More "BEST Ideas for Preparing Students for the DWA"

Dear Colleagues,

On Thursday I wrote about the long and winding road that brought our state to this juncture - an online writing assessment, scored by artificial intelligence. Because the road has been a long one, the post grew in length as well, and I didn't share some of the best ideas I've discoverd for preparing 8th graders for this journey.

I created a PowerPoint presentation - I know it's the 21st century version of a black/white board, but it helps me stay a little more focused when I'm teaching. Because the PowerPoint includes several links to some excellent resources, I thought it might be helpful for educators who drop by Link2Literacy. (Click HERE to review the PPoint.)

Before sharing some other good ideas that came out of Friday's class with about 30 eighth grade teachers, I want to reiterate that the DWA is an UNTIMED test. It's difficult, but it's important that schools allow students to complete their essay in ONE SITTING but also be allowed to work on it AS LONG AS THEY NEED TO.

Testing results are COMPROMISED if this is NOT allowed. For example, two schools in our district consist of similar student populations as far as social economic status (SES) and standardized test scores are concerned. But one school consistently scores several points higher on the DWA test. I pondered over that because I know that both schools boast of exceptional teachers as well as involved parents. When I learned that one school administered the writing test as a TIMED test, limiting it to about 45 minutes, while the other followed USOE's guidelines of setting it up as untimed, I concluded that the differences in the scores MIGHT BE attributed to the timing differences.

Furthermore, the validity and reliability of the results is compromised if some schools are timing the tests and others are not. The fact that ALL students throughout the state cannot take the test at the same time also affects test security AND test results. The test may very well be flawed, but it's all we have, and it can still provide data to inform our instruction.

Now what are some tips for making this a good experience for our kids? Here are just a few ideas gleaned from Friday's DWA workshop.

• Acknowledging that writing assessments are a genre in and of themselves, we also want to stress that students will encounter writing assessments in the "real" world. Several teachers shared their experiences of writing to a prompt as part of job interviews. The most interesting was the teacher who once applied for a position in the banking industry and had to answer the question, "If you were an animal, what would you choose to be?" She wrote about being a race horse. Interesting.

• We also discussed the fact that in the "Fake World" of the testing situation, students will not be able to research expert opinions and so they will have to "make up" data, direct quotes, and authorities to support their claims. As ludicrous as this is, it does serve a couple of purposes: 1) it teaches students HOW and WHERE to include this type of documentation; 2) it is engaging for students to create important sounding monikers and impressive data. We just hope they don't follow the footsteps of individuals who find this process can also be applied to doctoring up resumes.

• Because any type of assessment can be stressful, let's not turn the test PREPARATION into something traumatic, too. Let's remember that writing well is a great life skill and the persuasive essay, letter, proposal, etc. requires higher order thinking and descriptive, logical, and clear writing. Some tips on building engaging instruction include ... assigning students intriguing prompts that they can relate to; requiring them to take a stand one day and refute that opinion the next; allowing them to orally debate the questions; organizing them into collaborative groups to tackle topics; giving them some choices of prompts; letting them create prompts; and providing opportunities for "authentic" persuasive writing.

Before signing off, I want to tell you that if you are worried about students' typing skills, there is a link on the  PowerPoint where students can go to practice. There are also links to lesson plans, model papers, and PowerPoint presentations that can be shared with students.

Best of luck, Friends.
Renae

BEST Laugh is the LAST Laugh - right?

Dear Friends,

It's Friday, and so I'm again taking the easy way out as far as a posting goes. Because I've been focusing upon the DWA this week, I want to share this "fun" YouTube video that I think exemplifies some of the craziness of testing. So, it's the end of the week - ready for the  LAST LAUGH? Enjoy!

HAVE AN INCREDIBLE

WEEKEND! 

Renae

BEST Ways to Prepare Students for the Direct Writing Assessment (DWA)

Good Evening,

Tomorrow I am meeting with 8th grade teachers to review ideas that will help prepare students for the Direct Writing Assessment (DWA). This is an interesting situation in that Utah is doing what no other state in the union has done - ever!

"And what's THAT?" exclaims Joe the Plumber,  a relative of John Q. Public, who recently lost his job due to the downturn of the housing industry. Because he's been busy filling out unemployment forms, he hasn't heard about the big change in this year's writing assessment. In fact, Joe just learned last Tuesday Jordan School District no longer includes schools on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley; so it's little wonder that he doesn't know that his 8th grade daughter's writing will be tested this year.

So what's the big deal with this DWA? No, it's not part of President Obama's stimulus package, nor is it a program resurrected from the era of the Great Depression - like the CCC or the TVA. Spawned during the NCLB climate of accountability, Merit Software provides a little background about our summative assessment of writing - 

The Direct Writing Assessment (DWA) is a criterion-referenced test designed to assess the writing skills of Utah students in grades six and nine five and eight. This writing test is an element of the Utah Performance Assessment System for Students (U-PASS). It was first administered statewide in the spring of 2002.

