Writing Assignment Critique

It is always interesting to critique anything related to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), a high stakes test given to our students here in WashingtonState. Therefore, I have selected a 7th grade released writing prompt from the 2007 WASL writing test. I teach English Language Learners (ELLs) and clearly the first limitation of this prompt is that it assumes you understand and write proficiently in English. Disregard the fact that English is not ELL student’s first language, or the little amount of English taught to them in their home country, they must be able to respond appropriately to the writing assignment prompt. The special education (SPED) students face the same limitations given their many mental and/or physical challenges. Like ELLs, the SPED students often do not possess the vocabulary or experience to be successful on the WASL writing test. The writing assignment titled, “Early Curphew” ( provided the 7th grade students with a prompt that read: “Recently, your community officials have proposed that young people under the age of 15 cannot be out after 8:00 p.m. unless they are with an adult. Take a position on this proposal. Write a multiple-paragraph letter to the officials persuading them to support your position.” The task is clear for a student whose first language is English, or a student who has been studying English at least five years in our American schools. The entire task is ridiculously unclear for students who don’t meet the criteria just mentioned. For ELLs and SPED students, the writing prompt example above may seem as overwhelming and foreign to them as John Dewey’s book, “The School and Society, The Child and the Curriculum” (1990) seemed to me. Anyone who has read Dewey and has worked with ELLs, understands the analogy of the two.

The WASL writing assignment prompts students to write a letter to a perceived audience. The learning objective for this writing assignment are to assess student’s ability within the content and conventions of their task. Students will be assessed on their ability to write in a multi-paragraph format. Students will take a position on whether an early curfew should or not be enforced and provide supportive examples for that position.

The expectations are clearly laid out in every 7th grade classroom for those students who can understand English and every school that wants to pass Annual Yearly Progress (AYP). However, some would say that this borders on “teaching to the test” because students are well versed on the six point scale that writing WASL prompts are assessed on. Students clearly understand that a maximum of four points can be awarded for content, and a maximum of two points may be awarded for conventions. A score of five or six is considered meeting the writing standard. The scoring rubrics can be found on the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s (OSPI) website http:/k12.was.us/assessment/WASL/writing/CONVgrade7-2005.doc. Specifically for the evaluation criteria, students must provide several arguments on their opinion and substantiate the arguments with examples. Grammar has less importance that the content when being evaluated.

The theory of writing that might be foundational to this assessment is the process pedagogy. As students are prepared for the writing WASL, many writing curriculums that are used such as “Step up to Writing”, focus on the process of writing. A strong emphasis is placed on editing and revisingas it is in the process theory. The values about teaching are demonstrated through the WASL assignment because most school mission statements usually include providing the best instruction to meet state standards. Most often, teacher’s values are centered on the mission statement. Unfortunately, I cannot make revisions to a state standardized test, but if I could, I would allow the first year ELLs to write the prompt in their own language.

References

Office of the Superintendant of Public Instruction (2008), “Early Curphew”. Retrieved

January 29, 2008 from (

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s (2008). Grade 7 Writing released items.

Retrieved January 29, 2008 from http:/k12.was.us/assessment/WASL/writing/CONV

grade7-2005.doc.