CHAPTER 4:  ASSESSING WRITING

By Licda. Virginia Mora Real

Approaches:

·       Indirect measures of writing assessment assess correct usage in sentence-level constructions and assess spelling and punctuation via objective formats like multiple choice and cloze tests.

·       Direct measures of writing assessment assess a student´s ability to communicate through the written mode based on the actual production of written texts. It involves all elements of writing.

There are four basic elements:

·       Rubric: the instructions

·       Prompt. The task

·       Expected response: the intention with the task

·       Post-task evaluation: assessing the effectiveness of the task.

Some issues:

·       Time allocation: allowing 30 minutes is sufficient time.

·       Process versus product: Use a portfolio that includes all draft material.

·       Use of technology

·       Topic restriction: students select the prompt from a variety of alternatives.

TECHNIQUES FOR ASSESSING WRITING

• Free writing

• Guided writing: It is a bridge between objective and subjective formats.

AUTHENTIC WRITING ASSESSEMENT:

·       Student-teacher conferences

·       Self-assessment

·       Peer assessment

·       Portfolio-based assessment

 

PROCEDURES

·       Assessment scales

·       Holistic marking scales

·       Analytical marking  scales

RATING

·       Classroom teacher as rater

·       Multiple raters

RESPONDING TO STUDENT WRITING:

·       Provide written feedback to students.

·       Electronic feedback