Table Of Content

DOCUMENT RESUME ED 409 577 CS 215 924 AUTHOR Tchudi, Stephen, Ed. Alternatives to Grading Student Writing. TITLE INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, Ill. REPORT NO ISBN-0-8141-0130-5 PUB DATE 97 NOTE 322p. AVAILABLE FROM National Council of Teachers of English, 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096 (NCTE Stock No. 01305-0015; $16.95 members, $22.95 nonmembers). PUB TYPE General (020) Guides -- Collected Works Books (010) Non- Classroom (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC13 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Classroom Techniques; Elementary Secondary Education; *Grading; Higher Education; Holistic Evaluation; Informal Assessment; Portfolio Assessment; *Student Evaluation; *Writing Achievement; *Writing Evaluation; *Writing Processes; Writing Workshops *Alternative Assessment; Authentic Assessment IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT The result of an investigation into the grading writing by the National Council of Teachers of English Committee on Alternatives to Grading Student Writing, this collection of essays offers the writing teacher several innovative and interesting options. Following an introduction by the editor (chair of the Committee), in which he delineates the field of possibilities, the essays and their authors are, as follows: "It's (1) Broken--Fix It!" (Liesel K. O'Hagan); "Growth-Biased Assessing of (2) Writers--A More Democratic Choice" (Marie Wilson Nelson); "Writing (3) "Response: A Promising Students Need Coaches, Not Judges" (Lynn Holaday); (4) Beginning for Learning to Grade Student Writing" (Carol Beeghly Bencich); (5) "Can You Be Black and Write and Right?" (Elaine B. Richardson); (6) "Alternative Assessment of Second-Language Writing: A Developmental Model" "Scribliolink: Inviting Parents To Respond to Their (Janis Massa); (7) Children's Writing" (Joyce C. Fine); "Student Attitudes toward Grades and (8) Evaluation on Writing" (Jean S. Ketter and Judith W. Hunter); "Writing at (9) Reading: How a Junior Year in England Changes Student Writers" (Mary B. "Assessment through Collaborative Critique" (Sarah Robbins and Guthrow); (10) "What Grades Do for Us, and How To Do without Them" (Marcy others); (11) "Seeing How Good We Can Get It" (Kelly Chandler and Amy Bauman); (12) Muentener); (13) "Grading on Merit and Achievement: Where Quality Meets Quantity" (Stephen Adkison and Stephen Tchudi); "Total Quality: A (14) Farewell to Grades" (Charles McDonnell); "Using a Multidimensional (15) Scoring Guide: A Win-Win Situation" (Gail M. Young); (16) "Students Using Evaluation in Their Writing Process" (Jacob S. Blumner and Francis Fritz); (17) "Unlocking Outcome-Based Education through the Writing Process" (Rick Pribyl); (18) "Portfolio Assessment as an Alternative to Grading Student Writing" (Kathleen Jones); and (19) "Issues To Consider When Scoring Student Portfolios" (Anne Wescott Dodd). Faculty workshops in alternatives to grading student writing were: "Developing Intrinsic Motivation for Students' Writing" (Immaculate Kizza); "Weighing and Choosing Alternatives" (Stephen Tchudi); "Contract Grades: An Agreement between Students and Their Teachers" (Lynda S. Radican); and "Using Rubrics and Holistic Scoring of Writing" (Jean S. +++++ ED409577 Has Multi-page SFR--- Level =l +++++ Ketter); "Alternative Assessment Methods across the Disciplines" (Pamela B. Childers); and "Communicating with Parents and the Public" (Marilyn M. Cooper). Individual chapters contain references. (NKA) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * * *************.******************************************************************* A II r r U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement THIS "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE TIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION EDU BY MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization iii2}-,..e originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this RESOURCES document do not necessarily represent TO THE EDUCATIONAL official OERI position or policy " INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) \ % 2 BEST COPY AVAII Alternatives to Grading Student Writing NCTE Editorial Board: Pat Cordeiro, Colette Daiute, Bobbi Fisher, Brenda Greene, Richard Luckert, Bill McBride, Al leen Pace Nilsen, Jerrie Cobb Scott, Karen Smith, Chair, ex officio, Michael Greer, ex officio NCTE Committee on Alternatives to Grading Student Writing Robert Baroz, Ripton, Vermont Nick Carbone, University of Massachusetts at Amherst Mary Beth Cody, University of Nevada, Reno Marilyn Cooper, Michigan Technological