.
Whe
neve
r po
ssib
le, t
ryto
bas
e yo
ur in
stru
ctio
nal
deci
sion
s on
info
rmat
ion
you
have
gat
here
d in
an
auth
entic
way
. Try
als
o to
redu
ce t
he a
mou
nt o
f tim
e,ef
fort
and
ene
rgy
you
put
into
inau
then
tic m
etho
ds
of g
athe
ring
asse
ssm
ent
info
rmat
ion
such
as
test
s,w
orks
heet
s, t
extb
ook
exer
cise
s an
d so
on.
Effe
ctive
Lea
rnin
g Se
ries
hat
is
Auth
enti
cA
sses
smen
t?Th
e w
ord
"aut
hent
ic"
sim
ply
mea
ns "
real
."A
uthe
ntic
ass
essm
ent
is a
real
way
of g
athe
ring
perf
orm
ance
info
rmat
ion
that
a r
eal p
erso
n w
ould
real
ly u
se in
the
rea
l wor
ld.
So
wha
t do
es t
hat
real
lym
ean?
Wel
l, if
you
brea
k it
dow
n an
d ap
ply
it to
the
activ
ities
you
ass
ess
inyo
ur c
lass
room
, you
can
thin
k ab
out
it th
is w
ay:
A r
eal w
ay o
f ga
ther
ing
real
per
form
ance
in
form
atio
n …
H
ow is
info
rmat
ion
gath
ered
abo
ut t
his
activ
ityin
the
rea
l wor
ld?
Wha
tin
form
atio
n is
wor
th
gath
erin
g? W
hy d
o pe
ople
in t
he r
eal w
orld
do
this
?
… t
hat
a re
al p
erso
n …
Wha
t ro
le d
oes
this
per
son
play
in t
he r
eal w
orld
? In
the
real
wor
ld, w
hat
is t
heas
sess
or’s
rel
atio
nshi
p to
You’
ll fin
d m
ore
info
rmat
ion
abou
tas
sess
men
t in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
esN
IE s
ectio
n of
the
Tea
chin
g Th
atM
akes
Sen
se W
eb s
ite. Y
ou c
anev
en d
ownl
oad
free
cop
ies
ofar
ticle
s or
sen
d th
em t
o yo
urfr
iend
s vi
a e-
mai
l. Ju
st g
o to
ww
w.tt
ms.
org.
For
mor
e in
form
atio
n ab
out
NIE
,vi
sit
seat
tletim
es.c
om/n
ie.
On
the
Web
Hav
e st
uden
ts s
urve
y Th
eS
eatt
le T
imes
to
find
thin
gspe
ople
do
in t
he r
eal w
orld
that
the
y co
uld
purs
ue in
clas
s. T
he n
ewsp
aper
feat
ures
ever
y ki
nd o
f pro
fess
iona
lca
reer
or
past
ime.
It is
a fa
irre
pres
enta
tion
of t
he w
orld
arou
nd u
s an
d a
good
mod
elw
e ca
n us
e fo
r in
stru
ctio
nal
cont
ent.
In t
he N
ewsp
aper
Talk
to
kids
abo
ut a
uthe
ntic
ity.
Tell
them
how
thi
ngs
done
insc
hool
rel
ate
to r
eal t
hing
sou
tsid
e of
sch
ool;
how
writ
ers
real
ly w
rite,
how
rea
ders
rea
llyre
ad, a
nd h
ow s
cien
tists
and
mat
hem
atic
ians
go
abou
t th
eir
wor
k. A
nd d
o yo
ur b
est
tom
odel
cla
ssro
om p
ract
ice
onth
e re
al w
orld
.
Inte
rmed
iate
Act
ivity
Issu
e 3
5: A
sse
ssm
en
t T
ha
t M
ak
es
Se
nse
,P
art
1(2
of
3)
The
Effe
ctiv
e Le
arni
ng S
erie
s is
par
t of
a 3
5-w
eek
curr
icul
umfo
r im
prov
ing
basi
c th
inki
ng s
kills
.Use
ful f
or t
each
ers,
hom
esc
hool
ers,
par
ents
and
stu
dent
s al
ike,
new
issu
es a
ppea
r in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es o
n M
onda
y, W
edne
sday
and
Frid
ay.I
f yo
um
isse
d an
y in
thi
s se
ries,
you
can
ord
er b
ack
issu
es b
y ca
lling
Circ
ulat
ion
back
cop
ies
at 2
06/4
64-2
001.
206/
652-
6290
•
1-88
8/77
5-26
55
Asse
ssm
ent T
hat M
akes
Sen
se,P
art 1
W
‘@ @
33333333333333333333333333333
©1995–2000 by Steve Peha.Used by permission.Copies may be made for non-commercial purposes only.
Ste
ve P
eha
is t
he P
resi
dent
of
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
se, a
n ed
ucat
ion
cons
ultin
g co
mpa
ny in
Sea
ttle
, WA
. Vis
it hi
s W
eb s
ite a
tw
ww
.ttm
s.or
g or
sen
d hi
m a
co
mm
ent
abou
t th
is a
rtic
le a
t st
evep
eha@
ttm
s.or
g.
What
is
an A
uth
entic
Act
ivity?
Onc
e yo
u se
e th
e va
lue
of a
uthe
ntic
ass
essm
ent,
you
begi
n to
see
the
nece
ssity
of h
avin
g st
uden
ts p
ursu
e au
then
tic a
ctiv
ities
.B
ut w
hat e
xact
ly is
an
auth
entic
act
ivity
?
An
auth
entic
act
ivity
is s
omet
hing
rea
l tha
t rea
l peo
ple
in th
e re
alw
orld
rea
lly d
o, d
one
the
way
rea
l peo
ple
real
ly d
o it,
for
real
re
ason
s th
at r
eally
mat
ter.
Thin
k of
it th
is w
ay:
Som
ethin
g r
eal …
Is th
e ac
tivity
per
form
ed in
the
real
wor
ld?
Can
I sh
ow th
e ki
ds a
rea
l wor
ld m
odel
? C
an w
e de
velo
p re
alw
orld
crit
eria
to d
escr
ibe
the
proc
ess
and/
or th
e re
sult?
… t
hat
rea
l peo
ple
in t
he
real
worl
d r
eally
do, …
Who
does
this
? C
an w
e le
arn
abou
t rea
l peo
ple
who
do
this
rea
l ac
tivity
? U
nder
wha
t circ
umst
ance
s do
they
do
it?
… d
one
the
way
rea
l peo
ple
rea
lly d
o it,
…H
ow d
o re
alpe
ople
do
this
? W
hat i
s th
eir
"wor
k pr
oces
s”?
Wha
t str
ateg
ies
do th
ey u
se to
sol
ve th
e pr
oble
ms
they
enc
ount
er?
… f
or
real
rea
sons
that
rea
lly m
atte
r.W
hy d
o pe
ople
do
this
? W
ho is
the
audi
ence
? H
ow c
an w
e pr
ovid
e a
"rea
l wor
ld"
soci
al c
onte
xt fo
r th
is a
ctiv
ity?
Ther
e’s
noth
ing
wro
ng w
ith d
oing
inau
then
tic a
ctiv
ities
. We
doth
em a
ll th
e tim
e in
our
ow
n liv
es. I
n th
e cl
assr
oom
we
do th
emto
bui
ld c
omm
unity
, eas
e te
nsio
n or
just
to h
ave
fun.
Not
ev
eryt
hing
we
do in
sch
ool n
eed
be a
uthe
ntic
, nor
is th
ere
any
such
thin
g as
a c
ompl
etel
y au
then
tic s
choo
l act
ivity
. (S
choo
l is
artif
icia
l, af
ter
all.)
But
aut
hent
ic a
ctiv
ities
sho
uld
acco
unt f
or
mos
t of w
hat o
ur c
hild
ren
do in
sch
ool b
ecau
se th
e m
ore
auth
entic
an
activ
ity is
, the
mor
e lik
ely
it is
that
chi
ldre
n w
ill de
velo
p au
then
tic s
kills
by
doin
g it.
Teac
hers
, par
ents
and
stu
dent
s: t
hese
thi
nkin
g sk
ills
stra
tegi
es a
re b
roug
ht t
o yo
u by
our
New
spap
ers
In E
duca
tion
prog
ram
. Th
is s
trat
egy
prov
ides
sen
sibl
e ad
vice
on
a se
nsiti
ve t
opic
tha
t af
fect
s ev
ery
teac
her
and
ever
y st
uden
t.
12/6
Exa
mple
test
ing
is e
xpen
sive
, tim
eco
nsum
ing
and
som
e-tim
es u
ncom
fort
able
. The
sam
e is
tru
e of
tes
ting
inth
e cl
assr
oom
.
Eva
luat
e th
e P
rob
lem
,P
rop
ose
the
Solu
tion
Imag
ine
how
fru
stra
ting
it w
ould
be
if yo
u w
ere
told
by y
our
doct
or
that
you
had
a pr
oble
m —
and
tha
tw
as it
. No
advi
ce, n
oco
urse
of
trea
tmen
t. N
oin
form
atio
n ab
out
how
the
prob
lem
aro
se o
r w
hat
todo
abo
ut it
in t
he f
utur
e.Fo
rtun
atel
y, m
ost
of t
hetim
e, d
octo
rs p
rovi
de a
spec
ific
cour
se o
f ac
tion
aspa
rt o
f th
eir
eval
uatio
n.Ed
ucat
iona
l eva
luat
ions
shou
ld b
e th
e sa
me.
Ther
e’s
noth
ing
mor
e fr
ustr
atin
g th
an k
now
ing
som
ethi
ng is
wro
ng a
ndno
t kn
owin
g w
hat
to d
o ab
out
it.
Pro
vid
e P
urp
ose
ful
Rep
ort
ing
Whe
n do
ctor
s re
port
thei
r fin
ding
s, t
hey
do s
o w
ith s
peci
fic p
urpo
ses
inm
ind.
Gen
eral
ly, t
hey
are
conc
erne
d w
ith t
he p
atie
nt’s
unde
rsta
ndin
g of
wha
t th
eyha
ve t
o sa
y. T
hey
wan
t to
mak
e su
re t
he p
atie
nt h
asth
e in
form
atio
n he
or
she
need
s to
par
ticip
ate
fully
and
effe
ctiv
ely
in t
he c
ours
e of
trea
tmen
t. If
pare
nts
and
stud
ents
had
info
rmat
ion
like
this
, the
y m
ight
not
onl
yfe
el b
ette
r, th
ey m
ight
do
bett
er w
hen
it co
mes
to
reso
lvin
g pr
oble
ms
and
mak
ing
prog
ress
.
Effe
ctive
Lea
rnin
g Se
ries
You’
ll fin
d m
ore
info
rmat
ion
abou
t as
sess
men
t in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es N
IE s
ectio
n of
the
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
seW
eb s
ite. Y
ou c
an e
ven
dow
n-lo
ad fr
ee c
opie
s of
art
icle
s or
send
the
m t
o yo
ur fr
iend
s vi
a e-
mai
l. Ju
st g
o to
ww
w.tt
ms.
org.
For
mor
e in
form
atio
n ab
out
NIE
,vi
sit
seat
tletim
es.c
om/n
ie.
On
the
Web
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es a
rtic
les
are
full
of e
valu
atio
ns a
nd r
epor
ts.
Do
thes
e fo
llow
the
gui
delin
esfo
r ef
fect
ive
eval
uatio
n an
dre
port
ing?
Doe
s th
e ne
ws
med
iado
a g
ood
job
of g
athe
ring
and
supp
lyin
g al
l the
info
rmat
ion
itsre
ader
s ne
ed t
o un
ders
tand
th
e ev
alua
tions
and
rep
orts
th
ey r
ead?
In t
he N
ewsp
aper
Usi
ng t
he c
riter
ia s
uppl
ied
in t
heex
ampl
e on
goo
d ev
alua
tions
and
good
rep
orts
, tal
k w
ith y
our
stud
ents
abo
ut t
he e
valu
atio
nsan
d re
port
s yo
u gi
ve t
hem
. Hel
pst
uden
ts u
nder
stan
d th
e pu
rpos
eof
you
r ev
alua
tions
and
how
you
choo
se t
o re
port
you
r ev
alua
tions
to t
hem
and
to
thei
r pa
rent
s.
Adv
ance
d A
ctivi
ty
Issu
e 3
6: A
sse
ssm
en
t T
ha
t M
ak
es
Se
nse
,P
art
1(3
of
3)
The
Effe
ctiv
e Le
arni
ng S
erie
s is
par
t of
a 3
5-w
eek
curr
icul
umfo
r im
prov
ing
basi
c th
inki
ng s
kills
.Use
ful f
or t
each
ers,
hom
esc
hool
ers,
par
ents
and
stu
dent
s al
ike,
new
issu
es a
ppea
r in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es o
n M
onda
y, W
edne
sday
and
Frid
ay.I
f yo
um
isse
d an
y in
thi
s se
ries,
you
can
ord
er b
ack
issu
es b
y ca
lling
Circ
ulat
ion
back
cop
ies
at 2
06/4
64-2
001.
206/
652-
6290
•
1-88
8/77
5-26
55
Asse
ssm
ent T
hat M
akes
Sen
se,P
art 1
A
‘@ @
33333333333333333333333333333
©1995–2000 by Steve Peha.Used by permission.Copies may be made for non-commercial purposes only.
Ste
ve P
eha
is t
he P
resi
dent
of
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
se, a
n ed
ucat
ion
cons
ultin
g co
mpa
ny in
Sea
ttle
, WA
. Vis
it hi
s W
eb s
ite a
tw
ww
.ttm
s.or
g or
sen
d hi
m a
co
mm
ent
abou
t th
is a
rtic
le a
t st
evep
eha@
ttm
s.or
g.
What
is
Eva
luat
ion?
Eval
uatio
n is
dec
isio
n-m
akin
g ba
sed
upon
the
info
rmat
ion
gath
ered
thro
ugh
asse
ssm
ent.
You
know
you
’re e
valu
atin
g w
hen
you’
re th
inki
ng s
omet
hing
like
this
: "Fr
om th
e as
sess
men
tda
ta I
gath
ered
, I c
an s
ee m
y ki
ds a
re n
ot d
oing
wel
l with
se
nten
ce p
unct
uatio
n."
An
eval
uatio
n is
onl
y as
val
uabl
e as
the
actio
n ta
ken
in r
espo
nse
to it
. You
kno
w y
ou’re
res
pond
ing
wel
l to
an e
valu
atio
n w
hen
you’
re th
inki
ng s
omet
hing
like
this
:
"Bec
ause
I no
ticed
that
man
y ki
ds w
ere
not u
sing
per
iods
and
capi
tals
cor
rect
ly, I'
ll te
ach
som
e se
nten
ce p
unct
uatio
n m
ini-
less
ons
in w
ritin
g an
d su
ppor
t tha
t with
sim
ple
inqu
iry a
ctiv
ities
durin
g re
adin
g tim
e w
here
I’ll
have
the
kids
iden
tify
sent
ence
boun
darie
s by
ear
usi
ng e
xpre
ssiv
e re
adin
g te
chni
ques
."
A g
ood
eval
uatio
n: (1
) inc
lude
s a
spec
ific
plan
of a
ctio
n; (2
) use
sth
e as
sess
men
t dat
a as
its
ratio
nale
; (3)
val
ues
the
wor
k, n
ot
the
wor
ker.
Bef
ore
you
crea
te a
n ev
alua
tion,
ask
you
rsel
f thi
s qu
estio
n: "
How
do I
know
the
plan
I ha
ve o
utlin
ed w
ill ad
dres
s th
e ne
eds
I hav
eid
entif
ied
thro
ugh
asse
ssm
ent?
"
What
is
Rep
ort
ing?
Rep
ortin
g is
the
way
ass
essm
ent a
nd e
valu
atio
n in
form
atio
n ar
eco
mm
unic
ated
to o
ther
s. Y
ou k
now
you
’re r
epor
ting
whe
n yo
ufin
d yo
urse
lf sh
arin
g yo
ur a
sses
smen
t and
eva
luat
ion
info
rmat
ion
with
a p
aren
t, a
stud
ent,
a te
ache
r, or
an
adm
inis
trat
or.
A g
ood
repo
rt: (
1) Is
pre
sent
ed in
a fo
rm th
at is
acc
essi
ble
to it
sin
tend
ed a
udie
nce
and
writ
ten
in la
ngua
ge th
ey u
nder
stan
d; (2
)R
efer
ence
s au
then
tic s
tude
nt w
ork;
and
(3) P
rovi
des
its a
udie
nce
with
info
rmat
ion
that
can
be
used
to c
onst
ruct
spe
cific
sol
utio
nsto
issu
es o
f con
cern
.
