Lake Region Union High School

Writing Assessment Philosophy Statement

In developing this writing assessment system, the Lake Region Union High School English Department operated on the following premises regarding writing, writing instruction, and writing assessment.
We believe that:

1) Writing can enhance learning in all areas of the school curriculum at all levels. Writing is a way of creating meaning and of discovering what one knows.
2) Writing occurs in a wide variety of situations in a wide variety of forms for a wide variety of audiences and purposes. There is no such thing as a formula for ÒgoodÓ writing that will operate in all situations.
3) Writers need time -- regular chunks of time. If students are to grow as writers, classroom experience needs to include time for all components of a writing process -- time for thinking, drafting, reading, conferring, revising, editing, publishing, and reflecting on the process itself.
4) Writers need their own topics as well as teacher created topics. They need to know and care about what they write; they
need to be allowed to use writing as a way to think about and give form to their own ideas and concerns.
5) Writers need readers. Helpful response is positive and affirming; it comes both during and after composing; it helps writers resee their writing; it comes from writersÕ peers
and from the teacher.
6) Writers need to be readers. They need time for reading and access to a variety of written texts: poetry, prose, drama, fiction, nonfiction.
7) Writers learn mechanics from reading and writing. They learn mechanics in their attempts at making meaning. They learn mechanics from teachers and students who address errors as they occur within individual pieces of writing where rules have form and meaning.
8) Student writers need to know adults who write. Teachers who themselves write and share their writing regularly are likely to be credible when they advise students about the writing process and about the values of writing.

Writing, then, is a complex behavior. As such, the products of writing instruction are many, thereby making the assessment of writing abilities difficult, at best. Just as there is no single formula for good writing, there is no single formula for measuring how well students write.
What we have devised is a system which seeks to give students, parents, teachers, and administrators feedback about three of the most important ÒproductsÓ of writing instruction: studentsÕ attitudes and beliefs about writing as it applies to their own experiences; studentsÕ awareness of and ability to engage in the various portions of the writing process; and studentsÕ ability to generate selected types of written products. Alone, none of these assessment components can be considered a valid indicator of studentsÕ proficiency in written composition. Together, though, we believe that those components will provide their constituents with a general picture of studentsÕ individual and collective abilities relative to specific aspects of writing.