University, Houghton Alice Cross, Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua, New York Dallas Davies, Fremont High School, Sunnyvale, California Carol Dietrich, DeVry Institute of Technology Columbus, Ohio Pamela Childers, The McCallie School, Chattanooga, Tennessee Elizabeth Hodges, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond Gwendolyn Jones, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama Jean Ketter, Grinnell College, Iowa Immaculate Kizza, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga Terri LeClercq, University of Texas Law School, Austin Marie Wilson Nelson, National Louis University, Tampa, Florida Lynda Radican (Associate Chair), California State UniversitySacramento Joe Strzepek, University of Virginia, Charlottesville Stephen Tchudi (Chair), University of Nevada, Reno 4 Alternatives to Grading Student Writing Edited by Stephen Tchudi University of Nevada, Reno NCTE Committee on Alternatives to Grading Student Writing National Council of Teachers of English 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096 Manuscript Editor: Robert A. Heister/Humanities & Sciences Associates Production Editor: Jamie Hutchinson Interior Design: Doug Burnett Cover Design: Loren Kirkwood NCTE Stock Number: 01305-3050 ©1997 by the National Council of Teachers of English. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. It is the policy of NCTE in its journals and other publications to provide a fo- rum for the open discussion of ideas concerning the content and the teaching of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any particular point of view does not imply endorsement by the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, or the membership at large, except in announcements of policy, where such endorsement is clearly specified. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Alternatives to grading student writing / edited by Stephen Tchudi : NCTE Committee on Alternatives to Grading Student Writing. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-8141-0130-5 1. English languageComposition and exercisesAbility testing Composition and exercises 2. English language United States. Study and teachingUnited StatesEvaluation. I. Tchudi, Stephen, 1942 II. NCTE Committee on Alternatives to Grading . Student Writing. LB1576.A6157 1997 808'.042'071dc21 97-10157 CIP 6 C ntents Introduction: Degrees of Freedom in Assessment, Evaluation, and Grading ix Stephen Tchudi I. Background and Theory 1. It's BrokenFix It! 3 Liesel K. O'Hagan 2. Growth-Biased Assessing of Writers A More Democratic Choice 15 Marie Wilson Nelson II. Responding to Student Writing 3. Writing Students Need Coaches, Not Judges 35 Lynn Holaday 4. Response: A Promising Beginning for Learning to Grade Student Writing 47 Carol Beeghly Bencich 5. Can You Be Black and Write and Right? 63 Elaine B. Richardson 6. Alternative Assessment of Second-Language Writing: A Developmental Model 77 Janis Massa 7. Scribliolink: Inviting Parents to Respond to Their Children's Writing 91 Joyce C. Fine III. Classroom Strategies and Alternatives to Grading Student Writing 8. Student Attitudes toward Grades and Evaluation on Writing 103 Jean S. Ketter and Judith W. Hunter 9. Writing at Reading: How a Junior Year in England Changes Student Writers 122 Mary B. Guthrow 7 vi Contents 10. Assessment through Collaborative Critique 137 Sarah Robbins, Sue Poper, and Jennifer Herrod 11. What Grades Do for Us, and How to Do without Them 162 Marcy Bauman 12. Seeing How Good We Can Get It 180 Kelly Chandler and Amy Muentener 13. Grading on Merit and Achievement: Where Quality Meets Quantity 192 Stephen Adkison and Stephen Tchudi 14. Total Quality: A Farewell to Grades 210 Charles McDonnell 15. Using a Multidimensional Scoring Guide: A Win-Win Situation 225 Gail M. Young 16. Students Using Evaluation in Their Writing Process 233 Jacob S. Blumner and Francis Fritz 17. Unlocking Outcome-Based Education through the Writing Process 244 Rick Pribyl 18. Portfolio Assessment as an Alternative to Grading Student Writing 255 Kathleen Jones 19. Issues to Consider when Scoring Student Portfolios 265 Anne Wescott Dodd IV. Faculty Workshops in Alternatives to Grading Student Writing Developing Intrinsic Motivation for Students' Writing 277 Immaculate Kizza Weighing and Choosing Alternatives 281 Stephen Tchudi Contract Grades: An Agreement between Students and Their Teachers 285 Lynda S. Radican Using Rubrics and Holistic Scoring of Writing 291 Jean S. Ketter 8 vii Contents Alternative Assessment Methods across the Disciplines 296 Pamela B. Childers Communicating with Parents and the Public 301 Marilyn M. Cooper Editor 307