Preparation for Summative Writing Assessments

Brenda Hill
Mar 23, 2009

In the spring most states across the country administer grade level specific writing tests. Though the targeted grade level and the required writing genre vary from state to state, there are several similarities among all. In most cases students are asked to plan or pre-write (Graphic organizers may be developed by students as part of the pre-write plan.), elaborate on a topic from a prompt, edit and revise as needed, and demonstrate a knowledge of the required genre. For example, if the required writing is a persuasive composition, students are expected to include an introductory paragraph that includes a viewpoint and then give reasons or justifications throughout the passage to support that point of view. In order to have students effectively demonstrate their writing capabilities, it is imperative we prepare them for the task. Often much time is devoted to having students practice writing from a prompt by developing a plan, organizing thoughts, and revising and editing work. This is important, but by placing so much emphasis on the writing process, we sometimes fail to adequately prepare them for other key testing factors. In preparing our students for summative writing assessments, we need to provide multiple opportunities for them to write within an allotted amount of time, select and independently choose a graphic organizer, assess written products with rubrics, and have a thorough knowledge of writing genres.

Writing within an allotted time frame is an essential factor to successfully complete summative grade level state assessments. Students need to understand and apply the writing process within a frame of time similar to the test taking experience. Preparing students for writing using an allotted amount of time helps to alleviate unnecessary frustration and anxiety when taking the state assessment.  Students write throughout the year for different reasons and for different purposes. A variety of graphic organizers may and should be used. Using many graphic organizers prepares students in the selection of an organizer that best suits their writing needs to adequately address the writing prompt on the state assessment. When students feel comfortable using a variety of organizers, this helps prevent wasting of valuable time during the pre-write process.

Writing prompts consistently and pervasively used, as we model with think alouds, prepare our students for the state assessment. In addition, a rubric to assess and provide specific feedback helps students improve writing performance and allows them to set clear, precise, reasonable writing goals. Teachers may collaborate within grade level teams to score individual student work, so that writing expectations are the same within every classroom across the grade level.    

As we prepare our students for summative assessments by modeling strategies and creating learning opportunities throughout the year, writing quality greatly improves, and students' anxiety gradually diminishes. Multiple, varied writing experiences develop confident, competent students who effectively write for assessments and who become successful lifelong communicators. 

See the Learning-Focused Literacy Collection for more writing ideas.