I recently had a conversation with a seasoned educator who handed me a student paper, remarking at how sad it was that the student wrote at this level. The assignment was to write a paragraph about a former president.

Initially I, too, was sad at how much the student appeared to struggle with writing. Written in pencil, the large, scribbled letters made it difficult to read. Like many teachers who read student work, I started to analyze it for strengths and areas for improvement. This student had clearly learned certain facts related to the president. He understood and attempted to follow the conventions of a paragraph, he grasped the task. What made it challenging for him? Was there more to his story?

Perhaps he needs help re-reading and elaborating on his ideas and perhaps additional practice on how to use textual evidence to support his ideas would help this student.

A small shift in our practices can yield big results

Motivated by a combination of keeping up with student work, lesson planning, and other professional responsibilities, and from sheer experience of seeing volumes of student work from year to year, teachers may quickly want to assign a rubric score, saying, “This is a 2. Missing elaboration.” But assessment and time management need not be at odds. If I had not taken the time to really dive in to this student’s piece, reading line after line, I might have missed a few teaching moments and opportunities for praise. Although spending a significant amount of time on one paragraph per student may seem impossible, when we pause and ask ourselves specific reflection questions, we can move beyond assumptions, think about the individual student, and the context in which the student developed his or her writing piece.

Although I am a firm believer in the use of rubrics to holistically assess student writing, I also believe the individual components of a rubric carry a set of standards, skills, and expectations. And, beyond the rubric, each student comes to the classroom with his or her own skill set, interests, and sense of self as a writer. Aligning our instruction and assessment to individual student needs is truly important as we consider how to prepare our students for larger projects, high-stakes assessments, and the rigors that lie ahead. If we work with the student to set a goal in one category and work toward improvement in that area, the student will have a clear objective that is also attainable. Focusing in on the specifics can lead students to greater success in the end. It can also lead to greater confidence.

Not only is writing a challenging task for many, but teaching writing can be difficult also

We need to see teaching the writing process as a transaction. It is through the interaction between the student and the teacher that a mutual understanding is formed. How we as instructors respond to our students and how we engage in the writing process with our students can impact the relationship a student has with writing. We know that struggling readers and writers will often practice avoidance behaviors. I saw this when I was an assistant principal, quickly noticing a pattern in who ended up in the hallways throughout the day, or in my office. My “frequent flyers” tended to be the students who did anything they could to get out of engaging with a text in any way.

Consider how difficult it might be for a struggling student to put ideas down on paper in the first place. And, when they do, we must think of it as more than an act of compliance.  We must dig deeper and consider each individual child beyond the lines he or she has written. What students write is just as important as what is not written, and on a larger scale, we must see each individual writer as more than that piece of paper, to which we affix a score. Move beyond the surface—look for patterns in student writing across time and focus on formative processes.

Recommendations

• Include students in the self-assessment process so they have a clear sense of expectations and learning targets.
• Provide students with writing models and allow them the opportunity to self-assess their drafts using a rubric.
• Confer with students and make them a partner in the learning process. Through writing conferences with the teacher, students should define writing goals for themselves.
• Offer students specific recommendations for improvement and the opportunity to apply those recommendations through revision. Consider student interest and motivation in designing revision activities.

Consider the context in which students wrote their piece. How can we capitalize on their strengths, and how can we provide actionable feedback that will improve their writing and motivate them? Ask yourself: What did they write? What did they not write? Who are students as readers and as writers, and how will we move forward in the writing process together?

Johanna Tramantano has been a teacher, literacy coach, and assistant principal. She is currently the Director of Literacy/English Language Arts and Reading for a large urban district, and a PhD student at NYU-Steinhardt in the Teaching and Learning Department, focusing her studies on literacy education.