The DWA is scored using an analytic rather than a holistic scoring method. The scoring rubric, which is aligned with the Utah Core Curriculum for language arts, focuses on six components of writing: ideas & content, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions.

THAT was THEN; this is NOW -

• Not quite a year ago, the state legislature created a LAW that stated ...
  
• 8th grade, not 9th grade, students will write their persuasive essays online INSTEAD of by hand.
• Switch to 8th grade was because law makers wanted to see a writing assessment in each level - elementary (5th), middle (8th), high school (10th)
• Reason for switch: Many districts throughout Utah send 9th graders to high school, but 8th grade is in ALL middle schools.

• 8th graders will write to a PERSUASIVE prompt even though the Core objectives and indicators focus upon NARRATIVE writing
• Students' essays will be assessed by ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE as programmed by Measurement, Inc.  
• THIS IS A NATION-WIDE FIRST! 
• THIS IS GROUND-BREAKING!
• THIS IS  .... interesting?  
• EVERYTHING had to be in place by spring of 2010!!!! 
• Request for proposals (RFP) to find a company to administer assessment
• Review of RFPs and award to "winning" company 
• Development by company of ALL criteria 
• Formative assessment tool (Utah Writes)
• Summative requirements - a TON of those!!!

So, my friends, this is how we got to where we are. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. When the excitement is over and the dust has settled, I'll be happy to reprint any crazy stories you have to share.

GOOD LUCK!!!! 
Renae

BEST Way to Start a Love for Literacy: Board Books for Babies

"Board Books for Babies"

Sarita Rich of Elk Ridge Middle School

reads to her little one.

 Dear Friends,

In January 2006 our sixth grandchild and third grand-daughter arrived at a hospital in Las Vegas. Our thrill quickly evaporated when we learned that she experienced life-threatening complications during the birth process. Our Mia spent her first week of life in a neo-natal intensive care unit while nurses and doctors treated her.

It was very strange to see this 7 pounds-plus baby sleeping in an isolet next to a tiny, tiny baby who weighed 2 pounds, maybe. Both babies had tubes stuck, taped, and fixed to their heads, hands, and legs. Of course, Mia's size factored into her complete recovery, while her bitty roommate's low weight was definitely a detriment.

As I watched attendants record their progress and administer to their needs, I marveled at the advances in medicine that so often save lives such as these. But the most amazing treatment I witnessed didn't come from any doctors or nurses; it came at the hands of the premature baby's mother.

As I rocked my grand-daughter, I saw this young mother stand close to her little one with a large picture book in hand, and I listened to her quietly, but enthusiastically read the words to her baby. I can't even write about this without tears welling. I'll never forget that picture and the message it delivered - "Hear my voice, Baby Dearest. Listen to your mommy read these words to you and tell you about the pictures and colors on the pages. I know you can't understand what I'm saying, but you know what I'm sharing: my love and my dreams for you." 

When editing today's post, I decided to scrap the original and write about an important service project sponsored by Jordan Council of the International Reading Association (JCIRA). "Board Books for Babies" was organized to collect new board books for "literacy kits" that we're assembling to present to new mothers at the IHC Regional Hospital that just opened in Riverton.

We want very much to help young moms start their little ones on the road to literacy by giving them a book they can read to babies that very day. We'll also include a letter of congratulations that informs them of the importance of reading to their children from the minute they join their family.

Reading to young children does so much to build oral communication, print awareness, and - most importantly - a bond between the reader and the little one. Print awareness, a term not familiar to many secondary teachers or parents, teaches children "how" to read a book in our culture: from front to back, left to right; and top to bottom. Print awareness also links words to pictures and to their own limited experiences.

Whether or not you are a member of JCIRA, we invite you to donate one or more new books to our organization so that we can serve the littlest ones in our communities.

You can ~

• bring the book to our next meeting FEBRUARY 8 at 4:30 P.M. in the ASB building on Redwood Road, or ...
• send it to RENAE SALISBURY (me) at the district office, or ...
• call or email me to PICK IT UP AT YOUR SCHOOL, and I will!

We want to wrap up this project by Valentine's Day. Thanks so much for considering this worthy cause in a year when there are so many.

Best wishes,
Renae

BEST Change: ADDING a DIFFERENT 12 grade LA Core Curriculum!

Good Day, All,

Yesterday I reprinted some questions generated by Carol Booth Olson, and the first and most crucial one is this:What is missing from adolescent writing instruction? As I thought about this question, I realized my original answer is no longer a factor - at least in our state. 

Until a few months ago, I would have said that technical writing is missing, but thanks to a number of individuals from several districts and colleges, Utah twelfth-graders can opt to enroll in Technical and Professional Communication: "Real Writing for the Real World." 

