Classroom Assessment of L2 Writing

Scoring and Assessment Procedures

            In my high school AP English courses holistic scoring was used to inform us of what our writing would score during the AP exams, however the teachers came up with another scoring system for the grade book that correlated the holistic score to an analytic one. For example, if a paper is scored a three on a nine-point scale then the corresponding analytic score could range from 68-76. On the other hand, if there was a project due then an analytic score would be given but the overall course used analytic scores. This was the only course that used this method of scoring and in my post-secondary career analytic scoring is used in almost every course.

            In high school, holistic scoring was appropriate to provide practice in improving writing for the basis of the exam students enrolled in the course would be taking at the end of the year, but it wasn’t appropriate in an overall context of composition. The rubric handed out which described what qualities were in each score range wasn’t descriptive enough in what the teacher was looking for so a student could improve his or her score. I will add that as a student we’re more familiar with analytical and multiple trait scoring as we continue in our education.

Scores Improving Quality of Writing

            One of my undergraduate history courses required most, if not all, of the exams in essay form. We had to write about what we knew about an important historical point discussed in prior classes. For one reason or another I was always extremely close to having a 90 on the essay, but I fell short by three or four points. Those few points drove me insane, but I steadily increased my score until I made a 94 on an exam. I felt accomplished that I had met the expectations of an “A” paper. Whenever I wrote papers for professors that had comparatively higher expectations for their papers, I would attempt to approach those papers the same way I did on the paper I scored a 94 on. I knew what I was capable of as a student and writer and I earned every grade.

            I’ve been out of practice writing academic texts for nearly a year so this course is providing me with a refresher of the requirements for the grades that I want. Holistic scoring causes me to devalue the effort I put into a composition task because the score is either too general or has too many requirements to be realistically achievable in a short time frame. Since analytical scoring usually adds up to 100, culturally viewed as complete and the best possible score, then it’s easier to identify with and puts the score in the perspective of completeness.

Assessment Apprehension

            When I’m a pre-service teacher I would be most apprehensive about providing constructive feedback. I also want to grade students fairly with as little bias as possible. In order to give students grades that reflect the quality of the students’ work, I need to be as objective as possible so that when a student asks me why they received a certain grade then I’ll be able to explain what was done well and what needs improvement. As long as it’s possible I would prefer to grade analytically. I feel that holistic grading is too harsh especially if a student leaves out one element that takes them from a five to a three.

Formal Assessment

Formal assessment should be reliable and valid in the evaluation of student literacy and composition. Ferris and Hedgcock (2014) discuss several types of reliability and validity that could influence assessment including student-related reliability and content validity. This reliability involves a student’s mental and physical preparedness for a writing task. While content validity requires the reader to show their mastery of key ideas through writing. Content validity would most likely involve a student taking a Sociology test that has open-ended questions over theories or constructs and providing examples often embedded in current events or major historical markers.

Portfolio Familiarity

I’m not familiar with portfolios at all but I can see their benefits. The portfolio being designed for this course will have my teaching philosophy, examples of informal writing via blog, and examples of a proposed lesson plan and a sample writing activity with a prompt and rubric. All provide different examples of my writing and will be beneficial to show to future employers.

References

Ferris, Dana R. and John S. Hedgcock. Teaching L2 Composition: Purpose, Process,        

     and Practice. New York: Routledge, 2014. Print