Bef
ore
you
prod
uce
a re
port
, ask
you
rsel
f the
se q
uest
ions
:"W
hat i
s m
y pu
rpos
e in
sha
ring
this
info
rmat
ion?
Wha
t do
I wan
tm
y au
dien
ce to
do
with
it?"
Teac
hers
, par
ents
and
stu
dent
s: t
hese
thi
nkin
g sk
ills
stra
tegi
es a
re b
roug
ht t
o yo
u by
our
New
spap
ers
In E
duca
tion
prog
ram
. Th
is s
trat
egy
prov
ides
sen
sibl
e ad
vice
on
a se
nsiti
ve t
opic
tha
t af
fect
s ev
ery
teac
her
and
ever
y st
uden
t.
12/8
Exa
mple
Med
ical
Mod
el o
fA
sses
smen
t, E
valu
atio
nan
d R
eport
ing
A m
an g
oes
for
a ph
ysic
al.
The
doct
or r
eque
sts
cert
ain
test
s. A
wee
k la
ter,
the
doct
or r
ecei
ves
resu
lts
indi
catin
g th
at t
he p
atie
nt h
asa
cert
ain
cond
ition
. The
do
ctor
not
ifies
the
pat
ient
and
reco
mm
ends
a c
ours
e of
tre
atm
ent.
Dur
ing
that
cour
se o
f tr
eatm
ent,
doct
oran
d pa
tient
com
mun
icat
e to
dete
rmin
e its
effe
ctiv
enes
san
d to
mak
e ad
just
men
ts
as n
eede
d.W
hile
tea
chin
g is
n’t
exac
tly li
ke d
octo
ring,
we
coul
d pr
obab
ly a
ll ta
ke a
le
sson
fro
m o
ur G
P w
hen
itco
mes
to
asse
ssin
g,
eval
uatin
g an
d re
port
ing
stud
ent
lear
ning
.
Cond
uct
Mea
nin
gfu
lA
sses
smen
tsD
octo
rs h
ave
stro
ng
ratio
nale
for
the
tes
ts t
hey
cond
uct.
They
kno
w t
hat
both
tea
cher
and
stu
dent
.It
also
hel
ps p
aren
ts g
et
a be
tter
not
ion
of w
hat
thei
r ki
ds a
re d
oing
(or
no
t do
ing)
in c
lass
. But
itdo
esn’
t ne
cess
arily
impr
ove
asse
ssm
ent.
It’s
not
Ass
essm
ent
Unle
ss…
Just
say
ing
that
you
’re
doin
g cr
iteria
-bas
edas
sess
men
t do
esn’
t m
ake
it so
. And
nei
ther
doe
s a
crite
ria li
st. O
ften,
teac
hers
crea
te c
riter
ia s
impl
y fo
rth
e pu
rpos
e of
det
erm
inin
ga
grad
e. U
sing
crit
eria
sole
ly a
s a
mea
ns o
f gr
adin
g do
es li
ttle
for
asse
ssm
ent.
To u
se c
riter
ia f
or t
rue
asse
ssm
ent
purp
oses
,te
ache
rs m
ust
use
thei
rcr
iteria
and
the
ir st
uden
ts’
perf
orm
ance
rel
ativ
e to
thos
e cr
iteria
to
dete
rmin
eap
prop
riate
inst
ruct
ion.
A
ll to
o of
ten,
stu
dent
s ar
e as
sess
ed a
gain
st t
he
crite
ria f
or a
giv
en p
roje
ctan
d th
en, r
egar
dles
s of
how
they
do,
the
tea
cher
mov
eson
to
a ne
w a
rea
of s
tudy
.If
we
use
crite
ria m
erel
yas
ano
ther
for
m o
f gr
adin
g,w
e’re
con
fusi
ng t
he is
sue
and
hurt
ing
our
kids
. The
real
val
ue in
crit
eria
com
esno
t fr
om t
he e
xist
ence
of
high
sta
ndar
ds a
nd c
lear
ta
rget
s, b
ut fr
om th
e ta
ngib
lefr
amew
ork
they
pro
vide
for
expl
icit
inst
ruct
ion.
Effe
ctive
Lea
rnin
g Se
ries
rite
ria-
Bas
edA
sses
smen
tIn
the
199
0s, e
duca
tors
got
a gr
eat
idea
: Why
not
tell
kids
wha
t w
e w
ant
them
to
do b
efor
e th
eyst
art
doin
g it?
And
so
the
age
of c
riter
ia-b
ased
asse
ssm
ent
was
bor
n.N
ow it
see
ms
that
kid
s us
e cr
iteria
to
do ju
st
abou
t ev
eryt
hing
.In
the
goo
d ol
d da
ys,
teac
hers
wou
ld g
ive
assi
gnm
ents
and
stu
dent
sw
ould
do
thei
r be
st t
o hi
tth
e m
ark,
oft
en g
uess
ing
as t
o w
hat
exac
tly t
hete
ache
r w
as lo
okin
g fo
r.Te
ache
rs f
or t
heir
part
wer
e of
ten
frus
trat
ed
abou
t th
e ga
p be
twee
nw
hat
they
wan
ted
and
wha
t st
uden
ts p
rodu
ced.
Prov
idin
g ki
ds w
ith
tang
ible
writ
ten
info
rmat
ion
desc
ribin
g th
e qu
ality
of
wor
k ex
pect
ed o
f th
emgo
es a
long
way
tow
ard
redu
cing
gue
ssw
ork
for
You’
ll fin
d m
ore
info
rmat
ion
abou
t as
sess
men
t in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es N
IE s
ectio
n of
the
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
seW
eb s
ite. Y
ou c
an e
ven
dow
n-lo
ad fr
ee c
opie
s of
art
icle
s or
send
the
m t
o yo
ur fr
iend
s vi
a e-
mai
l. Ju
st g
o to
ww
w.tt
ms.
org.
For
mor
e in
form
atio
n ab
out
NIE
,vi
sit
seat
tletim
es.c
om/n
ie.
On
the
Web
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es h
as m
any
grea
t m
odel
s of
writ
ing
you
can
wor
k w
ith t
o cr
eate
inte
rest
ing
crite
ria. T
ake
diffe
rent
typ
es o
fst
orie
s an
d w
ork
with
stu
dent
s to
crea
te s
mal
l set
s of
crit
eria
for
each
one
. Enc
oura
ge s
tude
nts
toco
nnec
t th
eir
crite
ria w
ith a
ctua
lte
xt fr
om t
he a
rtic
les.
In t
he N
ewsp
aper
Take
a lo
ok a
t a
set
of c
riter
iayo
u’ve
cre
ated
rec
ently
and
see
how
it c
ompa
res
with
the
adv
ice
give
n in
the
exa
mpl
e. T
hen,
try
anot
her
set
in fr
ont
of t
he k
ids
usin
g an
aut
hent
ic r
eal w
orld
mod
el. S
ee if
thi
s ap
proa
ch
prod
uces
mor
e us
eful
crit
eria
.
Begi
nnin
g A
ctivi
ty
Issu
e 3
7: A
sse
ssm
en
t T
ha
t M
ak
es
Se
nse
,P
art
2(1
of
3)
The
Effe
ctiv
e Le
arni
ng S
erie
s is
par
t of
a 3
5-w
eek
curr
icul
umfo
r im
prov
ing
basi
c th
inki
ng s
kills
.Use
ful f
or t
each
ers,
hom
esc
hool
ers,
par
ents
and
stu
dent
s al
ike,
new
issu
es a
ppea
r in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es o
n M
onda
y, W
edne
sday
and
Frid
ay.I
f yo
um
isse
d an
y in
thi
s se
ries,
you
can
ord
er b
ack
issu
es b
y ca
lling
Circ
ulat
ion
back
cop
ies
at 2
06/4
64-2
001.
206/
652-
6290
•
1-88
8/77
5-26
55
Asse
ssm
ent T
hat M
akes
Sen
se,P
art 2
C
‘@ @
33333333333333333333333333333
©1995–2000 by Steve Peha.Used by permission.Copies may be made for non-commercial purposes only.
Ste
ve P
eha
is t
he P
resi
dent
of
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
se, a
n ed
ucat
ion
cons
ultin
g co
mpa
ny in
Sea
ttle
, WA
. Vis
it hi
s W
eb s
ite a
tw
ww
.ttm
s.or
g or
sen
d hi
m a
co
mm
ent
abou
t th
is a
rtic
le a
t st
evep
eha@
ttm
s.or
g.
Cri
teri
a fo
r C
rite
ria
The
succ
ess
of c
riter
ia d
epen
ds o
n ho
w w
e m
ake
them
and
ho
w w
e us
e th
em. W
hen
crea
ting
crite
ria, k
eep
thes
e th
ree
thin
gs in
min
d:
(1)
Bas
e cr
iter
ia o
n a
uth
entic
model
s.W
hen
we
thin
kab
out d
evel
opin
g cr
iteria
, our
nat
ural
inst
inct
is to
beg
in
crea
ting
a de
scrip
tion
of w
hat w
e’d
like
stud
ents
to d
o. B
ut
this
is b
ackw
ards
. It m
akes
mor
e se
nse
to s
tart
with
a m
odel
an
d th
en c
reat
e a
desc
riptio
n ba
sed
on th
e w
ork
in fr
ont o
f us.
(2)
Dev
elop t
he
languag
e w
ith t
he
studen
ts.M
ost o
fth
e tim
e, te
ache
rs li
ke to
mak
e up
thei
r ow
n cr
iteria
and
pre
sent
them
to s
tude
nts.
But
this
isn’
t the
bes
t way
to g
o. It
’s m
uch
mor
e ef
fect
ive
to g
ive
stud
ents
a h
and
in c
reat
ing
thei
r ow
n cr
iteria
bas
ed o
n au
then
tic m
odel
s.
(3)
Kee
p t
he
criter
ia lis
t as
short
as
poss
ible
.Onc
e a
list o
f crit
eria
item
s ge
ts b
eyon
d 8
or 1
0, it
bec
omes
unw
ield
y.K
ids
can’
t rem
embe
r it
easi
ly a
nd r
eadi
ly a
pply
it to
thei
r w
ork.
Som
e te
ache
rs li
ke to
cre
ate
full
blow
n ru
bric
s w
ith s
epar
ate
desc
riptio
ns fo
r di
ffere
nt le
vels
of p
erfo
rman
ce. I
t’s b
ette
r to
cr
eate
one
set
of c
riter
ia r
epre
sent
ing
the
best
per
form
ance
an
d ha
ve s
tude
nts
conc
entr
ate
on th
at.
Whe
n us
ing
crite
ria, t
hink
abo
ut th
ese
thre
e th
ings
:
(1)
Teac
h c
rite
ria
item
s ex
plic
itly
.For
eac
h ite
m o
n yo
urcr
iteria
list
, offe
r st
uden
ts e
xplic
it in
stru
ctio
n. J
ust u
se y
our
list a
sa
list o
f les
sons
and
mak
e su
re s
tude
nts
unde
rsta
nd w
hat e
ach
item
mea
ns, w
hy e
ach
item
is im
port
ant,
and
how
to p
rodu
ceea
ch it
em in
thei
r ow
n w
ork.
Lac
k of
exp
licit
inst
ruct
ion
is th
enu
mbe
r on
e re
ason
kid
s fa
il cr
iteria
-bas
ed a
sses
smen
ts.
(2)
Teac
h s
tuden
ts t
o s
elf-
asse
ss.T
he c
riter
ia a
re m
ore
valu
able
to th
e st
uden
ts th
an to
the
teac
her.
In s
ome
case
s, th
ecr
iteria
them
selv
es m
ay r
epre
sent
the
lear
ning
we
wan
t kid
s to
achi
eve.
The
onl
y w
ay fo
r cr
iteria
to b
e tr
uly
help
ful t
o st
uden
ts
is if
they
kno
w h
ow to
app
ly th
ose
crite
ria a
ccur
atel
y to
thei
r ow
n w
ork.
(3)
Use
res
ults
to g
uid
e in
stru
ctio
n. O
nce
stud
ents
hav
epr
oduc
ed w
ork
usin
g th
e cr
iteria
, don
’t ju
st r
ecor
d it
in a
gra
debo
ok a
nd m
ove
on. L
ook
at h
ow th
e cl
ass
perfo
rms
as a
who
lean
d us
e th
e re
sults
to d
eter
min
e fu
rthe
r in
stru
ctio
n. H
avin
g a
good
set
of c
riter
ia p
rovi
des
a so
lid in
stru
ctio
nal f
ram
ewor
k. B
utif
you
don’
t use
the
asse
ssm
ent d
ata
to g
uide
new
inst
ruct
ion,
that
fram
ewor
k ha
s lit
tle v
alue
.
Teac
hers
, par
ents
and
stu
dent
s: t
hese
thi
nkin
g sk
ills
stra
tegi
es a
re b
roug
ht t
o yo
u by
our
New
spap
ers
In E
duca
tion
prog
ram
. Th
is s
trat
egy
prov
ides
sen
sibl
e ad
vice
on
a se
nsiti
ve t
opic
tha
t af
fect
s ev
ery
teac
her
and
ever
y st
uden
t.
12/1
1
Exa
mple
both
tea
cher
and
stu
dent
.It
also
hel
ps p
aren
ts g
et
a be
tter
not
ion
of w
hat
thei
r ki
ds a
re d
oing
(or
no
t do
ing)
in c
lass
. But
itdo
esn’
t ne
cess
arily
impr
ove
asse
ssm
ent.
It’s
not
Ass
essm
ent
Unle
ss…
Just
say
ing
that
you
’re
doin
g cr
iteria
-bas
edas
sess
men
t do
esn’
t m
ake
it so
. And
nei
ther
doe
s a
crite
ria li
st. O
ften,
teac
hers
crea
te c
riter
ia s
impl
y fo
rth
e pu
rpos
e of
det
erm
inin
ga
grad
e. U
sing
crit
eria
sole
ly a
s a
mea
ns o
f gr
adin
g do
es li
ttle
for
asse
ssm
ent.
To u
se c
riter
ia f
or t
rue
asse
ssm
ent
purp
oses
,te
ache
rs m
ust
use
thei
rcr
iteria
and
the
ir st
uden
ts’
perf
orm
ance
rel
ativ
e to
thos
e cr
iteria
to
dete
rmin
eap
prop
riate
inst
ruct
ion.
A
ll to
o of
ten,
stu
dent
s ar
e as
sess
ed a
gain
st t
he
crite
ria f
or a
giv
en p
roje
ctan
d th
en, r
egar
dles
s of
how
they
do,
the
tea
cher
mov
eson
to
a ne
w a
rea
of s
tudy
.If
we
use
crite
ria m
erel
yas
ano
ther
for
m o
f gr
adin
g,w
e’re
con
fusi
ng t
he is
sue
and
hurt
ing
our
kids
. The
real
val
ue in
crit
eria
com
esno
t fr
om t
he e
xist
ence
of
high
sta
ndar
ds a
nd c
lear
ta
rget
s, b
ut fr
om th
e ta
ngib
lefr
amew
ork
they
pro
vide
for
expl
icit
inst
ruct
ion.
Effe
ctive
Lea
rnin
g Se
ries
rite
ria-
Bas
edA
sses
smen
tIn
the
199
0s, e
duca
tors
got
a gr
eat
idea
: Why
not
tell
kids
wha
t w
e w
ant
them
to
do b
efor
e th
eyst
art
doin
g it?
And
so
the
age
of c
riter
ia-b
ased
asse
ssm
ent
was
bor
n.N
ow it
see
ms
that
kid
s us
e cr
iteria
to
do ju
st
abou
t ev
eryt
hing
.In
the
goo
d ol
d da
ys,
teac
hers
wou
ld g
ive
assi
gnm
ents
and
stu
dent
sw
ould
do
thei
r be
st t
o hi
tth
e m
ark,
oft
en g
uess
ing
as t
o w
hat
exac
tly t
hete
ache
r w
as lo
okin
g fo
r.Te
ache
rs f
or t
heir
part
wer
e of
ten
frus
trat
ed
abou
t th
e ga
p be
twee
nw
hat
they
wan
ted
and
wha
t st
uden
ts p
rodu
ced.
Prov
idin
g ki
ds w
ith
tang
ible
writ
ten
info
rmat
ion
desc
ribin
g th
e qu
ality
of
wor
k ex
pect
ed o
f th
emgo
es a
long
way
tow
ard
redu
cing
gue
ssw
ork
for
You’
ll fin
d m
ore
info
rmat
ion
abou
t as
sess
men
t in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es N
IE s
ectio
n of
the
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
seW
eb s
ite. Y
ou c
an e
ven
dow
n-lo
ad fr
ee c
opie
s of
art
icle
s or
send
the
m t
o yo
ur fr
iend
s vi
a e-
mai
l. Ju
st g
o to
ww
w.tt
ms.
org.
