I have long struggled with the importance placed on rubrics in the writing classroom. They took off in my district with the adoption of The Six Traits of Writing (NWREL). While the traits (ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions) certainly gave both my students and me a common language with which to discuss their writing, it was not curriculum (a shock to some teachers, I'm sure) or a comprehensive list of the qualities of good writing. I became a reluctant rubric participant in the assessment of my students' writing.Maja Wilson, in her book Rethinking Rubrics in Writing Assessment, warns teachers about the misuses of rubrics in writing assessment. She says, "When our purpose in reading student work is to defend a grade, we do not apply any of our natural responses to text." "In our search for mistakes," she goes on to share, "we often miss potential." Rubrics, not carefully constructed and appropriately administered, or used in isolation of any other means of assessment, will cause us to look for mistakes, often missing the potential that lies in our students' work. "We should never assume that student papers will be perfect; our job is to help students realize what they cannot yet do."
The Golden Rule of Assessment: Assess others the way you would be assessed.
Just three years ago, our district implemented a Units of Study (Ray) approach to the teaching of writing at the elementary level. Through this, I was able to collaborate with my students in the development of a rubric that was based on our list of "noticings" about a particular genre when their writing was assessed. With the direction of Kelly Gallagher, Teaching Adolescent Writers, I also understand that it is important to leave room for each student to enter individual goals related to their work as a writer on this rubric as well.
This is still a learning process for me: to make the assessment of writing a valuable learning experience for my students and for me, to learn how to best support them in their efforts to become the writer they want to be.
I think the opportunity for students to reflect on their writing is critical in the development of a writer. Thinking about one's writing, then discussing it in an open forum with a teacher and/or peers is a terrific way to improve writing skills. However, this does not lend itself particularly well to assessement via rubric, unless the teacher is grading a student merely on "turning in" a reflection, or on participating in a whole group/small group writing discussion.
ReplyDeleteTo me, writing is a very personal experience that cannot necessarily be quantified. Consequently, I can understand your dilemma. I liked the phrase you used: the list of "noticings". I would think that grading a writing assignment must be so subjective on many levels, since it does involve a student's individual voice as well as other, more measurable elements. Involving students in the creation of a rubric helps them to set writing goals and to reflect on what the key elements of successful writing are. And how do you measure the impact of a student's message in his/her writing, as compared to their mechanics?
I can completely understand your reluctance to climb aboard the Six Traits rubric bandwagon. Perhaps rubrics are not the best means of assessment relative to writing assignments.
Your thoughts on writing assessment are reflective of my own. I also believe that conferencing and a student's own self-reflection are important elements in the evaluation process. In terms of grading, I often make this "judgement" based on the progress the student is making. Are they implementing the craft of writing lessons that are presented? I look closely at this as well. Still, there needs to be some kind of framework from which teachers at various grade levels draw from in their assessment of student writing. Teachers are working on this during our Team Summer. Wish us luck!
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I DO like about the Six Traits is "voice." I think voice is lacking in a lot of instruction and writing. In NJ teachers have focused so much on the rubric the state came up with for the high school test, that voice got lost. Students were producing these dry, formulaic, rigid pieces that completely lacked voice. But I agree that good writing, and good writing instruction are more than a rubric, or a book, or even a curriculum. It has a lot to do with the 'art' of teaching I think...and those things like you mentioned Jan..the noticings!
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