Evaluating Writing Assignment

A General Method for Evaluating Writing Assignments:

From Connors & Glenn (Bedford/ St. Martin's, 1999):

• Read the paper quickly, making no marks but getting a sense of the organization and general nature of the paper. Try to decide what you like about the paper and what works;
• Reread the paper slowly, marking errors and writing marginal comments. Read paragraph by paragraph, thinking less about organization;
• Reread the paper quickly, thinking about the overall purpose of the paper,
good and bad features, number of formal errors, and your marginal comments. After this reading, write your final (end) comments and assign a grade;
• Make a note of the paper in the student's file. Compare its successes & failures with previous writing of the student. Note improvements;

This method may be time consuming, and it is best used in small classes with fewer students where longer writing assignments will most likely be assigned.

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Grading Rubrics:

Rubrics are lists of criteria for a specific assignment that are used in evaluating writing.

Analytic rubrics assign separate scores to each criterion. Holistic rubrics assign one score that reflects the overall impression of the assignment based on the combined criteria.

By developing a rubric, the students and instructor have explicit and consistent criteria for grading. It can also reduce grading time.

Consider allowing students to revise writing assignments for higher grades. Revision makes grades "a tool to motivate learning" rather than a final judgment.

("Responding to Student Writing." The Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing.
http://cstw.osu.edu/wac/resources.cfm)

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Responding in Conferences:

Conferences work best when they have one of the following purposes:

• Discussion of the progress of any long-term ongoing project;
• Discussion of the student's writing process, and the sharing of anecdotes about writing;
• Discussion of activities meant to deal with specific and identified patterns of grammatical problems: syntactic errors, verb endings, etc.;
• Discussion of the assignment and difficulties the student is having: generating ideas, finding evidence, writing a conclusion, etc.;

Conferences allow you to tailor instruction to individual needs and styles. Ask students to prepare for the conference in advance; for example, by generating substantive questions about their papers. Either you or the student should keep track of each conference with a formal record (e.g., notes).

Teach students to use conferences as a chance to communicate with a supportive, informed

Note repeated patterns of "error" and help students to learn, rather than correct the errors yourself;

Develop a hierarchy of "errors," focusing on errors that impede communication or detract from the assignment's credibility;

Place marginal checkmarks next to errors and let students correct them;

Conduct mini-lessons on common grammatical issues or patterns that you see in your students' writing;

Direct students to specific grammar resources;

Do not focus on grammar in early drafts.

("Responding to Student Writing." The Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing.
http://cstw.osu.edu/wac/resources.cfm)