For
mor
e in
form
atio
n ab
out
NIE
,vi
sit
seat
tletim
es.c
om/n
ie.
On
the
Web
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es h
as m
any
grea
t m
odel
s of
writ
ing
you
can
wor
k w
ith t
o cr
eate
inte
rest
ing
crite
ria. T
ake
diffe
rent
typ
es o
fst
orie
s an
d w
ork
with
stu
dent
s to
crea
te s
mal
l set
s of
crit
eria
for
each
one
. Enc
oura
ge s
tude
nts
toco
nnec
t th
eir
crite
ria w
ith a
ctua
lte
xt fr
om t
he a
rtic
les.
In t
he N
ewsp
aper
Take
a lo
ok a
t a
set
of c
riter
iayo
u’ve
cre
ated
rec
ently
and
see
how
it c
ompa
res
with
the
adv
ice
give
n in
the
exa
mpl
e. T
hen,
try
anot
her
set
in fr
ont
of t
he k
ids
usin
g an
aut
hent
ic r
eal w
orld
mod
el. S
ee if
thi
s ap
proa
ch
prod
uces
mor
e us
eful
crit
eria
.
Begi
nnin
g A
ctivi
ty
Issu
e 3
7: A
sse
ssm
en
t T
ha
t M
ak
es
Se
nse
,P
art
2(1
of
3)
The
Effe
ctiv
e Le
arni
ng S
erie
s is
par
t of
a 3
5-w
eek
curr
icul
umfo
r im
prov
ing
basi
c th
inki
ng s
kills
.Use
ful f
or t
each
ers,
hom
esc
hool
ers,
par
ents
and
stu
dent
s al
ike,
new
issu
es a
ppea
r in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es o
n M
onda
y, W
edne
sday
and
Frid
ay.I
f yo
um
isse
d an
y in
thi
s se
ries,
you
can
ord
er b
ack
issu
es b
y ca
lling
Circ
ulat
ion
back
cop
ies
at 2
06/4
64-2
001.
206/
652-
6290
•
1-88
8/77
5-26
55
Asse
ssm
ent T
hat M
akes
Sen
se,P
art 2
C
‘@ @
33333333333333333333333333333
©1995–2000 by Steve Peha.Used by permission.Copies may be made for non-commercial purposes only.
Ste
ve P
eha
is t
he P
resi
dent
of
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
se, a
n ed
ucat
ion
cons
ultin
g co
mpa
ny in
Sea
ttle
, WA
. Vis
it hi
s W
eb s
ite a
tw
ww
.ttm
s.or
g or
sen
d hi
m a
co
mm
ent
abou
t th
is a
rtic
le a
t st
evep
eha@
ttm
s.or
g.
Cri
teri
a fo
r C
rite
ria
The
succ
ess
of c
riter
ia d
epen
ds o
n ho
w w
e m
ake
them
and
ho
w w
e us
e th
em. W
hen
crea
ting
crite
ria, k
eep
thes
e th
ree
thin
gs in
min
d:
(1)
Bas
e cr
iter
ia o
n a
uth
entic
model
s.W
hen
we
thin
kab
out d
evel
opin
g cr
iteria
, our
nat
ural
inst
inct
is to
beg
in
crea
ting
a de
scrip
tion
of w
hat w
e’d
like
stud
ents
to d
o. B
ut
this
is b
ackw
ards
. It m
akes
mor
e se
nse
to s
tart
with
a m
odel
an
d th
en c
reat
e a
desc
riptio
n ba
sed
on th
e w
ork
in fr
ont o
f us.
(2)
Dev
elop t
he
languag
e w
ith t
he
studen
ts.M
ost o
fth
e tim
e, te
ache
rs li
ke to
mak
e up
thei
r ow
n cr
iteria
and
pre
sent
them
to s
tude
nts.
But
this
isn’
t the
bes
t way
to g
o. It
’s m
uch
mor
e ef
fect
ive
to g
ive
stud
ents
a h
and
in c
reat
ing
thei
r ow
n cr
iteria
bas
ed o
n au
then
tic m
odel
s.
(3)
Kee
p t
he
criter
ia lis
t as
short
as
poss
ible
.Onc
e a
list o
f crit
eria
item
s ge
ts b
eyon
d 8
or 1
0, it
bec
omes
unw
ield
y.K
ids
can’
t rem
embe
r it
easi
ly a
nd r
eadi
ly a
pply
it to
thei
r w
ork.
Som
e te
ache
rs li
ke to
cre
ate
full
blow
n ru
bric
s w
ith s
epar
ate
desc
riptio
ns fo
r di
ffere
nt le
vels
of p
erfo
rman
ce. I
t’s b
ette
r to
cr
eate
one
set
of c
riter
ia r
epre
sent
ing
the
best
per
form
ance
an
d ha
ve s
tude
nts
conc
entr
ate
on th
at.
Whe
n us
ing
crite
ria, t
hink
abo
ut th
ese
thre
e th
ings
:
(1)
Teac
h c
rite
ria
item
s ex
plic
itly
.For
eac
h ite
m o
n yo
urcr
iteria
list
, offe
r st
uden
ts e
xplic
it in
stru
ctio
n. J
ust u
se y
our
list a
sa
list o
f les
sons
and
mak
e su
re s
tude
nts
unde
rsta
nd w
hat e
ach
item
mea
ns, w
hy e
ach
item
is im
port
ant,
and
how
to p
rodu
ceea
ch it
em in
thei
r ow
n w
ork.
Lac
k of
exp
licit
inst
ruct
ion
is th
enu
mbe
r on
e re
ason
kid
s fa
il cr
iteria
-bas
ed a
sses
smen
ts.
(2)
Teac
h s
tuden
ts t
o s
elf-
asse
ss.T
he c
riter
ia a
re m
ore
valu
able
to th
e st
uden
ts th
an to
the
teac
her.
In s
ome
case
s, th
ecr
iteria
them
selv
es m
ay r
epre
sent
the
lear
ning
we
wan
t kid
s to
achi
eve.
The
onl
y w
ay fo
r cr
iteria
to b
e tr
uly
help
ful t
o st
uden
ts
is if
they
kno
w h
ow to
app
ly th
ose
crite
ria a
ccur
atel
y to
thei
r ow
n w
ork.
(3)
Use
res
ults
to g
uid
e in
stru
ctio
n. O
nce
stud
ents
hav
epr
oduc
ed w
ork
usin
g th
e cr
iteria
, don
’t ju
st r
ecor
d it
in a
gra
debo
ok a
nd m
ove
on. L
ook
at h
ow th
e cl
ass
perfo
rms
as a
who
lean
d us
e th
e re
sults
to d
eter
min
e fu
rthe
r in
stru
ctio
n. H
avin
g a
good
set
of c
riter
ia p
rovi
des
a so
lid in
stru
ctio
nal f
ram
ewor
k. B
utif
you
don’
t use
the
asse
ssm
ent d
ata
to g
uide
new
inst
ruct
ion,
that
fram
ewor
k ha
s lit
tle v
alue
.
Teac
hers
, par
ents
and
stu
dent
s: t
hese
thi
nkin
g sk
ills
stra
tegi
es a
re b
roug
ht t
o yo
u by
our
New
spap
ers
In E
duca
tion
prog
ram
. Th
is s
trat
egy
prov
ides
sen
sibl
e ad
vice
on
a se
nsiti
ve t
opic
tha
t af
fect
s ev
ery
teac
her
and
ever
y st
uden
t.
12/1
1
Exa
mple
(3)
Ave
rages
are
m
isle
adin
g.
Wha
t do
es
it m
ean
to s
ay t
hat
over
ani
ne-w
eek
perio
d, s
ome-
one
has
lear
ned
82%
of
som
ethi
ng?
The
fact
tha
tm
ost
final
gra
des
for
aco
urse
are
arr
ived
at
thro
ugh
aver
agin
g m
eans
that
the
res
ult
of m
ost
grad
e-ba
sed
eval
uatio
nsm
akes
litt
le s
ense
in t
erm
sof
act
ual s
tude
nt le
arni
ng.
(4)
Stu
den
ts c
an’t
use
gra
des
to i
mp
rove
per
form
ance
.H
ow d
oes
one
chan
ge a
"B
" in
to a
n"A
"? W
hat
exac
tly is
ne
eded
in t
erm
s of
kno
w-
ledg
e ga
ined
or
skill
sac
quire
d? G
rade
s do
n’t
give
stu
dent
s th
e in
form
a-tio
n th
ey n
eed
to im
prov
e.
(5)
Teac
her
s ca
n’t
use
gra
des
to d
eter
min
ein
stru
ctio
n.
Wha
tin
stru
ctio
n do
es a
"B
" st
uden
t ne
ed in
ord
er t
oim
prov
e? H
ow d
oes
the
grad
e in
dica
te t
he in
stru
ctio
nhe
or
she
shou
ld r
ecei
ve?
Gra
des
don’
t te
ll te
ache
rsw
hat
stud
ents
hav
e le
arne
dan
d w
hat
they
nee
d to
lear
n ne
xt.
(6)
Gra
des
do l
ittl
e fo
rst
ud
ents
and
eve
n l
ess
for
teac
her
s.Th
ere
is n
osi
gnifi
cant
res
earc
h th
atsu
ppor
ts le
tter
gra
ding
. It
exis
ts a
s a
trad
ition
onl
y,
a tr
aditi
on t
hat
shou
ld b
equ
estio
ned
and
then
di
scar
ded
in f
avor
of
appr
oach
es t
hat
help
te
ache
rs t
each
, hel
p st
uden
ts le
arn,
and
hel
p pa
rent
s m
ake
good
cho
ices
abou
t th
e ed
ucat
ion
of
thei
r ch
ildre
n.
Effe
ctive
Lea
rnin
g Se
ries
ow
Does
Gra
din
gR
elat
e to
Ass
essm
ent?
Gra
ding
is a
for
m o
fev
alua
tion
not
asse
ssm
ent.
It’s
a ju
dgm
ent
of a
sin
gle
perf
orm
ance
or
a gr
oup
ofpe
rfor
man
ces
aver
aged
over
tim
e. G
radi
ng f
ails
as
an
asse
ssm
ent
tool
fo
r se
vera
l rea
sons
:
(1)
Gra
des
are
re
duct
ive.
No
hum
anle
arni
ng c
an b
e re
duce
d to
a s
ingl
e va
lue
with
out
dist
ortin
g it.
Gra
des
rest
ate
the
actu
al le
arni
ngth
at h
asoc
curr
ed in
a w
ay t
hat
ises
sent
ially
mea
ning
less
.
(2)
Gra
des
are
ar
bit
rary
.D
iffer
ent
teac
hers
ass
ign
grad
es
in d
iffer
ent
way
s. E
ven
whe
n cr
iteria
are
use
d, t
hein
terp
reta
tion
of t
he c
riter
iaan
d th
e fin
al t
rans
-latio
nin
to a
lett
er o
r nu
mbe
r is
high
ly s
ubje
ctiv
e.
You’
ll fin
d m
ore
info
rmat
ion
abou
t as
sess
men
t in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es N
IE s
ectio
n of
the
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
seW
eb s
ite. Y
ou c
an e
ven
dow
n-lo
ad fr
ee c
opie
s of
art
icle
s or
send
the
m t
o yo
ur fr
iend
s vi
a e-
mai
l. Ju
st g
o to
ww
w.tt
ms.
org.
For
mor
e in
form
atio
n ab
out
NIE
,vi
sit
seat
tletim
es.c
om/n
ie.
On
the
Web
For
an e
xerc
ise
in t
he r
idic
ulou
s-ne
ss o
f gra
ding
, hav
e ki
ds g
rade
vario
us p
iece
s in
the
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es. L
ike
ads,
sec
tions
, or
even
who
le e
ditio
ns. H
ave
them
and
the
n tr
y to
just
ify
them
selv
es. I
mag
ine
wha
t it
wou
ld b
e lik
e if
the
new
spap
erus
ed a
gra
ding
sys
tem
. Poi
nt
out
to t
hem
tha
t in
the
rea
l wor
ld,
we
don’
t us
e gr
ades
. We
use
othe
r ra
ting
syst
ems.
In t
he N
ewsp
aper
Intr
oduc
e th
e Th
ree
Ps
mod
el t
oki
ds a
nd a
sk t
hem
wha
t th
ey t
hink
of it
. Ask
the
m t
o te
ll yo
u w
hat
they
thi
nk a
bout
bei
ng g
rade
d on
thin
gs o
ther
tha
n ju
st t
heir
final
perf
orm
ance
. Tal
k to
the
m a
bout
wha
t yo
u va
lue
in s
tude
nts
and
poin
t ou
t th
at t
here
’s m
ore
to li
feth
an d
oing
wel
l on
test
s.
Inte
rmed
iate
Act
ivity
Issu
e 3
8: A
sse
ssm
en
t T
ha
t M
ak
es
Se
nse
,P
art
2(2
of
3)
The
Effe
ctiv
e Le
arni
ng S
erie
s is
par
t of
a 3
5-w
eek
curr
icul
umfo
r im
prov
ing
basi
c th
inki
ng s
kills
.Use
ful f
or t
each
ers,
hom
esc
hool
ers,
par
ents
and
stu
dent
s al
ike,
new
issu
es a
ppea
r in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es o
n M
onda
y, W
edne
sday
and
Frid
ay.I
f yo
um
isse
d an
y in
thi
s se
ries,
you
can
ord
er b
ack
issu
es b
y ca
lling
Circ
ulat
ion
back
cop
ies
at 2
06/4
64-2
001.
206/
652-
6290
•
1-88
8/77
5-26
55
Asse
ssm
ent T
hat M
akes
Sen
se,P
art 2
‘@ @
33333333333333333333333333333
©1995–2000 by Steve Peha.Used by permission.Copies may be made for non-commercial purposes only.
Ste
ve P
eha
is t
he P
resi
dent
of
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
se, a
n ed
ucat
ion
cons
ultin
g co
mpa
ny in
Sea
ttle
, WA
. Vis
it hi
s W
eb s
ite a
tw
ww
.ttm
s.or
g or
sen
d hi
m a
co
mm
ent
abou
t th
is a
rtic
le a
t st
evep
eha@
ttm
s.or
g.
If Y
ou H
ave
to G
rade…
Dub
ious
tra
ditio
n th
at it
is, g
radi
ng h
as b
een
with
us
for
deca
des
and,
like
mos
t of
the
ill-c
onsi
dere
d tr
aditi
ons
of
educ
atio
n, it
will
prob
ably
be
with
us
for
gene
ratio
ns t
o co
me.
But
thi
s do
esn’
t m
ean
that
we
shou
ld c
ontin
ue t
o gr
ade
in
way
s th
at h
urt
and
conf
use
our
stud
ents
. If w
e’re
goi
ng t
ogr
ade,
we
shou
ld d
evel
op (
sim
ple
and
fair)
sys
tem
s, a
nd
that
em
phas
ize
the
lear
ning
we
valu
e m
ost.
The
Thre
e P
sTh
e Th
ree
Ps
appr
oach
to
grad
ing
wor
ks a
s w
ell a
s an
yap
proa
ch t
o gr
adin
g co
uld.
The
tea
cher
arr
ives
at
a gr
ade
byev
alua
ting
a st
uden
t’s p
artic
ipat
ion,
pro
gres
s an
d pe
rfor
man
ce.
A T
hree
Ps
grad
ing
syst
em w
ritin
g cl
ass
mig
ht lo
ok li
ke t
his:
Thes
e cr
iteria
are
est
ablis
hed
durin
g th
e fir
st w
eek
of s
choo
l, in
con
sulta
tion
with
stu
dent
s, a
nd a
pply
to
a se
t of
wor
k th
atst
uden
ts w
ould
cre
ate
over
tim
e an
d as
sem
ble
in s
ome
kind
of
por
tfol
io.
The
wei
ghtin
g of
the
thr
ee a
reas
ince
ntiv
izes
stu
dent
s to
focu
son
par
ticip
atin
g w
ell i
n cl
ass
and
mak
ing
good
pro
gres
s. In
thi
sse
nse,
eve
n th
e be
st s
tude
nts
still
have
to
wor
k ha
rd a
nd le
arn
new
thi
ngs
to r
ecei
ve h
igh
grad
es.
