Who Reads What Students Write?
A very funny (and sobering) op-ed this week in the NY Times about a guy who used to score writing samples for state assessment tests (complete with a great rubric and funny story about trying to score an essay written about Debbie Does Dallas - there's a kid who wanted to push the envelope). From the article:
Okay, why were they drawing anything? I would have failed outright on that one. Also, that last sentence says it all and it's scary. I'm pretty sure the folks who give the SAT and ACT have better scorers (you hope).
The Debbie Does Dallas episode:
"At one point the woman beside me asked my opinion about the essay she was reading, a review of the X-rated movie “Debbie Does Dallas.” The woman thought it deserved a 3 (on a 6-point scale), but she settled on that only after weighing the student’s strong writing skills against the “inappropriate” subject matter. I argued the essay should be given a 6, as the comprehensive analysis of the movie was artfully written and also made me laugh my head off. All of the 100 or so scorers in the room soon became embroiled in the debate. Eventually we came to the “consensus” that the essay deserved a 6 (“genius”), or 4 (well-written but “naughty”), or a zero (“filth”). The essay was ultimately given a zero."
Not even points for effort.
"One of the tests I scored had students read a passage about bicycle safety. They were then instructed to draw a poster that illustrated a rule that was indicated in the text. We would award one point for a poster that included a correct rule and zero for a drawing that did not.
The first poster I saw was a drawing of a young cyclist, a helmet tightly attached to his head, flying his bike over a canal filled with flaming oil, his two arms waving wildly in the air. I stared at the response for minutes. Was this a picture of a helmet-wearing child who understood the basic rules of bike safety? Or was it meant to portray a youngster killing himself on two wheels?
I was not the only one who was confused. Soon several of my fellow scorers — pretty much people off the street, like me — were debating my poster, some positing that it clearly showed an understanding of bike safety while others argued that it most certainly did not. I realized then — an epiphany confirmed over a decade and a half of experience in the testing industry — that the score any student would earn mostly depended on which temporary employee viewed his response."Okay, why were they drawing anything? I would have failed outright on that one. Also, that last sentence says it all and it's scary. I'm pretty sure the folks who give the SAT and ACT have better scorers (you hope).
The Debbie Does Dallas episode:
"At one point the woman beside me asked my opinion about the essay she was reading, a review of the X-rated movie “Debbie Does Dallas.” The woman thought it deserved a 3 (on a 6-point scale), but she settled on that only after weighing the student’s strong writing skills against the “inappropriate” subject matter. I argued the essay should be given a 6, as the comprehensive analysis of the movie was artfully written and also made me laugh my head off. All of the 100 or so scorers in the room soon became embroiled in the debate. Eventually we came to the “consensus” that the essay deserved a 6 (“genius”), or 4 (well-written but “naughty”), or a zero (“filth”). The essay was ultimately given a zero."
Not even points for effort.
Comments
I'm a writer and her toughest critic, and I could not see why she had received such a mediocre score. So my personal experience backs this up. I think the assessment really does depend on who does the assessing. And, as always with the WASL, there was no real feedback to help her—or any student—improve.
There is much subjectivity in the rubrics. Also, to me the rubric does not acknowledge whether or not there is any critical thinking going on in the essay.
The 6th grade LA teacher told us parents that many of our kids had not done well on a question they answered after reading a short story about a brother and sister facing a tornado together after having had an argument. The kids were asked to tell what they had learned from the story. Our kids went on and on about the importance of relationships and family. Nope--they were supposed to say: go into a closet if a tornado hits!
Inappropriate subject matter? If the student was able to intelligently discuss the subject matter without writing an essay that would itself be considered pornographic or obscene, what's the problem? Even if it was a more humorous treatment, it is still possible to provide a thoughtful critical analysis. It takes some skill to be able to talk around a controversial subject in that manner.
Are students required to only write about sunshine, lollipops and rainbows? Are they only allowed to think happy thoughts?
Best to avoid writing about any controversial subject (e.g. war, racism, sexism, drugs, gangs, death, broken homes, homelessness, etc.) if you don't want to offend the delicate sensibilities of your readers - even if it reflects the realities of your own life.
http://files.me.com/cdodsworth/i7qpru.mp3
previously said to be a message on the answer phone of Pacific Palisades High School in California, and on a London school's phone system...
and there's a psuedo explanation that staff voted to use this after a move by parents to sue teachers because they want their kids' failing grades changed to passing grades - the kids are failing because they miss too much time each semester and havent completed enough homework and course work...
Right now, its attributed to Maroochydore High School, on the east coast of Australia, at Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane about 1.5 hours drive away... laid back and all sun, sea and sand... Gold Coast is south of Brisbane by about 45 minutes' drive.. again all laid back, sun, sea and sand... Aussies and Kiwis like to get real about things... none of this "Seattle Nice" stuff you have here!
Though the last comment about getting information in the English language sounds more like the racism I've heard expressed by POMmies (Prisoners of Mother England) and Americans...
The 4th grade writing WASL prompt was extremely subjective... "You find and old watch that isn't working". What kind of prompt is that? It pre-supposes 2 types of writing 1) a sort of "superman" story that many cultures are familiar with. You know, you put on the old watch and something strange happens... as in superman. Most kids I know wrote something like that... or 2) A really boring story about an old watch... that you probably got fixed.
Solvay, perhaps your daughter didn't come up with the expected, exciting (beginning, middle, end) superman thing... and instead wrote about a boring old watch.
The fact is, kids should get a choice of many prompts, and many that make sense to them culturally and developmentally on the writing assesments. Writing to an assesment prompt is fundamentally not motivating, and not conducive to optimum writing.
I agree, having a few options for the prompt would definitely help. But it was my understanding that the "secret" WASL questions cost a great deal to develop so they probably only wanted to use one at a time and not repeat.
That year, the prompt was "You look out the window and see your principal flying by...{ She wrote about how her principal and turned into a duck, complete with a funny quack). She had a beginning, middle & end. Her spelling and grammar were spot on and her use of punctuation was good.
I remember her teacher, who had spent a number of years teaching in Indonesia, was upset with the prompt as our school had a number of kids whose families were from Indonesia. She thought those kids would have a difficult time with the concept of an authority figure in a whimsical setting.
And my apologies for calling in "creative" writing...I could not remember the official term for a fictional piece.
The correct answer was “turn on the lights”. He answered “turn off the lights”. I think one could argue that his answer was as technically correct as the assumed one, but his kindergarten teacher was told that he had the problem solving skills of a three-year old.
It was hilarious, and his kindergarten teacher soon realized the poor assessment since he was (and still is) very adept at problem solving in any given situation.
All subjective scores should be taken with a grain of salt – and realize that the exact same answer would probably receive a totally different score on a different day from a different assessor.
It wouldn't have been so funny if the test was actually counted and recorded as a "permanent" assessment of his abilities.
Of course not, but these themes would make Melissa's day.
Hugs, everybody!
;)
—Stanley Fish, New York Times columnist and professor,
Florida International University, 2009
source: http://tedsword.blogspot.com/