Formative Assessment for Writing Skills
Hate it when students don’t read your feedback on the final paper–or even the draft?! Formative assessment for writing skills can bring peace to your world.
Are rubrics formative or summative?
They can be either, so it’s all about use. Because a rubric breaks down multiple skills in one chart, I prefer using rubrics for formative assessments. (for more info on summative writing assessment, check out Maja Wilson’s Reimagining Writing Assessment), which I have interpreted with my own portfolios. I’ve been interested in coaching rubrics (a.k.a. formative rubrics) since I read Never Work Harder Than Your Students by Robyn Jackson.
The premise is that the rubric not only states the strengths/opportunities of the writing, but provides the next steps to take. If the writing is strong in a certain category, the rubric provides a challenge to elevate the work. If it isn’t proficient yet, it refers students straight to the review they need to make the corrections. This helps me be in many places at once as a teacher and to exemplify that there are always improvements that can be made to the writing while it is in process. No one is done early just because they are good at playing school.
Here is an example for a strong piece of writing.
Here is an example for a not yet piece of writing.
Why use formative assessment in the classroom?
If students only receive summative feedback, they will improve less because who remembers the last paper for the next paper?! Formative assessment is an absolute must for improving student writing. Unfortunately, it is difficult to meet with all students and give them what they need. Having some advanced and review materials ready ahead of time that students can use independently (or at least some of them can use independently) will cut down on the traffic at your desk. If you think they’ll all need help, you can group them and run a couple mini sessions or make a video.
This EDITABLE, evergreen formative assessment rubric assesses students’ analytical reading and writing. With student-friendly target language, as well as built-in feedback and tutorials for how to revise the assignment (or carry the learning forward to the next one), this rubric takes out all the guesswork, saving everyone time! Choose the grade level that applies to you.
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