Stu
dent
s ar
e ta
ught
to
asse
ss t
hem
selv
es w
ith t
his
appr
oach
and
part
icip
ate
in t
heir
own
final
gra
ding
. Eac
h st
uden
t su
bmits
his
or h
er o
wn
eval
uatio
n in
eac
h ar
ea, a
long
with
a b
rief
expl
anat
ion
of h
ow t
hey
arriv
ed a
t th
eir
opin
ion,
to
whi
ch
the
teac
her’s
gra
de c
an b
e av
erag
ed.
Teac
hers
, par
ents
and
stu
dent
s: t
hese
thi
nkin
g sk
ills
stra
tegi
es a
re b
roug
ht t
o yo
u by
our
New
spap
ers
In E
duca
tion
prog
ram
. Th
is s
trat
egy
prov
ides
sen
sibl
e ad
vice
on
a se
nsiti
ve t
opic
tha
t af
fect
s ev
ery
teac
her
and
ever
y st
uden
t.
12/1
3
Exa
mple
H
(50%
)
(
33%
)
(1
7%)
Par
tici
pat
ion
Pro
gre
ssP
erfo
rman
ce
Atte
nds
clas
s ea
chda
y.
Follo
ws
dire
ctio
ns.
Sha
res
writ
ing
regu
larly
.
Offe
rs c
onst
ruct
ive
feed
back
to o
ther
s.
Mai
ntai
ns a
writ
er’s
note
book
.
Com
plet
es p
ortfo
liore
quire
men
ts
Impr
oves
in a
bilit
y to
:
Use
writ
ing
stra
te-
gies
inde
pend
ently
.
Kno
w w
hen
own
writ
ing
need
s to
be
rev
ised
.
Edit
own
writ
ing
and
the
writ
ing
of o
ther
s.
Cho
ose
good
writ
ing
topi
cs.
Writ
e in
diff
eren
tfo
rms.
Prod
uces
writ
ing
that
is e
qual
in
qual
ity to
the
best
writ
ing
of o
ther
st
uden
ts a
t thi
sgr
ade
leve
l.
Qua
lity
is d
eter
-m
ined
by
refe
renc
eto
aut
hent
ic s
tude
ntw
ritin
g sa
mpl
es a
ndcl
assr
oom
writ
ing
crite
ria.
(2)A
ccom
plis
hmen
ts.
To a
sses
s le
arni
ng, w
ene
ed to
kno
w w
hat s
tude
nts
have
don
e. W
e ne
edau
then
tic w
ork
sam
ples
and
som
e in
form
alac
coun
ting
of t
he
circ
umst
ance
s by
whi
chth
ey w
ere
crea
ted.
(3)
Goal
s.B
y lo
okin
g at
wha
t st
uden
ts c
an d
o an
dho
w t
hey
do it
, we
can
dete
rmin
e w
here
the
yne
ed t
o go
nex
t. Th
is is
the
hear
t of
the
ass
ess-
men
t pr
oces
s. T
o te
ach
effe
ctiv
ely,
tea
cher
s ne
edto
hav
e cl
ear
lear
ning
goal
s fo
r al
l stu
dent
s.S
tude
nts
and
pare
nts
also
nee
d to
be
awar
e of
thes
e go
als.
(4)
Inst
ruct
ion.
Onc
e a
teac
her
has
mad
e an
asse
ssm
ent,
he o
r sh
e ha
s th
e ta
sk o
f pl
anni
ngap
prop
riate
inst
ruct
ion.
Spe
cific
inst
ruct
ion
shou
ldbe
tar
gete
d to
hel
p sp
ecifi
c st
uden
ts r
each
sp
ecifi
c go
als.
(5)
Sup
port
.S
tude
nts
need
hel
p ou
tsid
e of
cla
ssto
rea
ch t
heir
goal
s. P
aren
tsof
ten
wan
t to
hel
p bu
t do
n’t
know
exa
ctly
wha
t to
do. S
uppo
rt in
form
atio
n is
vita
l if
teac
her,
pare
nt, a
nd
stud
ent
are
to w
ork
toge
ther
effe
ctiv
ely.
The
adva
ntag
e of
re
cord
ing
info
rmat
ion
in
this
form
at is
that
ass
essm
ent,
eval
uatio
n an
d re
port
ing
can
be a
ccom
plis
hed
sim
ulta
neou
sly
in a
n in
tegr
ated
fas
hion
.
Effe
ctive
Lea
rnin
g Se
ries
utt
ing i
t A
llTo
get
her
The
key
to e
ffect
ive
asse
ssm
ent,
eval
uatio
n,an
d re
port
ing
is t
o de
ter-
min
e th
e in
form
atio
n w
ene
ed. T
oo o
ften
, we
spen
dtim
e ga
ther
ing
and
reco
rd-
ing
info
rmat
ion
that
isn’
tve
ry u
sefu
l. Fo
rtun
atel
y,co
mm
on s
ense
(so
met
hing
all t
oo r
are
in t
his
area
of
educ
atio
n) t
ells
us
that
we
need
onl
y tr
ack
five
type
sof
info
rmat
ion:
(1)
Str
ength
s.W
e ne
edto
kno
w w
hat
each
stu
dent
is g
ood
at b
ecau
se n
ewle
arni
ng is
alw
ays
rela
ted
to p
revi
ous
lear
ning
. Eve
ryst
uden
t ha
s st
reng
ths,
and
it is
par
t of
a t
each
er’s
rol
eto
iden
tify
and
nurt
ure
them
. Stu
dent
s w
ho a
reno
t ex
hibi
ting
stre
ngth
sne
ed d
iffer
ent
wor
k to
do.
You’
ll fin
d m
ore
info
rmat
ion
abou
t as
sess
men
t in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es N
IE s
ectio
n of
th
e Te
achi
ng T
hat
Mak
es S
ense
Web
site
. You
can
eve
n do
wn-
load
free
cop
ies
of a
rtic
les
orse
nd t
hem
to
your
frie
nds
via
e-m
ail.
Just
go
to w
ww
.ttm
s.or
g.
For
mor
e in
form
atio
n ab
out
NIE
,vi
sit
seat
tletim
es.c
om/n
ie.
On
the
Web
Take
a lo
ok a
t se
vera
l day
s of
the
new
spap
er a
nd h
ave
your
stud
ents
per
form
a S
AG
ISas
sess
men
t of
the
pap
er a
s a
who
le. S
ee if
the
y ca
n co
me
upw
ith s
ensi
ble
goal
s an
d id
eas
for
inst
ruct
ion
that
the
peo
ple
who
mak
e th
e pa
per
wou
ld u
nder
-st
and
and
appr
ecia
te. S
tres
s th
eim
port
ance
of c
onst
ruct
ive
com
men
ts a
nd p
oint
out
tha
tth
ere’
s no
thin
g ne
gativ
e in
the
SA
GIS
form
at.
In t
he N
ewsp
aper
The
SA
GIS
app
roac
h ca
n be
us
ed o
n ju
st a
bout
any
act
ivity
.In
trod
uce
it to
stu
dent
s an
d ha
ve t
hem
ass
ess
them
selv
es
on s
omet
hing
the
y fe
el t
hey
are
good
at.
Ask
the
m t
o ar
ticul
ate
the
kind
s of
inst
ruct
ion
and
supp
ort
they
wou
ld li
ke t
o re
adth
eir
goal
s.
Adv
ance
d A
ctivi
ty
Issu
e 3
9: A
sse
ssm
en
t T
ha
t M
ak
es
Se
nse
,P
art
2(3
of
3)
The
Effe
ctiv
e Le
arni
ng S
erie
s is
par
t of
a 3
5-w
eek
curr
icul
umfo
r im
prov
ing
basi
c th
inki
ng s
kills
.Use
ful f
or t
each
ers,
hom
esc
hool
ers,
par
ents
and
stu
dent
s al
ike,
new
issu
es a
ppea
r in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es o
n M
onda
y, W
edne
sday
and
Frid
ay.I
f yo
um
isse
d an
y in
thi
s se
ries,
you
can
ord
er b
ack
issu
es b
y ca
lling
Circ
ulat
ion
back
cop
ies
at 2
06/4
64-2
001.
206/
652-
6290
•
1-88
8/77
5-26
55
Asse
ssm
ent T
hat M
akes
Sen
se,P
art 2
P
‘@ @
33333333333333333333333333333
©1995–2000 by Steve Peha.Used by permission.Copies may be made for non-commercial purposes only.
Ste
ve P
eha
is t
he P
resi
dent
of
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
se, a
n ed
ucat
ion
cons
ultin
g co
mpa
ny in
Sea
ttle
, WA
. Vis
it hi
s W
eb s
ite a
tw
ww
.ttm
s.or
g or
sen
d hi
m a
co
mm
ent
abou
t th
is a
rtic
le a
t st
evep
eha@
ttm
s.or
g.
SA
GIS
: A
n E
xam
ple
of
Ass
essm
ent
That
Mak
es S
ense
The
SA
GIS
app
roac
h (p
rono
unce
d "s
ay-ji
ss")
is a
met
hod
ofas
sess
men
t, ev
alua
tion,
and
rep
ortin
g th
at w
orks
wel
l for
te
ache
rs, s
tude
nts
and
pare
nts
alik
e. T
he k
ey to
this
app
roac
h is
that
it d
ispl
ays
info
rmat
ion
dire
ctly,
in c
omm
on la
ngua
ge,
with
out r
esor
ting
to c
ompl
ex c
alcu
latio
ns o
r cr
iteria
.
In th
e S
AG
IS a
ppro
ach,
teac
hers
kee
p tr
ack
of fi
ve im
port
ant
type
s of
stu
dent
info
rmat
ion:
Str
engt
hs, A
ccom
plis
hmen
ts,
Goa
ls, I
nstr
uctio
n an
d S
uppo
rt.
Her
e’s
a S
AG
IS r
epor
t for
a 3
rd g
rade
r in
writ
ing:
Str
ength
s•
Cho
oses
goo
d to
pics
.•
List
ens
atte
ntiv
ely
durin
g sh
arin
g an
d as
ks g
ood
ques
tions
.•
Use
s au
dien
ce fe
edba
ck to
impr
ove
his
piec
es.
• R
eads
ow
n w
ritin
g ex
pres
sive
ly.
Acc
om
plis
hm
ents
• H
as p
ublis
hed:
per
sona
l nar
rativ
e, a
utob
iogr
aphy
, a b
ook
revi
ew, m
ovie
rev
iew
for
clas
s ne
wsp
aper
, and
writ
ing
cont
est
piec
e. H
as a
sec
ond
book
rev
iew
in d
rafti
ng.
• Fa
irly
accu
rate
sel
f-ass
essm
ent.
• H
as b
egun
touc
h ty
ping
pra
ctic
e.
Goal
s•
Sha
re e
arlie
r in
the
writ
ing
proc
ess
to a
void
re-
star
ts•
Use
mor
e ed
iting
str
ateg
ies
to a
void
com
plet
e re
-cop
ying
/re
-writ
ing.
• M
eet d
eadl
ines
reg
ular
ly: h
is p
erfe
ctio
nism
is g
ettin
g in
the
way
of h
is a
bilit
y to
com
plet
e ta
sks.
Inst
ruct
ion
• C
onfe
renc
e w
ith h
im e
arly
in th
e w
ritin
g pr
oces
s to
mor
e cl
osel
y m
onito
r hi
s pr
ogre
ss o
n in
divi
dual
pie
ces.
• H
elp
him
see
that
he
is o
ften
usin
g co
mm
as in
pla
ce o
f per
iods
.•
Con
fere
nce
with
him
dur
ing
editi
ng to
rev
iew
edi
ting
mar
ks a
ndth
eir
uses
.•
Enco
urag
e hi
m to
use
edi
ting
mar
ks in
stea
d of
re-
copy
ing.
Support
• W
atch
clo
sely
for
perfe
ctio
nist
tend
enci
es. M
ake
sure
he
|doe
sn't
try
so h
ard
on th
ings
that
he
mis
ses
out o
nle
arni
ng o
ppor
tuni
ties.
• M
onito
r ho
w o
ften
he w
ants
to r
edo
thin
gs fr
om s
crat
chat
hom
e.•
Mon
itor
your
inte
ract
ions
with
him
aro
und
scho
ol a
nd
non-
scho
ol a
ctiv
ities
to a
sses
s w
here
he
mig
ht b
e de
velo
ping
his
conc
erns
abo
ut p
erfe
ctio
nism
.
Teac
hers
, par
ents
and
stu
dent
s: t
hese
thi
nkin
g sk
ills
stra
tegi
es a
re b
roug
ht t
o yo
u by
our
New
spap
ers
In E
duca
tion
prog
ram
. Th
is s
trat
egy
prov
ides
sen
sibl
e ad
vice
on
a se
nsiti
ve t
opic
tha
t af
fect
s ev
ery
teac
her
and
ever
y st
uden
t.
12/1
5
Exa
mple
(2)A
ccom
plis
hmen
ts.
To a
sses
s le
arni
ng, w
ene
ed to
kno
w w
hat s
tude
nts
have
don
e. W
e ne
edau
then
tic w
ork
sam
ples
and
som
e in
form
alac
coun
ting
of t
he
circ
umst
ance
s by
whi
chth
ey w
ere
crea
ted.
(3)
Goal
s.B
y lo
okin
g at
wha
t st
uden
ts c
an d
o an
dho
w t
hey
do it
, we
can
dete
rmin
e w
here
the
yne
ed t
o go
nex
t. Th
is is
the
hear
t of
the
ass
ess-
men
t pr
oces
s. T
o te
ach
effe
ctiv
ely,
tea
cher
s ne
edto
hav
e cl
ear
lear
ning
goal
s fo
r al
l stu
dent
s.S
tude
nts
and
pare
nts
also
nee
d to
be
awar
e of
thes
e go
als.
(4)
Inst
ruct
ion.
Onc
e a
teac
her
has
mad
e an
asse
ssm
ent,
he o
r sh
e ha
s th
e ta
sk o
f pl
anni
ngap
prop
riate
inst
ruct
ion.
Spe
cific
inst
ruct
ion
shou
ldbe
tar
gete
d to
hel
p sp
ecifi
c st
uden
ts r
each
sp
ecifi
c go
als.
(5)
Sup
port
.S
tude
nts
need
hel
p ou
tsid
e of
cla
ssto
rea
ch t
heir
goal
s. P
aren
tsof
ten
wan
t to
hel
p bu
t do
n’t
know
exa
ctly
wha
t to
do. S
uppo
rt in
form
atio
n is
vita
l if
teac
her,
pare
nt, a
nd
stud
ent
are
to w
ork
toge
ther
effe
ctiv
ely.
The
adva
ntag
e of
re
cord
ing
info
rmat
ion
in
this
form
at is
that
ass
essm
ent,
eval
uatio
n an
d re
port
ing
can
be a
ccom
plis
hed
sim
ulta
neou
sly
in a
n in
tegr
ated
fas
hion
.
Effe
ctive
Lea
rnin
g Se
ries
utt
ing i
t A
llTo
get
her
The
key
to e
ffect
ive
asse
ssm
ent,
eval
uatio
n,an
d re
port
ing
is t
o de
ter-
min
e th
e in
form
atio
n w
ene
ed. T
oo o
ften
, we
spen
dtim
e ga
ther
ing
and
reco
rd-
ing
info
rmat
ion
that
isn’
tve
ry u
sefu
l. Fo
rtun
atel
y,co
mm
on s
ense
(so
met
hing
all t
oo r
are
in t
his
area
of
educ
atio
n) t
ells
us
that
we
need
onl
y tr
ack
five
type
sof
info
rmat
ion:
(1)
Str
ength
s.W
e ne
edto
kno
w w
hat
each
stu
dent
is g
ood
at b
ecau
se n
ewle
arni
ng is
alw
ays
rela
ted
to p
revi
ous
lear
ning
. Eve
ryst
uden
t ha
s st
reng
ths,
and
it is
par
t of
a t
each
er’s
rol
eto
iden
tify
and
nurt
ure
them
. Stu
dent
s w
ho a
reno
t ex
hibi
ting
stre
ngth
sne
ed d
iffer
ent
wor
k to
do.
You’
ll fin
d m
ore
info
rmat
ion
abou
t as
sess
men
t in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es N
IE s
ectio
n of
th
e Te
achi
ng T
hat
Mak
es S
ense
Web
site
. You
can
eve
n do
wn-
load
free
cop
ies
of a
rtic
les
orse
nd t
hem
to
your
frie
nds
via
e-m
ail.
Just
go
to w
ww
.ttm
s.or
g.
For
mor
e in
form
atio
n ab
out
NIE
,vi
sit
seat
tletim
es.c
om/n
ie.
