Chapter 10: Make Assessment Count

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As I read this chapter, I kept asking myself: If the way some states do high-stakes writing assessments don't match what is or should be going on in the classroom, then why are the students and teachers subjected to the torture?  We teaching the whole writing process, yet some tests require students to do what I think of as a cold write- no time to brainstorm, revise, reread, etc.  Come to think of it, I am pretty sure that those tests we are required to take to obtain our degrees and licenses involve a cold write.  No wonder I struggle with that part of the tests!
One thing this chapter discusses is how to use rubrics correctly.  Routeman defines a writing rubric as "a set of criteria for what needs to be included in a piece of writing. (p.240)"  There are two kinds of rubrics: content rubrics which "provide explicit criteria to frame the writing and define the task" and evaluation rubrics which "provides criteria explaining how the writing will be rated or scored often on a scale of numbers."  Rubrics are meant to help all parties involved know what needs to happen in a piece of writing, keeps the writer on track and gives some guidelines for grading.  However, when it comes to rubrics, one should not overdo them.  Tom Newkirk said "It's not what the writing has- it's what the writing does."  No rubric can track all that happens when a writer is writing.
The best way of learning anything, especially writing is to actually do it.  Copying good writing won't work, but writing for real reasons, real audiences and doing lots of it will.  Students should write and read constantly- this will help them in all areas of school, not just writing and reading.  This is especially true if the reading and writing is interwoven throughout the day.
So, with all this great teaching, you would think the test would be a breeze right?  Well, if you don't stress out about it it would be.  Teachers need to place just the right amount of emphasis on the test itself.  Too much and everyone will be burnt out, not enough and the kids won't understand what is going on.  Routeman states "Research shows that high achievement and high test scores result when what is tested is woven into daily teaching and challenging curriculum in a relevant manner."  Remember this and we will be good to go!