For nearly a year, district language arts consultants and specialists researched various programs at universities and community colleges. After meeting with these instructors and professors, the group created a NEW core curriculum focused upon writing for the real world. And what does that mean? It means a VERY DIFFERENT set of standards and objectives.

• Biggest difference - the Tech Communication class will NOT be literature based. That means teachers will NOT try to create a technical writing assignment connected to Pride and Prejudice. (ex. Write a memo from Bingley to Mr. Darcy informing him that he has covered Wickham's expenses for the past 3 months.)
• The Tech Communication class will be "case-study based," meaning that students will read, review, and analyze this different genre to identify the problems and work out the best solutions. 
• Teachers who facilitate these classes MUST complete the training as designed by the higher ed instructors. Educators from Jordan's four high schools joined with other teachers from throughout the state at the initial training on January 8 and 9. Depending upon enrollment, future trainings will be scheduled. 

In addition to receiving an overview of the curriculum, participants were introduced to the Tech Writing blog where teachers will find resources, post lesson plans, and collaborate in furthering the vision.


Attending teachers are enthusiastic about this cutting-edge opportunity to provide an alternative to the traditional language arts class. For those students whose interests and talents lie in the direction of technology-based learning, this change is a welcome one. It will be exciting to see how it all unfolds. 


Till Later,
Renae

BEST WRITING Practices

Happy MLK Day,

It's foggy out this morning, but at least we don't HAVE to drive in it, do we? YaY! I hope you are sleeping in or doing something wonderful on your day off! I'm heading for the gym and my beloved treadmill in a few minutes, but I want to leave a short post for day 18 before I take off.

I've written a lot about reading over the past 17 days, so I want to shift the focus to writing today. I received an email from The English Companion, a social network for language arts educators, asking for input on questions about writing in the secondary classroom. The purpose for the questions was to inform Carol Booth Olson, NCTE President, about educators' thoughts about this topic. These are the questions posed.

Most important question:

What is missing from adolescent writing instruction?

Other questions of concern:

1. What are proven and effective writing practices that should be in operation?
2. What should students be able to do at the end of middle school in terms of writing?
3. What should students be able to do at the end of high school in terms ofwriting?

As happy as I am to pass on my thoughts, I would LOVE to hear your comments concerning these issues. I am thinking about creating a short answer survey to pass onto all of you since I received such a great response from the reading-aloud survey.

In the meantime, I encourage you to visit Carol Booth Olson's Reading/Writing Connection site. Carol is best known for her research in this area and has published a best-seller on the topic. The aforementioned website includes resources from her book, and I have turned to it many times.

Additionally, we just learned that she will be a featured speaker at next fall's UCTE Conference in October.

Signing off for NOW,
Renae

Good-bye AND Thank You to One of the BEST!

Good Morning, Friends,

It's Sunday morning - midway through the Martin Luther King weekend. I realized as I sat down at the computer to enter this post that I had only thought of these 3 days as a break from my professional work. (There is no break on the household front; wash waits for no one!)

I reprimanded myself for forgetting the purpose for this commemoration, but my subconscious did not fail me. After reading of Miep Gies' death Tuesday, January 12, 2010, I decided I wanted to write about her contribution to history and to the literary world. And it's only appropriate that I write about her when Americans pause to honor a man who fought for human rights just as Miep protected the rights of a Jewish family during the Holocaust.

Ask any eighth-grade English teacher who Miep Gies is, and he will know. The dramatization of Anne Frank's diary has long been included in anthologies for that age group, and so most middle school students also know of Anne's protector.

Miep's place in history is not only secured because she cared for the Frank family and others hidden in the annex, but because she saved Anne's diary. Amazon describes the journal as "a modern classic, the living testimony of a Jewish girl caught in the nightmare horror of Hitler's Final Solution. Her extraordinary story can be read in over 50 languages, and millions of copies are in print in various editions throughout the world."

I am so thankful that Miep had the forsight to save Anne's writings, and I am also grateful that the Nazis failed to take the treasure with them. I wouldn't doubt if they perused it, however, and completely overlooked its value. Oh, if they had only known the impact those reflections would have on the world!

Miep was 100 years old when she passed away, and although she shunned attention earlier in her life, claiming she didn't do all that much, she became an active voice against intolerance for the past 20 years. The tiny hero was especially important to Erin Gruell and her Freedom Writers, as they brought Mies to California to meet and honor her. She was important to all who value human rights and tolerance.

We are fortunate that Miep was so long among us, and now it's our duty to immortalize her further by respecting and exemplifying what she stood for. I often wonder what I would have done had I lived in a similar setting. Would I have had the courage to risk my life to help others. I don't have to do that today, but am I willing to inconvenience myself in order to promote tolerance and extend charity?

We have the opportunity to do that very thing as we look to Haiti and her many many needs. And once food, water, and shelter are provided, will help disappear, or are we willing to rebuild the people as well as houses and buildings?

Like Miep, we can't do it all, but we can do something.