On
the
Web
Take
a lo
ok a
t se
vera
l day
s of
the
new
spap
er a
nd h
ave
your
stud
ents
per
form
a S
AG
ISas
sess
men
t of
the
pap
er a
s a
who
le. S
ee if
the
y ca
n co
me
upw
ith s
ensi
ble
goal
s an
d id
eas
for
inst
ruct
ion
that
the
peo
ple
who
mak
e th
e pa
per
wou
ld u
nder
-st
and
and
appr
ecia
te. S
tres
s th
eim
port
ance
of c
onst
ruct
ive
com
men
ts a
nd p
oint
out
tha
tth
ere’
s no
thin
g ne
gativ
e in
the
SA
GIS
form
at.
In t
he N
ewsp
aper
The
SA
GIS
app
roac
h ca
n be
us
ed o
n ju
st a
bout
any
act
ivity
.In
trod
uce
it to
stu
dent
s an
d ha
ve t
hem
ass
ess
them
selv
es
on s
omet
hing
the
y fe
el t
hey
are
good
at.
Ask
the
m t
o ar
ticul
ate
the
kind
s of
inst
ruct
ion
and
supp
ort
they
wou
ld li
ke t
o re
adth
eir
goal
s.
Adv
ance
d A
ctivi
ty
Issu
e 3
9: A
sse
ssm
en
t T
ha
t M
ak
es
Se
nse
,P
art
2(3
of
3)
The
Effe
ctiv
e Le
arni
ng S
erie
s is
par
t of
a 3
5-w
eek
curr
icul
umfo
r im
prov
ing
basi
c th
inki
ng s
kills
.Use
ful f
or t
each
ers,
hom
esc
hool
ers,
par
ents
and
stu
dent
s al
ike,
new
issu
es a
ppea
r in
The
Sea
ttle
Tim
es o
n M
onda
y, W
edne
sday
and
Frid
ay.I
f yo
um
isse
d an
y in
thi
s se
ries,
you
can
ord
er b
ack
issu
es b
y ca
lling
Circ
ulat
ion
back
cop
ies
at 2
06/4
64-2
001.
206/
652-
6290
•
1-88
8/77
5-26
55
Asse
ssm
ent T
hat M
akes
Sen
se,P
art 2
P
‘@ @
33333333333333333333333333333
©1995–2000 by Steve Peha.Used by permission.Copies may be made for non-commercial purposes only.
Ste
ve P
eha
is t
he P
resi
dent
of
Teac
hing
Tha
t M
akes
Sen
se, a
n ed
ucat
ion
cons
ultin
g co
mpa
ny in
Sea
ttle
, WA
. Vis
it hi
s W
eb s
ite a
tw
ww
.ttm
s.or
g or
sen
d hi
m a
co
mm
ent
abou
t th
is a
rtic
le a
t st
evep
eha@
ttm
s.or
g.
SA
GIS
: A
n E
xam
ple
of
Ass
essm
ent
That
Mak
es S
ense
The
SA
GIS
app
roac
h (p
rono
unce
d "s
ay-ji
ss")
is a
met
hod
ofas
sess
men
t, ev
alua
tion,
and
rep
ortin
g th
at w
orks
wel
l for
te
ache
rs, s
tude
nts
and
pare
nts
alik
e. T
he k
ey to
this
app
roac
h is
that
it d
ispl
ays
info
rmat
ion
dire
ctly,
in c
omm
on la
ngua
ge,
with
out r
esor
ting
to c
ompl
ex c
alcu
latio
ns o
r cr
iteria
.
In th
e S
AG
IS a
ppro
ach,
teac
hers
kee
p tr
ack
of fi
ve im
port
ant
type
s of
stu
dent
info
rmat
ion:
Str
engt
hs, A
ccom
plis
hmen
ts,
Goa
ls, I
nstr
uctio
n an
d S
uppo
rt.
Her
e’s
a S
AG
IS r
epor
t for
a 3
rd g
rade
r in
writ
ing:
Str
ength
s•
Cho
oses
goo
d to
pics
.•
List
ens
atte
ntiv
ely
durin
g sh
arin
g an
d as
ks g
ood
ques
tions
.•
Use
s au
dien
ce fe
edba
ck to
impr
ove
his
piec
es.
• R
eads
ow
n w
ritin
g ex
pres
sive
ly.
Acc
om
plis
hm
ents
• H
as p
ublis
hed:
per
sona
l nar
rativ
e, a
utob
iogr
aphy
, a b
ook
revi
ew, m
ovie
rev
iew
for
clas
s ne
wsp
aper
, and
writ
ing
cont
est
piec
e. H
as a
sec
ond
book
rev
iew
in d
rafti
ng.
• Fa
irly
accu
rate
sel
f-ass
essm
ent.
• H
as b
egun
touc
h ty
ping
pra
ctic
e.
Goal
s•
Sha
re e
arlie
r in
the
writ
ing
proc
ess
to a
void
re-
star
ts•
Use
mor
e ed
iting
str
ateg
ies
to a
void
com
plet
e re
-cop
ying
/re
-writ
ing.
• M
eet d
eadl
ines
reg
ular
ly: h
is p
erfe
ctio
nism
is g
ettin
g in
the
way
of h
is a
bilit
y to
com
plet
e ta
sks.
Inst
ruct
ion
• C
onfe
renc
e w
ith h
im e
arly
in th
e w
ritin
g pr
oces
s to
mor
e cl
osel
y m
onito
r hi
s pr
ogre
ss o
n in
divi
dual
pie
ces.
• H
elp
him
see
that
he
is o
ften
usin
g co
mm
as in
pla
ce o
f per
iods
.•
Con
fere
nce
with
him
dur
ing
editi
ng to
rev
iew
edi
ting
mar
ks a
ndth
eir
uses
.•
Enco
urag
e hi
m to
use
edi
ting
mar
ks in
stea
d of
re-
copy
ing.
Support
• W
atch
clo
sely
for
perfe
ctio
nist
tend
enci
es. M
ake
sure
he
|doe
sn't
try
so h
ard
on th
ings
that
he
mis
ses
out o
nle
arni
ng o
ppor
tuni
ties.
• M
onito
r ho
w o
ften
he w
ants
to r
edo
thin
gs fr
om s
crat
chat
hom
e.•
Mon
itor
your
inte
ract
ions
with
him
aro
und
scho
ol a
nd
non-
scho
ol a
ctiv
ities
to a
sses
s w
here
he
mig
ht b
e de
velo
ping
his
conc
erns
abo
ut p
erfe
ctio
nism
.
Teac
hers
, par
ents
and
stu
dent
s: t
hese
thi
nkin
g sk
ills
stra
tegi
es a
re b
roug
ht t
o yo
u by
our
New
spap
ers
In E
duca
tion
prog
ram
. Th
is s
trat
egy
prov
ides
sen
sibl
e ad
vice
on
a se
nsiti
ve t
opic
tha
t af
fect
s ev
ery
teac
her
and
ever
y st
uden
t.
12/1
5
Exa
mple
Could this be a report card?
Erin Coomes 3RD GRADE • SUNRISE ELEMENTARY • ROOM 406 • MRS. GOFFE • 1ST QUARTER • 1999-2000
WRITING
STRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT Chooses good topics. Uses good word choice. Uses strong feelings; lotsof voice.
Reads pieces withexpression; commandsattention of her audience.
Pieces have purpose. Accepts feedback and usesit to improve.
Listens well; offers goodfeedback.
Uses good lead strategies.
Published: Personalnarrative, autobiography,book review, newspaperarticle, and Veteran's Daycontest piece (some afterthe deadline.) Also has asecond book review indrafting and a third bookreview in pre-writing.
Developed a sense ofparagraphing.
Binder is well organized. Has learned the writingprocess.
Meet deadlines moreconsistently.
Visit less with otherstudents, and use worktime more efficiently.
More personal narratives. Become a peer editor andperhaps an editor ourclass newspaper.
Begin typing instruction.
Talk with her aboutdeadlines and set up amonitoring system.
Talk about working duringwork time and will set up aself-monitoring system ifnecessary.
Require her to wrtie 3personal narratives thisterm.
Talk with her about being apeer editor.
Start working with ourclassroom typing program.
Help her at home to keeptrack of importantdeadlines.
Is she aware that talkingduring work time iscausing her to missdeadlines?
Talk with her aboutchildhood memories;encourage her to use thebest ones for pieces inclass.
Continue typing practice athome; make sure she istouch typing using the“home row”.
READING
STRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT Reads a variety of genres:fiction, poetry, non-fiction,magazines, etc,
Reads expressively. Great tutor: modelsexpressive reading andpositively supports her firstgrade reading buddy.
Understands humor: as in"Amelia Bedlia" books.
Understands author'spurpose.
Shares regularly. Works well with her 1stgrade buddy.
Has read: Stellaluna, Olive,the Other Reindeer, Windsin the Willows--10 pps.,The Tale of Peter Rabbit,Lady and the Tramp, Storyof the Statue of Liberty,One Hundred and OneDalmations,--pp. 2-12,Martha Speaks, Duck Tails,Webby saves the Day,Berenstein Bears.
Developed an interest inseries books.
Understands book reviewformat.
Encourage her to becomea reading tutor for otherkids in class.
Encourage her to developa knowledge of andpreference for a particularauthor.
Encourage her to readmore challenging books—a particularly moresubstantial chapter books.
Assess her own strengthsas a reader particularly asthey relate to herstrengths in writing.
Show her how to helpothers through her abilityto read expressively.
Talk with her aboutreading books by a certainauthor based on otherbooks she has read.
Find her the right books tohelp her reach the nextlevel in a way that shefeels comfortable with.
Talk with her about how itis that she writes at amuch higher level than sheis reading.
Have her read for you outloud at home and praiseher use of expression.
When the next book ordercomes out look for a goodauthor—Beverly Cleary,Roald Dahl, etc. Encourageher to try some of theirchapter books.
Talk to her about booksshe would like to read.
Talk with her about howshe feels about herreading. (She’s very goodat it. We’d just like her totry some harder books.)
MATH
STRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT Notebook is very wellorgaized; clear and easy toread.
Enjoys our beginningalgebra work.
Writes real life math storieswith well thought outsolutions.
Trades in addition andborrows in subtractionusing traditional andalternative strategies.
Master basic addition andsubtraction facts in mentalmath. (She does better onpaper than she does in herhead.)
Consistenly get 8 or moreout of the 10 daily mentalmath problems correct.
More work with graphpaper and trianglestrategies.
Talk to her about how tovisualize math problems.
Provide graph paper forher at home.
When she does mathhomework encourage herto visualize the numbers inher head as she works outproblems.
A plan book? A grade book? A curriculum guide? Assessment data?
It could be all of these. It could be all of your classroom record keeping.
Interactive Planning, Assessment, and Reporting
very teacher has to plan. But we all know what happens to even the best laid plans. Every teacher
has to assess. That’s just part of the job; teachers do it all the time whether they are conscious of it
or not. And every teacher has to report student progress. But no teacher should have to spend hour
after frustrating hour recording information, processing data, and filling out forms that don’t help them
teach, don’t help their students learn, or don’t help parents and other adults support children effectively
outside of school. And yet, this is exactly what most planning, assessment, and reporting is like today.
“This is so very true! In my experiences over the last 33 years, I have to admit that most (about 31) of those years Iwould sit down with a district textbook, write down objectives, outcomes, etc., all based on the information from thetext. I never really thought about basing my teaching on my kids, I just followed along with the district curriculum. Butnow I’m following my students by teaching to their individual needs, and the difference is amazing. I’m having my bestyear ever, my students are doing better, and I haven’t looked in a single textbook all year.”
Most teachers treat planning, assessment, and reporting as three separate and loosely related activities.
They plan first even though accurate planning is hard to do before you know much about your students.
Then, somewhere in the process of executing their plan—most often at the end—they attempt to assess
student learning. But often those assessments are based on inauthentic activities that tell them little about
what children have really learned, and by assessing at the end of an instructional unit, the data gathered
is of little use to anyone (this traditional “teach first, test later” approach is completely backwards and
that’s why it’s not effective). Finally, at the end of a quarter, trimester, or semester teachers sit down, often
for hours on end, with all the information they’ve gathered, and try to put it into some kind of standar
d
-
ized report.
“I would spend hours correcting papers and recording scores into a grade book, and then at the end of each quarter Iwould somehow try to come up with grades that represented what my students had learned. It was always impossibleto capture each child’s performance in a grade or with those standardized comments, so I would end up spending evenmore time writing lengthy narratives to try to make up for it. I realize now that it was all pretty much a waste of time be-cause none of it—not the planning, or the correcting, or the grading, or even the narratives—had anything to do withwhat my students needed to learn or what I needed to do to help them.”
The typical results are these:
1)
What happens in the classroom on a day-by-day basis rarely matches the
pre-conceived plan, or if it does, it’s only because the teacher ignores the individual needs of the students;
2)
The assessment data that teachers gather is rarely used to guide instruction because it’s typically gat
h
-
ered at the end of a unit right before moving on to the next area of study;
3)
The reports teachers spend
so much time on rarely convey any meaningful information about student lear
n
ing.
E
“I found that the only way I could actually stick to my plans was to be a total fanatic. And that’s what I was. It didn’tmatter what the kids were learning, I just pushed right ahead. I had a principal who held us to our plans and I wasn’tgoing to be caught off guard. Meanwhile, the assessment information I was supposed to collect really ended up beingmore of a report about what I’d taught during the unit. It was more about me than it was about the kids. And when theunit ended, I just moved on to the next one. Some kids made progress while others didn’t, but because I was teachingto a textbook it didn’t really matter. I just followed the Teacher’s Guide. When it came time for progress reports, it wasvery hard for me to offer detailed information about individual students. I remember one year looking back on the re-ports I’d written previously: it was mostly vague “teacher” comments that I wrote just to make myself sound smart—like I really knew the kids, when in reality I didn’t know them very well at all, at least not like I do now.”
The problem is not with planning, assessment, or reporting per se. After all, these are just the necessary
parts of every teacher’s craft. The problem is that we don’t put these three essential elements together in a
sensible way that accounts for how they interact.
“Before I switched to this new approach everything I did seemed unrelated. And when we started using continuums,things didn’t get much better—and I was on the committee that designed them! I realized that all I was doing waschecking things off, and sometimes I didn’t even know what those check-offs meant. I wasn’t following a textbook quiteas much but I was now following a continuum that I didn’t understand, one that didn’t seem to match my kids or myteaching style. No matter how I looked at it, it just didn’t add up. I know now that I wasn’t teaching to the needs of mykids—and believe me, there’s really no other way to do it. As far as real assessment goes, we have never been welltrained in what we are supposed to assess and how to go about it. But I was amazed—and challenged!—to find thatthis new approach actually helped me to improve my assessment skills while I was assessing. I found that the things Iwas supposed to look for were built right in. And each assessment could be different for each child. As a result, I feelmuch more confident now about assessing my students and teaching to their individual needs. I also learned—and thiswas the challenging part—where I need to improve in my ability to teach and to observe my students accurately.”
Planning, assessment, and reporting should be closely related in a teacher’s work because they are insep
a
-
rable in a teacher’s craft. Instructional planning should be determined by assessment information gat
h
-
ered
before
instruction begins. And in the end, reporting should be a simple plain-English analysis of
what a student has learned, along with an inventory of what has been taught and what needs to be
learned next in order for that student to be successful. To achieve all this in an efficient and effective way,
planning, assessment, and reporting must be combined into a single, purposeful task that provides teac
h
-
ers with meaningful insight into their work. This is the idea behind
i
PAR: Interactive Planning, Asses
s
-
ment, and Reporting.
There are three main components to
i
PAR (pronounced “eye-par”):
SAGIS
(pronounced “say-
jiss”) is a method of recording and reporting individual st
u
-
dent progress relative to instruction. It is the heart of the
i
PAR system. The acronym
stands for
S
uccesses,
A
cco
m
plishments,
G
oals,
I
nstruction, and
S
upport.
SCaN
(
S
uccesses,
C
hallenges,
a
nd
N
ew Instruction) is a planning tool teachers can use
to identify the successes they are experiencing, the challenges that need to be addressed,
and the new material they plan to introduce next.
ClipNotes
are simple, two-sided printouts teachers can carry on a clipboard and use to
record student pr
o
gress while monitoring their instructional goals.
“Having just finished my first quarter conferences with this approach, I know that parents are overwhelmingly pleased.These were the easiest conferences I’ve ever had; I felt so prepared, and many parents commented on how well theyfelt I knew their kids. And what’s even better is that I have already planned for the next quarter because the assess-ment part and the planning part fit together so easily. I put my assessment information into SAGIS, used SCaN for myoverall planning, and then created my ClipNotes for each subject. Now each day I just take out a copy of my ClipNotesand start teaching. As I observe and conference individually with students, I make brief notes about their progress. Ican keep track of everything I’m doing while I teach, and I’m actually gathering assessment data, following my plan, andfilling out my progress reports more or less at the same time.”
Finally, because planning, assessment, and reporting are such important aspects of teaching, the methods
we use to perform these activities should make us more effective teachers. In order to be effective, teac
h
-
ers need to know three things:
They need to know their subject:
i
PAR helps teachers to know their subject better by
encouraging them to make instructional decisions based on authentic activities and ta
n
-
g
i
ble results.
They need to know their students:
i
PAR helps teachers know their students better by
encouraging them to make more frequent and more accurate observations of student
behavior and attitudes.
And they need to know themselves:
i
PAR helps teachers to know themselves better by
showing them where they are strong in each subject area and where they may need
some assistance. It also helps them to identify the specific questions they need to ask in
order to acquire the information they need to i
m
prove.
In short,
i
PAR helps to produce not only better teaching but better teachers as well. By using
i
PAR, teac
h
-
ers can actually improve in their craft simply by using the tools on a regular basis as part of their normal
planning, assessment, and reporting work.
“I can’t believe how much I’ve changed this year! And a lot of it is because I’m teaching in this new way. For the firsttime in my long career teaching really makes sense. I am focused on my students. I know what I’m doing every day, andfor once I know why I’m doing what I’m doing because it’s always based on whatever has happened the day before. I’vestill got a lot to learn, but at least now I’m asking the right questions and I know where to go to find the right answers.”
Assessment is...
The gathering of information for the purpose of guiding instruction.
As in...
“When I looked at their last published pieces, I noticed that many
kids were having trouble with run-on sentences.”
A good assessment...
Uses specific and appropriate language to describe the data gathered and the
patterns that are observed.
Is based on authentic data gathered in an authentic manner from within an
authentic context.
Before you perform any assessment, ask yourself: "How do I plan to use the data I am gathering to guide
my instruction?" If you don't know what you're going to do with the data, don't waste time gat
h
ering it.
Evaluation is…
A decision made based upon the information gathered through assessment.
As in...
"Because I noticed that many kids were not using periods and capitals
correctly, I'll teach some sentence punctuation mini-lessons in writing
and support that with simple inquiry activities during reading time
where I’ll have the kids identify sentence boundaries by ear using e
x
-
pressive reading techniques."
A good evaluation...
Includes a specific plan of action.
Uses the assessment data as its rationale.
Before you create an evaluation, ask yourself this question: “How do I know that the plan I have outlined
will address the needs I have identified through assessment?”
Reporting is…
The way assessment and evaluation information is communicated to others.
As in...
(See “SAGIS” example elsewhere in this document...)
A good report...
Is presented in a form that is accessible to the audience, and written in la
n
-
guage they understand.
Is constructive in nature: it provides its audience with information that can be
used to construct specific solutions to issues of concern.
Before you produce a report, ask yourself this question: “What is my purpose in sharing this inform
a
tion?”
What is an authentic activity?
Something real that real people in the real world really do, done the way real
people really do it, for real reasons that really matter.
Something real…
Is the activity performed in the real world?
Can I show the kids a real world model?
Can we develop real world criteria to describe the model?
…that real people in the real world really do,…
Who does this?
Can we learn about real people who do this real activity?
Under what circumstances do they do it? Why do they do it? How do they do it?
…done the way real people really do it,…
How do real people do this?
What is their "work process"?
What strategies do they use to solve the problems they encounter?
…for real reasons that really matter.
Why do people do this?
Who is the audience?
How can we provide a “real world” social context for this activity in the artificial world of
school?
There’s nothing wrong with doing inauthentic activities. We do them all the time in our own lives.
In the classroom we do them to build community, ease tension, or just to have fun. Not everything
we do in school need be authentic, nor is there any such thing as a completely authentic school
activity. (School is artificial after all.) But authentic activities should account for
most
of what our
children do in school because the more authentic an activity is the more likely it is that children will
develop authentic skills from doing it.
There is one area in our work where we should always stress authenticity and that is in assessment.
Assessment information is only useful to the extent that it accurately reflects a student’s authentic
abilities and guides our authentic instruction.
We cannot accurately assess our students’ abilities,
or guide authentic instruction, when we base our analyses on the results of inauthentic tasks.
What is authentic assessment?
A real way of gathering performance information that a real person
would really use in the real world.
A real way of gathering real performance information…
How is information gathered about this activity in the real world?
What information is worth gathering?
Why do people in the real world do this?
…that a real person…
What role does this person play in the real world?
In the real world, what is this assessor’s relationship to the person being assessed?
How does the assessor communicate assessment information to the person being assessed?
…would really use…
What information can be gathered without affecting the results?
What information can be used to guide our instruction?
How is specific instruction connected to specific outcomes?
…in the real world.
How is this assessment information used in the real world?
What are the assessor’s ultimate real-world goals?
What is the value of the assessment process?
Whenever we collect assessment data we need to ask ourselves how we know we can trust the data
we collect. One way to increase the reliability of assessment data is to make sure that we gather it by
authentic means. This doesn’t mean we have to throw out all data gathered by traditional academic
techniques. It simply means that whenever possible we should base our instructional decisions on
data that has been gathered in an authentic way, and that we should always strive to reduce the
amount of time, effort, and energy we put into inauthentic methods of gathering assessment data
such as tests, worksheets, textbook exercises, and so on.
The best way to insure that our data is reliable is to offer students as many choices as we possibly
can. Whenever there is choice, there is at least some measure of authenticity because the learner is
directly responsible for guiding some parts of the activity. Learners also perform better in situations
where they feel they have some control over how they are to complete a task.
The iPAR Process
[1]
Establish a safe learning environment.
[2]
Put students in authentic problem-solving situations.
[3]
Assess students through informal observation to determine
their strengths.
[4]
Provide many opportunities for students to produce
authentic work and note their accomplishments.
[5]
Assess authentic work and set developmentally appropriate
goals for each student.
[6]
Survey individual goals for patterns that can be addressed
through whole class instruction.
[7]
Plan for the next assessment period: build on current
successes, address current challenges, introduce new
material.
[8]
Align the instructional plan with state and district
standards.
[9]
Execute the plan through carefully chosen whole class
mini-lessons and small group work, but primarily through
focused individual conferences.
[10]
Adjust the plan as needed; set new goals for individual
students; follow the students by basing each day’s teaching
on what has occurred previously.
November 17, 1999
Dear Parents,
This year in Room 406 we are piloting a new kind of progress report called SAGIS: Strengths, Acco
m
-
plishments, Goals, Instruction, and Support. We have chosen this report because we feel it is the best way
we can answer the five most important questions you have about your child’s education:
What are my child’s
STRENGTHS
in reading, writing, and math?
What has my child
ACCOMPLISHED
this term that shows those strengths?
Based on my child’s accomplishments, what
GOALS
do you have for my
child next term?
What
INSTRUCTION
will my child receive in order to meet these goals?
Based on the instruction you will be offering in class, how can I
SUPPORT
my child at home?
Some parents seek an answer to a sixth question: How does my child compare to other children in the
same grade? If you would like a detailed assessment of how your child compares to other 3rd graders
across the country, we would be happy to provide this assessment to you in writing. It is our belief, ho
w
-
ever, that your child’s ranking relative to other children in the same grade is not relevant to their success,
your support, or our instruction.
In addition to the SAGIS report, you also have two other sources of information about your child: 1) The
Gates-
MacGinitie test; and 2) The
Enumclaw School District report card.
The Gates-
MacGinitie test provides information about a child’s reading vocabulary but is not a good ind
i
-
cator of literacy development. To properly assess your child’s reading performance, and to plan appropr
i
-
ate instruction, we use much more accurate and thorough techniques. If you would like information
about the assessment techniques we use in reading, we would be happy to provide that for you.
The
Enumclaw School District report card was designed to indicate your child’s growth over time. Ho
w
-
ever, we have found in previous years that Mrs.
Goffe’s students often exhibit abilities that are not repr
e
-
sented here. We have also found that we cannot use this tool to guide our teaching. The SAGIS report, by
contrast, helps us follow your child closely, by listing all significant indicators that we observe. It then
helps us to design accurate and effective instruction that meets your child’s individual needs.
In the SAGIS report we have noted the best information we have at this time on your child’s growth in
each of the three major subject areas. The report describes how your child is doing, how we expect your
child to develop next term, and what you can do to support your child at home.
We’re very excited about the SAGIS report and we hope you like it, too. However, if you don’t like it, we
need to hear from you right away so that we can provide you with whatever other information you would
like. If you have any questions for us, or any suggestions about how we can communicate with you more
effectively, please let us know as soon as possible.
We’re having a great year and we hope that you are, too. Thank you for taking the time, effort, and e
n
-
ergy to help us create the best education possible for your child.
Sincerely,
Esther
Goffe, Judy
Bruggeman, and Steve Peha
SAGIS Report, 1st Quarter, 1999 – 2000 Mrs. Goffe, 3rd Grade, Rm. 406 Sunrise Elementary School, Enumclaw School District
The SAGIS report form was created by Steve Peha and is 1999 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved.SAGIS is part of . For more information, contact Steve Peha at [email protected].
Mitch StewartWRITING
STRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Chooses good topics.
Listens attentively duringsharing and asks good ques-tions.
Uses audience feedback toimprove his pieces.
Extremely conscientious.
Reads his own writing ex-pressively.
Has published: personal nar-rative, autobiography, a bookreview, movie review fornewspaper, and Veteran'sDay contest piece. Has asecond book review in draft-ing.
Fairly accurate self-assessment.
Has begun touch typingpractice.
Share more often earlier inthe writing process to avoidre-starts and getting too farahead of himself.
Improve use of capitals andperiods.
Use more editing strategiesto avoid complete re-copying/re-writing.
Meet deadlines more regu-larly: his perfectionism is get-ting in the way of his ability tocomplete tasks.
Conference with him early inthe writing process to moreclosely monitor his progresson individual pieces.
Help him see that he is oftenusing commas in place of pe-riods.
Conference with him duringediting to review editingmarks and their uses.
Encourage him to use editingmarks instead of re-copying.
Watch closely for perfectionisttendencies. Make sure hedoesn't try so hard on thingsthat he misses out on learn-ing opportunities.
Monitor how often he wantsto redo things from scratch athome.
Monitor your interactions withhim around school and non-school activities to assesswhere he might be develop-ing his concerns about per-fectionism.
READINGSTRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Chooses books at appropri-ate levels.
Reads a wide variety of texts:fairy tale, fiction, non-fiction,newspapers, magazines, etc.
Summarizes well: uses onlyrelevant details.
Has a good vocabulary: canoften explain to others whatwords mean.
Excellent expressive reader.
Works well with 1st gradereading buddy.
Can determine author's pur-pose and main idea..
Has read: Pokemon, Mrs.Piggle Wiggle, 1,000 Factsabout the Earth, Alaska Crit-ters, Loveable Lyle, McGwireand Sosa, Hurricane Floyd,Use Your Brain, Patrick Har-rington Bollmer Speaks,Cecily Small and Rainy DayAdventures, Mrs. Peter Rab-bit, Curious George.
Has written two book reviews.
Has learned basic book re-view format and has startedto experiment with his ownapproaches.
Read more challengingbooks.
Write more complex book re-views that include more detailand an expansion of our ba-sic book review form.
Develop a knowledge of andpreference for a particularauthor.; encourage him tobegin an author study.
Provide him with more com-plex texts: he recently askedfor a Harry Potter book. (Hejust started it.)
Show him some other ways ofstructuring a book review.
Talk with him about readingbooks by certain authorsbased on other books he hasread. I'd like him to identify afavorite author by the end ofnext term. (Maybe the authorof the Harry Potter series?)
Take him to a good kidsbookstore (“All for Kids” or“University Bookstore” in Se-attle), or to the library, andhave him pick out a fewbooks for upper elementaryage readers: Roald Dahl, GaryPaulson, Avi, more HarryPotter books, etc...
Talk with him about the bookshe is reading using “The 5Facts of Fiction” and “The 5Big Questions.”
MATHSTRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
His writing in math is well or-ganized: it's clear and easyto read.
Shares frequently.
Writes out math problemsvery thoroughly: explains histhinking well.
Has mastered basic additionand subtraction facts.
Works well with multi-digitaddition and subtraction us-ing both alternative and tra-ditional strategies.
Consistently scores 9 or bet-ter out of 10 on mental math.
Develop mastery of basicmultiplication and divisionfacts.
Write more challenging mathproblems.
Encourage him to become amath tutor for other kids.
Continue with graph paperand triangle strategies; writereal life problems using mul-tiplication and division.
Show him examples of morecomplex problems. Encour-age him to pick problemsfrom his everyday life.
Show him how to help othersthrough his ability to thinkclearly and explain math pro-cedures.
Make him aware of when heuses math in his life: withmoney, time, dates, sports,games, etc...
Ask him to talk you throughsome of the math he does athome.
Help him to become aware ofwhen he might encountermultiplication and division inhis life.
SAGIS Report, 1st Quarter, 1999 – 2000 Mrs. Goffe, 3rd Grade, Rm. 406 Sunrise Elementary School, Enumclaw School District
The SAGIS report form was created by Steve Peha and is 1999 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved.SAGIS is part of . For more information, contact Steve Peha at [email protected].
Jaqueline GrantWRITING
STRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Includes lots of detail.
Strong sense of purpose.
Shows strong feelings.
Chooses good topics.
Meets deadlines.
Shows a good understandingof basic writing conventions.
Keeps binder well organized.
Published a personal narra-tive, autobiography, two bookreviews, newspaper article,and a Veteran's Day contestpiece. Has a second book re-view and a third narrative indrafting with a third book re-view in pre-write.
Fairly accurate self-assessment of best piece.
Has begun touch typingpractice.
Do more pre-writing. Specifi-cally, more use of the Idea-Details and What-Why-Howstrategies.
Read own pieces more ex-pressively.
Assert her own preferencesmore when receiving feed-back from the audience.
Help her to improve hersense of paragraphing.
Re-visit pre-writing strategiesand conference with her dur-ing pre-writing.
Encourage her to projectmore when she reads in frontof the class.
Validate what she's doing welland encourage her to onlymake the changes that shetruly wants to make.
Help her to analyze para-graphs in published booksand begin to articulate therules of paragraphing.
Encourage Jaqueline to as-sert her preferences andopinions about things.
Talk with Jacqueline about thepieces she is writing. Ask herquestions that will bring outthings that she feels stronglyabout.
READINGSTRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Can summarize what she hasread.
Can say why she has chosena particular book.
Chooses books at appropri-ate level.
Fluent oral reader.
Loves to share.
Very good tutor for her 1stgrade buddy reader.
Has read a variety of books:chapter books, series books,non-fiction, newspaper, etc.(She did not turn in herreading list because she wasabsent. We’ll update and in-clude this information on hernext report.)
Has published two book re-views and is working on athird.
Oral reading has slowed to anappropriate pace.
Read more non-fiction.
Improve her ability to summa-rize by analyzing main ideaand author's purpose.
Encourage her to choosemore challenging books.
Improve expression in oralreading: project more; moreemphasis on important wordsand phrases.
Introduce her to non-fictionbooks in areas of personalinterest.
Use "Five Big Questions"—especially #3 and #4.
Offer her a selection ofharder books and talk withher about how to know if theyare appropriate.
Encourage her to projectmore and to identify signifi-cant parts of text for empha-sis.
Model expressive reading forher and talk with her aboutwhat you do to make the textcome alive.
Encourage her to read non-fiction books in her interestareas.
Share your own reading ofnon-fiction texts.
MATHSTRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Her writing in math is well or-ganized; it's clear and easyto read.
Shares frequently.
Very consistent in her workproduction.
Successfully solves multi-digitaddition problems using tra-ditional and alternativestrategies.
Has command of basic addi-tion and subtraction facts.
Consistently scores 9 or bet-ter out of 10 on mental math.
Has begun to write out hersolutions more thoroughly.
Improve work with borrowingin subtraction.
Seek new challenges inde-pendently.
Improve understanding ofplace value.
Spend more time exploringsubtraction. Re-visit subtrac-tion strategies. Make sureshe can use the traditionalstrategy as well as the alter-native strategies.
Encourage her to do morepeer tutoring.
Conference with her abouther understanding of placevalue and formulate a specificplan.
Talk with her about her mathhomework: ask her to explainto you what she's doing andwhy she's doing it.
Can she help her youngerbrother with math?
Talk with Jacqueline aboutmath in your life. Let her helpout around the house when-ever possible.
SAGIS Report, 1st Quarter, 1999 – 2000 Mrs. Goffe, 3rd Grade, Rm. 406 Sunrise Elementary School, Enumclaw School District
The SAGIS report form was created by Steve Peha and is 1999 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved.SAGIS is part of . For more information, contact Steve Peha at [email protected].
Jared FarmerWRITING
STRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Meets deadlines.
Has a good command of ba-sic writing conventions.
Listens well during sharingtime and asks good ques-tions.
Asks for feedback to improvehis writing.
Has a large vocabulary; vol-unteers to give definitions ofwords for the class.
Published a personal narra-tive, autobiography, book re-view, movie review, and Vet-eran’s Day contest piece. Hasa personal narrative and asecond book review in draft-ing, with a third book reviewin pre-writing.
Began touch typing practice.
Learned to use the WritingProcess.
Listen more carefully to di-rections, follow through thefirst time they are given; usework time more effectively.
Do more pre-writing: moreuse of the Idea-Details andWhat-Why-How strategies.
Ask questions in a respectfultone of voice.
Speak to him about listeningand, if necessary, set up aself-monitoring system tohelp him be more aware ofhow he is using work time.
Re-visit pre-writing strategiesand conference with himduring pre-writing.
Discuss and set up goodquestioning techniques.
Talk with Jared at home abouthis writing so he can developmore pride in his work.
Share and discuss the detailsabout pieces you have readin books or newspapers.
Include Jared in family discus-sions which involve ques-tioning others on their opin-ions or thoughts in a re-spectful way.
READINGSTRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Large vocabulary; often vol-unteers to give definitions ofwords for the class.
Enjoys reading; chooses toread during free time afterwork is completed.
Chooses both fiction andnon-fiction to read.
Loves to share; easily andeagerly shares thoughts andopinions while discussing lit-erature.
Has read: Schmernoff Discov-eries, Holes, Escape from theBlack Forest, The Iron Scep-ter, Harry Potter and theScorcer's Stone, PenguinGroup, The Tower of Ga-berhea.
Has written two book reviews.
Write more complex book re-views that include more rele-vant details.
Experiment with our basicbook review form.
Slow down and read with ex-pression; take extra care topronounce words moreclearly.
Improve his interactions withhis 1st grade buddy: heneeds to be more patient andmore supportive.
Show him some other ways ofstructuring a review.
Re-visit expressive reading;remind him to project moreand to speak more clearly.
Assign him to a differentbuddy; talk to him about howhe can be kinder and moreresponsive to this new child.
Talk about books that youhave read. Discuss the rele-vant details and lessonslearned from your reading.
Have Jared read for you. If hereads quickly, remind himthat fast reading is not goodreading; good reading isslow, expressive, and clearlyspoken.
Talk with Jared about how heinteracts with his 1st gradebuddy. Find out why he is soimpatient and why he some-times ignores his buddy orrefuses to help.
MATHSTRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Loves mental math problems.
Has a good understanding ofplace value.
Has a good understanding ofalgebraic equations.
Good command of basic ad-dition and subtraction facts;consistently gets 9 or 10 ondaily mental math.
Works successfully in multi-digit addition and subtractionwith both traditional and al-ternative strategies.
Uses measurement strategieswell.
Improve organization ofnotebook: go page-by-page,organize material moreneatly, etc..
Solutions to real life storyproblems need to be writtenspecifically in the format wehave designed.
Write more challenging mathproblems.
Encourage him to become amath tutor for other kids, andto support other learnersmore effectively.
Improve mastery of multipli-cation and division facts.
Speak to him about how touse the fronts and back ofpages and how to keep theproblems easy to read.
Conference with him aboutwriting out the solutions toreal life math problems.
Show him examples of morecomplex problems from reallife.
Show him how to help othersthrough his ability to thinkclearly and explain math pro-cedures.
Encourage him to continueusing his graph paper andtriangle strategies.
Encourage him to use hismath knowledge to help yousolve problems around thehouse.
Talk with him and make himaware of complex mathproblems in your daily life.Discuss the steps you use tosolve your own math prob-lems.
SAGIS Report, 1st Quarter, 1999 – 2000 Mrs. Goffe, 3rd Grade, Rm. 406 Sunrise Elementary School, Enumclaw School District
The SAGIS report form was created by Steve Peha and is 1999 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved.SAGIS is part of . For more information, contact Steve Peha at [email protected].
Erin CoomesWRITING
STRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Chooses good topics.
Uses good word choice.
Uses strong feelings; herspirit comes out in herpieces.
Reads own pieces with ex-pression; presents well;commands the attention ofher audience.
Pieces have purpose.
Accepts feedback and uses itto make her pieces better.
She is an attentive listenerwho offers good feedback toothers.
Uses good leads strategies.
Published: Personal narra-tive, autobiography, book re-view, newspaper article, andVeteran's Day contest piece(some of these after thedeadline.) Also has a secondbook review in drafting and athird book review in pre-writing.
Developed a sense of para-graphing.
Binder is very well organized.
Has learned the writing proc-ess.
Meet deadlines more consis-tently.
Visit less with other students,and use work time more effi-ciently.
More personal narratives.
Become a peer editor andperhaps an editor our classnewspaper.
Begin typing instruction.
Talk with her about deadlinesand set up a monitoring sys-tem.
I will speak to her aboutworking during work time andwill set up a self-monitoringsystem if necessary.
Require her to produce 3personal narratives this term.
Talk with her about being apeer editor, see if she is in-terested, and pair with ap-propriate students.
Start working with our class-room typing program.
Help her at home to keeptrack of important deadlines.
See if she is aware that hertalking during work time iscausing her to miss dead-lines.
Talk with her about childhoodmemories and encourage herto use the best ones forpieces in class.
Continue with typing practiceat home but please makesure she is touch typing us-ing the correct “home rowkey and finger relationships.
READINGSTRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Reads a variety of genres;fiction, poetry, non-fiction,newspapers, magazines, etc,
Reads expressively.
Great tutor: models expres-sive reading and positivelysupports her first gradereading buddy.
Understands humor: as in"Amelia Bedlia" books.
Understands author's pur-pose.
Shares regularly.
Works well with her 1st gradebuddy.
Has read: Stellaluna, Olive,the Other Reindeer, Winds inthe Willows--10 pps., TheTale of Peter Rabbit, Ladyand the Tramp, Story of theStatue of Liberty, One Hun-dred and One Dalmations,--pp. 2-12, Martha Speaks,Duck Tails, Webby saves theDay, Berenstein Bears.
Developed an interest in se-ries books.
Understands book reviewformat.
Encourage her to become areading tutor for other kids inclass.
Encourage her to develop aknowledge of and preferencefor a particular author.
Encourage her to read morechallenging books—a par-ticularly more substantialchapter books.
Assess her own strengths asa reader particularly as theyrelate to her strengths inwriting.
Show her how to help otherreaders through her ability toread expressively.
Talk with her about readingbooks by a certain authorbased on other books shehas read.
Find her the right books tohelp her reach the next levelin a way that she feels com-fortable with.
Talk with her about how it isthat she writes at a muchhigher level than she isreading. (Perhaps she's justnever challenged herself inreading or has some per-sonal concerns about it.)
Have her read for you outloud at home and praise heruse of expression.
When the next Scholasticbook order comes out lookfor a good author--BeverlyCleary, Roald Dahl, etc.. En-courage her to try readingsome of their chapter books.
Talk to her about new booksshe would like to read.
Talk with her about how shefeels about her reading.(She’s very good at it. We’djust like her to try someharder books.)
MATHSTRENGTHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS GOALS INSTRUCTION SUPPORT
Notebook is very well orga-ized; clear and easy to read.
Enjoys our beginning algebrawork.
Writes real life math storieswith well thought out solu-tions.
Trades in addition and bor-rows in subtraction using tra-ditional and alternativestrategies.
Master basic addition andsubtraction facts in mentalmath. (She seems to be ableto do better on paper thanshe does in her head.)
Consistenly get 8 or more outof the 10 daily mental mathproblems correct.
More work with graph paperand triangle strategies.
Talk to her about how tovisualize math problems.
Provide graph paper for herat home.
When she does math home-work encourage her to visu-alize the numbers in her headas she works out problems.
It’s Easier Than it LooksIn a message dated 10/25/99 6:39:39 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected]:
> Hi Steve,>> I am working to assess my students using SAGIS. I have stumbled upon a> mental block. I am having trouble identifying concise ways to list> their strengths and I am having trouble with the Support column.>> Shannon
Dear Shannon,
Yeah, it takes a bit of a “rethink” to start doing this. Each of us who has tried it has bumped into this little
road block. Just shows you how far we've strayed over the years from simple “plain English” ways of
talking about kids.
Here's what I do when I get stuck:
[1]
I realize that I don't need a different set of descriptors for every kid. In fact,
when I assess the kids I teach, I find they all get the same basic set of items.
Why? Well, those are the things I teach them and look for in their work to
guide my teaching. So most kids should come out with very similar
information although there’s plenty of opportunity to individualize it as
needed.
[2]
I realize that I don't need very many descriptors to tell the story I want to tell.
Three or four in each column does the trick. This is very different from
contemporary report cards where there are sometimes dozens of things to
check off. The difference here is that we’re checking off only the ones that
really matter for each kid.
[3]
I think about what really makes the difference between successful learners and
unsuccessful learners. Again, there are only a few basic things for me. Attitude
and effort are very big for me. I’m sure you have a few key things that you look
for. Stick with these.
Finally, I have some guidelines I keep in mind for coming up with items in each column:
The STRENGTHS Column
A strength is something a student brings to all of his or her learning. It’s an attitude or belief. It’s also a
habit. For example, here are some strengths that I think make a difference:
Shares regularly; Asks good questions; Takes risks; Uses audience feedback;
Tries hard even when things aren't going well; Finds unusual solutions to
common problems; Finds multiple solutions to the same problem; Works hard
consistently; Always willing to help others, Etc...
Strengths are things kids bring to their work; they are not the work itself.
The ACCOMPLISHMENTS Column
Accomplishments represent tangible evidence that learning is occurring. Obviously, any student work
counts here. But so do things that don't manifest themselves in paper records. For example, in one 3rd
grade class the kids are learning how to do expressive readings. There's no paper record of these so I will
be noting how many some kids have done and the quality of their work. For kids who are very reluctant,
sometimes just sharing for the first time is an accomplishment.
An accomplishment is something a student has done that shows evidence of growth.
The GOALS Column
This is the easiest column for me. It's just what I want the kid to do next. I try to include a mix of items
that I know I'll be covering with the entire class as well as a couple that are unique to each kid. Whole
class items will be covered in mini-lessons; individual items will be covered in conferences.
A goal is simply something I want the child to be able to do in the next reporting period. It can be the
development of a strength or a specific accomplishment.
The INSTRUCTION Column
This is another easy column for me. All I do is list the instructional techniques I'm going to use to help
the student achieve the goals. This can be mini-lesson content, specific activities or assignments, or just a
series of conversations I plan to have with a student in conference.
Instruction is what I'm going to do to help students reach their goals.
The SUPPORT Column
This can be tricky but only because we're not used to thinking about it. Many teachers start from the
assumption that parents won't help their kids at home, or that they don't know how and won't want to
learn. Even though this may be true, it's not a good place to start.
What I do before I write this column is look at the kid and make a vision of what I believe to be the ideal
home support system. Then, I write that up in a few short bullet points. I try to treat each parent as
though they're all Moms and Dads of the Year. Eventually, most of them start to act that way.
What I know is that in order to grow kids need the following things:
Time:
I ask parents to make sure their kids have time to read, write, talk, do
homework, etc... And that the time they are putting in is quality time.
Choice:
I encourage parents to give their children a range of choices with
regard to how they study and do their school work at home.
Audience:
I ask parents to be good audiences for their children. I tell them to
be curious not corrective when working with their kids, and I stress the role
that their approval has in their child's development.
Purpose:
I want parents to help their children understand the reasons why we
do the things we do. Often, this simply means sharing their own reasons for
doing things. Frankly, it just comes down to being honest and open with
children in a way that they can respect and feel comfortable with.
Models:
I ask parents to model their own literacy and problem-solving skills,
and to include their children in many of the basic adult learning experiences
they encounter.
Advice:
I caution parents about giving advice to their children with regard to
school work. I tell them that they must hold themselves to giving out advice
that is TRUE, USEFUL, and UNDERSTANDABLE. And if they're not SURE that
what they have to offer their children meets all three of these criteria, then they
should simply leave the advice giving to me. One technique I try to teach to
every parent is the technique of turning a criticism or a concern into a
question. That’s a wonderful way to support a learner.
I can offer ideas to parents for support in each of these six categories but I never do all six. I try to limit
my advice to three or four crucial things at the most. In the end, I just want parents to spend time with
their kids doing simple things like reading or helping them with math. And I always want them to have
fun and to make their kids feel loved and very safe.
Writing PlanSUCCESSES – Things that are going well. Procedures Strategies Qualities
Students averaged 5-6 published pieces each in Q1. Continue to set tight deadlines. Have kids put deadlines on TO DO lists;ask them to review deadlines weekly.
Good variety of forms. Present more diverse models.
Students love to write. Stick to 1-hr-a-day schedule; don’t missa day.
Students love to share. Begin small group sharing; do moresharing with other classes.
Introduce different ways of sharing. Create criteria for good sharing.
Everyone published in first class newspaper. Put out 1 issue per month. Review professional and student papers.
Everyone knows and uses the Writing Process. Take status by writing process stage. Have kids teach WP to 1st graders.; talkabout “circular” nature of WP.
Everyone is using their binder. Continue with monthly binder clean-out. Create criteria for a good binder.
Students are choosing good topics. What’s a Good Idea?; CPA Create criteria for good topics.
Many have begun paragraphing. Require editing pass for paragraphs. Formalize paragraphing rules.
Many are beginning to add more detail. Require 1 detail strategy during writingprocess.
Review detail strategies.
CommentsI am extremely pleased with how things have gone this first quarter. We’ve made more progress in nine weeks than we usually make in the whole first semester. I have pushed these kids harder and theyhave responded. When I consider that they haven’t had much experience with workshop-style teaching, the Writing Process, or choosing topics, I’m even more impressed with how far they’ve come.Shelby’s comment last month was very telling: “At first I didn’t like this writing because it was too hard. But I’m glad I did it because I can really write now.”
CHALLENGES – Things that need to be improved. Procedures Strategies Qualities
A little too noisy during work time. Short periods of silent writing. Use “Are you talking?” self-monitoring;change some seating assignments.
Create criteria for work time.
Carelessness with spelling. Require spelling edit pass. More use of Have-A-Go sheets; moreemphasis on Word Wall.
Talk more about what good spellers do tocheck their spelling; create checklist. In-troduce spell check on the computer.
Carelessness with periods and caps. Require separate edit pass. Expressive reading; reverse conventionsreading; review rules for sentence punc-tuation.
Show models from last year’s class.
Inaccurate self-assessment. Introduce Assessment stage of WP. Teach Six Traits assessment using sam-ple assessment sets.
ML: What’s a good assessment?
Some overly critical commenting during sharing. Questions only during sharing. Ask “WHY” and “HOW” questions. ML: What’s a good comment?
Class is getting a bit competitive. More peer review and editing. Talk about working together.
Author Pockets are looking shabby. Require kids to clean up own pockets. ML: What should your pocket look like?;What kind of work should you put in yourpocket?
CommentsThis group continues to be somewhat of a management challenge. I think I need to be a bit tougher with them. I need to provide a bit more structure for how we behave during work times. I want themto take more pride in their work and in the way they treat each other. They’re a rough bunch and at time they are rough on each other. I need to do more to increase the sense of community in theroom and to make the kids who are hanging back feel more safe about taking risks.
NEW STUFF – Things we’re going to start on. Procedures Strategies Qualities
Fiction writing. Require pre-write with 5 Facts of Fiction. 5 Facts of Fiction. Analyze books w/5 Facts of Fiction.
More advanced book reviews. Book review checklist. T-A-D for plot summary. Analyze models from last year’s class.
Commas for separating clauses. Phrase-by-phrase reading. Analyze models; Conventions reading.
Apostrophe for possession. Apostrophe rules. Analyze models; Conventions reading.
Homonyms. Require editing pass for homonyms Use Homonym Word Wall. Set up Homonym Word Wall
Classroom newspaper editorial staff. Set up deadlines and editing procedures. ML: Who works at a newspaper?
Keyboarding. Set up schedule for typing practice. Use keyboarding program. ML: Good typing is slow and accurate.
Punctuating dialog. Require editing pass for dialog. Rules for dialog punctuation. Analyze models; Conventions reading.
CommentsI’m very excited about introducing fiction writing using the Five Facts of Fiction. The kids have been clamoring to write stories and now I think they’re ready. We’ll also be using Five Facts of Fiction inreading and with our book reviews so they should have plenty of chances to get good at it. We’re really going to get the newspaper going formally this term. I need to set up the staff and the editorialprocedures. I also need to get these kids typing so I don’t have to do it for them. Finally, I want them to buckle down and really work hard on their conventions.
SCaN: Successes, Challenges, and New Stuff • Writing Mrs. Goffe • Room 406 2nd Quarter • 1999-2000
Writing Plan Aligned with Standards for Washington StatePROCEDURES – Guidelines for the community. STRATEGIES – Tools for problem solving. QUALITIES – Standards for good work.
Continue to set tight deadlines.WR 3.5 Publishes.
Stick to 1-hr-a-day schedule; don’t miss a day.[None]
Begin small group sharing; sharing with other classes.WR 4.2 Seeks and offers feedback.CO 3.1 Uses language to interact effectively with others.CO 3.2 Works cooperatively as a member of a group.
Put out one issue per month of class newspaper.WR 2.1 Writes for different audiences.WR 2.2 Writes for different purposes.WR 2.3 Writes in a variety of forms.WR 3.5 Publishes.
Take status by writing process stage.WR 3.1 - WR 3.5. Drafts…Publishes.
Require editing pass for paragraphs.WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.WR 3.4 Edits.
Require one detail strategy during writing process.RE 2.1 Comprehends important ideas and details.WR 3.1 Prewrites.
Short periods of silent writing.WR 3.2 Drafts.
Require spelling edit pass.WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.WR 3.4 Edits.
Require separate edit pass for periods and caps.WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.WR 3.4 Edits.
Introduce Assessment stage of the writing process.WR 4.1 Assesses own strengths and needs for improvement.WR 4.2 Seeks and offers feedback.
Questions only during sharing.CO 1.2 Listens and observes to gain and interpret information.CO 4.2 Seeks and offers feedback.
More peer review and editing.WR 3.3 Revises.WR 3.4 Edits.CO 4.2 Seeks and offers feedback.
Require kids to clean up own author pockets.WR 3.5 Publishes.
Require pre-write with “5 Facts of Fiction.”RE 1.4 Understands elements of literature: fiction.RE 2.3 Thinks critically and analyze authors' use of lan-
guage, style, purpose, and perspective.RE 3.3 Reads for literary experience.WR 3.1 Prewrites.
Expand book review checklist.RE 2.3 Thinks critically and analyze authors' use of lan-
guage, style, purpose, and perspective.RE 4.3 Develops interests and shares reading experiences.WR 2.3 Writes in a variety of forms.
Require editing pass for homonyms.WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.WR 3.4 Edits.
Set up deadlines for newspaper and determine pro-duction procedures.
CO 4.3 Analyzes mass communication.CO 4.4 Analyzes how communication is used in career settings.
Set up schedule for typing practice.WR 3.5 Publishes.
Require editing pass for dialog.WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.WR 3.4 Edits.
Use keyboarding program.WR 2.4 Writes for career applications.
Use “Are you talking?” self-monitoring.CO 1.1 Focuses attention.CO 1.2 Listens and observes to gain and interpret information.
More use of Have-A-Go sheets and Word Wall.WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.
Expressive reading; reverse conventions reading; re-view rules for sentence punctuation.
RE 1.3 Reads fluently, adjusting for purpose and material.RE 2.1 Comprehends important ideas and details.RE 3.3 Reads for literary experience.WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.CO 2.5 Uses action, sound, and/or images effectively to
support presentations.Teach 6-Traits assessment with sample assessment sets.
RE 2.3 Thinks critically and analyze authors' use of lan-guage, style, purpose, and perspective.
WR 4.1 Assesses own strengths and needs for improvement.WR 4.2 Seeks and offers feedback.
Ask “WHY” and “HOW” questions.CO 1.1 Focuses attention.CO 1.2 Listens and observes to gain and interpret information.CO 1.3 Checks for understanding by asking questions.
Have kids put deadlines on TO DO lists; ask them toreview deadlines weekly.
WR 3.5 Publishes.Introduce different ways of sharing.
CO 1.1 Focuses attention.CO 1.2 Listens and observes to gain and interpret information.CO 2.1 Communicates clearly to a range of audiences.
Continue with monthly binder clean-out.[None]
What’s a Good Idea?WR 1.1 Develops concept and design.
Formalize paragraphing rules.WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.
Review detail strategies.WR 1.1 Develops concept and design.
5 Facts of Fiction.RE 1.4 Understands elements of literature – fiction.RE 2.1 Comprehends important ideas and details.RE 2.2 Expands comprehension by analyzing, interpreting,
and synthesizing information and ideas.RE 2.3 Thinks critically and analyze authors' use of lan-
guage, style, purpose, and perspective.RE 3.3 Reads for literary experience.
Content-Purpose-Audience,RE 2.1 Comprehends important ideas and details.RE 2.2 Expands comprehension by analyzing, interpreting,
and synthesizing information and ideas.RE 2.3 Thinks critically and analyze authors' use of lan-
guage, style, purpose, and perspective.RE 3.1 Reads to learn new information.
Transition-Action-Details for summary in book reviews.RE 1.4 Understands elements of literature – fiction.RE 4.3 Develops interests and shares reading experiences.WR 1.1 Develops concept and design.WR 2.3 Writes in a variety of forms.
Phrase-by-phrase reading.RE 1.3 Reads fluently, adjusting for purpose and material.RE 2.2 Expands comprehension by analyzing, interpreting,
and synthesizing information and ideas.Apostrophe rules.
WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.Use Homonym Word Wall.
WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.Rules for dialog punctuation.
WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.
Create criteria for good sharing.CO 3.2 Works cooperatively as a member of a group.CO 4.1 Assesses strengths and need for improvement.
Review writing samples; present diverse models.RE 2.3 Thinks critically and analyze author’s use of lan-
guage, style, purpose, and perspective.WR 2.1 Writes for different audiences.WR 2.2 Writes for different purposes.WR 2.3 Writes in a variety of forms.
Have kids teach WP to 1st graders.WR 3.1 – WR 3.5 Drafts…Publishes.CO 2.1 Communicates clearly to a range of audiences.CO 2.4 Uses effective language and style.
Create criteria for a good WP binder.WR 3.1 – WR 3.5 Drafts…Publishes.
Create criteria for good topics.WR 1.1 Develops concept and design.WR 4.1 Assesses own strengths and needs for improvement.WR 4.2 Seeks and offers feedback.
Talk about what good spellers do to check their spelling;create checklist. Introduce spell check on computer.
WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.Show models from last year’s class.
RE 2.3 Thinks critically and analyze author’s use of lan-guage, style, purpose, and perspective.
WR 2.1 Writes for different audiences.WR 2.2 Writes for different purposes.WR 2.3 Writes in a variety of forms.
ML: What’s a good assessment?WR 4.1 Assesses own strengths and needs for improvement.
ML: What’s a good comment?CO 3.1 Uses language to interact effectively with others.CO 3.3 Seeks agreement and solutions through discussion.CO 4.2 Seeks and offers feedback.
Talk about working together.CO 4.1 Assesses strengths and need for improvement.CO 4.2 Seeks and offers feedback.
ML: What should your pocket look like? What kind ofwork should you put in your pocket?
WR 3.5 Publishes.Analyze books w/5 Facts of Fiction.
RE 1.4 Understands elements of literature – fiction.RE 2.1 Comprehends important ideas and details.RE 2.2 Expands comprehension by analyzing, interpreting,
and synthesizing information and ideas.Transition-Action-Details strategy for plot summary.
RE 2.1 Comprehends important ideas and details.RE 2.3 Thinks critically and analyze author’s use of lan-
guage, style, purpose, and perspective.Analyze models; Conventions reading; apostrophes.
WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.WR 3.4 Edits.
Analyze models; Conventions reading; dialog.WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.WR 3.4 Edits.
Set up Homonym Word WallWR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.WR 3.4 Edits.
ML: Who works at a newspaper?CO 4.3 Analyzes mass communication.
ML: Good typing is slow and accurate.WR 3.5 Publishes.
Analyze models; Conventions reading; caps and periods.WR 1.3 Applies writing conventions.WR 3.4 Edits.
Create criteria for work time.CO 3.2 Works cooperatively as a member of a group.
Writing Plan • Alignment Mrs. Goffe • Room 406 2nd Quarter • 1999-2000
Writing InstructionJACQUELINE GRANT CHRIS STEVENS ASHLY WRIGHT MITCH STEWART NICK EDWARDS
Pre-writing strategies. Project more when reading. Make only the changes shewants to make.
Analyze paragraphs.Notes:
Idea-Details. Main Idea strategies. Transition-Action-Details. Observe sentence lengths andstructures in expressive reading.
Notes:
Analyze paragraphs. What-Why-How. Idea-Details and Tell-Show. Talk about her writing process.
Notes:
Conference during pre-writing. Watch commas for periods. Conference during editing. Use editing marks; no re-copy.
Notes:
Monitor around deadlines. Publish every 2-3 weeks. Monitor during work time. Re-organize binder. Follow directions.
Notes:
DERICK SWAN STEPHANIE KAYDUS JARED FARMER ADAM WEISS KARA RADEBAH
Idea-Details; What-Why-How. Paragraphing with more detail. Conference during pre-writingand drafting.
Keep him on task.Notes:
Conference more. Set up self monitoring system. Organize binder. Share for her; encourage her toshare on her own.
Notes:
Monitor his listening and worktime behavior.
Pre-writing strategies. Questioning techniques.
Notes:
Organize binder. Analyze paragraphs in books. Monitor his listening and worktime behavior.
Pre-writing strategies.Notes:
Binder organization. Prioritize; improve use of time. Basic pre-writing strategies. S-A-F, and Idea-Details. Conference during revision.
Notes:
SHELBY PYLE TRICIA WILSON KEVIN OLSEN JACOB LEE BRANDON TVEDT
I-D, T-S, W-W-H, S-A-F. Word choice; vocabulary Attitude when sharing. 3 narratives this term. Topics that explore life lessons.
Notes:
Handwriting practice. Pre-writing strategies. Binder organization. I-D and T-A-D. 3 narratives this term.
Notes:
Binder organization. Pre-writing help. What-Why-How and Idea-Details. Expressive reading of ownpieces.
Notes:
S-A-F and Idea-Details Meeting deadlines. More conferences especiallynear deadlines.
3 narratives this term.Notes:
What-Why-How and Idea-Details. Analyze paragraphs. Editing for spelling.
Notes:
JOREY JOHNSON ERIN COOMES NICK FORSBERG GENERAL NOTES
Monitor around deadlines. Use work time efficiently. Binder organization. Paragraphing.
Notes:
Monitor around deadlines. Use work time efficiently. 3 narratives this term. Peer editor. Begin keyboarding.
Notes:
Wrist support. Special writing paper.
Notes:
PROCEDURES STRATEGIES QUALITIES
Set tight deadlines. 1 hr. a day for writing. Small group sharing. Cross-class sharing. 1 newspaper a month. Status by WP stage. Edit pass for paragraphs. 1 detail strategy in WP Silent writing. Spelling edit pass. Edit pass: periods + caps Edit pass: dialog.
Assessment stage of WP. Questions during sharing. Peer share and edit. Clean up author pockets. Pre-write with 5 F of F. Book review checklist. Edit pass: homonyms. Newspaper procedures. Typing practice.
Deadlines on TO DO lists Review deadlines weekly. Different ways of sharing. Monthly binder clean-out. What’s a Good Idea? CPA Paragraphing rules. Detail strategies. Use “Are you talking?” Change seating. Have-A-Go sheets. Keyboarding program.
Word Wall. Expressive reading. Reverse conv. reading. Sentence punctuation. 6T assessment. “Why” and “How” quests. 5 Facts of Fiction. T-A-D for plot summary. Read phrase-by-phrase. Apostrophe rules. Use Homonym Word Wall. Dialog punctuation.
More diverse models. Criteria for good sharing. Review newspapers. Teach WP to 1st graders. “Circular” nature of WP. Criteria for a good binder. Criteria for good topics. Analyze w/5 F of F. Conv reading: dialog. Conv reading: commas. Conv reading: apostro. Jobs at a newspaper.
Criteria for work time. What good spellers do. Spell check on computer. Models from last year. Good assessments. Good comments. Working together. Good author pockets. Good typing.
ClipNotes • Writing Instruction Mrs. Goffe • Room 406 2nd Quarter • 1999-2000
Writing GoalsJACQUELINE GRANT CHRIS STEVENS ASHLY WRIGHT MITCH STEWART NICK EDWARDS
Use I-D and W-W-H strategies. Read pieces expressively. Assert preferences. Improve paragraphing.
Notes:
Use more detail. Stay focused on topic. Narravitve sequencing. Periods and capitals.
Notes:
Paragraph more consistently. More pre-writing. Write with more detail/depth. Become a classroom leader.
Notes:
Share earlier in the writingprocess to avoid re-starts.
Capitals and periods. Use editing strategies to avoidcomplete re-copying/re-writing.
Meet deadlines more regularly.Notes:
Meet deadlines more regularly. Publish more pieces. Make better use of his time. Keep binder more organized. Follow directions.
Notes:
DERICK SWAN STEPHANIE KAYDUS JARED FARMER ADAM WEISS KARA RADEBAH
Do more prewriting Use more details. Meet deadlines more regularly. Use work time more effectively.
Notes:
Meet deadlines. Draft and publish more pieces. Use work time more effectively. Organize binder. Follow directions. Share writing voluntarily. Ask good questions in sharing.
Notes:
Follow dirctions. Use work time more effectively. More pre-writing: I-D and W-W-H. Ask questions in a respectfultone of voice.
Notes:
Keep binder more organized. Paragraphing. Follow directions. More pre-writing: I-D and W-W-H.
Notes:
Keep binder more organized. Follow directions. Ask for help when she is notsure about what to do.
More pre-writing. Re-read to eliminate repetition. Re-organize revision.
Notes:
SHELBY PYLE TRICIA WILSON KEVIN OLSEN JACOB LEE BRANDON TVEDT
More depth and detail. More advanced Word Choice. More enthusiasm when sharing. More personal narrative writing. Attempt more mature topics.
Notes:
Slow down while writing andimprove legibility of handwriting.
More pre-writing: I-D and W-W-H. Keep binder more organized. Keep like details together. More personal narrative writing.
Notes:
Better organizing of binder. Meet deadlines. Use more pre-writing strategies. Share with more confidence;read pieces with expression.
Notes:
Use more pre-writing strategiesto get more detail.
Meet deadlines consistently. Improve conventions: particularlyperiods and caps, spelling.
More personal narratives.Notes:
Use more pre-writing strategiesfor details and organization.
Begin paragraphing. Improve spelling. Improve grouping of details.
Notes:
JOREY JOHNSON ERIN COOMES NICK FORSBERG GENERAL NOTES
Consistently meet deadlines. Use work time more efficiently;get more pieces published.
Organize binder. Begin paragraphing.
Notes:
Meet deadlines consistently. Visit less with other students;use work time more efficiently.
More personal narratives. Become a peer editor. Begin typing instruction.
Notes:
Make handwriting easier forother people to read.
Read pieces more slowly whensharing.
Project more when sharing. Answer questions from audienceafter sharing.
Notes:
SUCCESSES CHALLENGES NEW STUFF
Students averaged 5-6 published pieces each in Q1. Good variety of forms. Students love to write. Students love to share. Everyone published in first class newspaper. Everyone knows and uses the Writing Process. Everyone is using their binder. Students are choosing good topics. Many have begun paragraphing. Many are beginning to add more detail.
A little too noisy during work time. Carelessness with spelling. Carelessness with periods and caps. Inaccurate self-assessment. Some overly critical commenting during sharing. Class is getting a bit competitive. Author Pockets are looking shabby.
Fiction writing. More advanced book reviews. Commas for separating clauses. Apostrophe for possession. Homonyms. Classroom newspaper editorial staff. Keyboarding. Punctuating dialog.
ClipNotes • Writing Goals Mrs. Goffe • Room 406 2nd Quarter • 1999-2000
© 1995-2002 by Steve Peha. For more information, or for additional teaching materials, please contact: Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. • E-mail [email protected] • Web www.ttms.org
24
Please contact me any time!Even the best workshops and teaching materials can’t meet the needs of every teacher all the time.
That’s why we need to stay in touch. Send me an e-mail any time you have a question.I’ll do my best to get back to you quickly with answers, additional teaching materials,
or other resources.
Let’s work together tomake your teachingthe best it can be.
Please send suggestions, questions, and corrections to:[email protected]