Martha Templeton and Jennifer Pendergrass

mtempleton@rcs.rome.ga.usjennifer.pendergrass@bartow.k12.ga.us

Let’s Talk about Writing; Helping ELs Understand the Writing Interpretive Rubric

WIDA Writing Interpretive Rubric

• Understanding ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Speaking and Writing scores • Analyzing student speaking and writing samples • Interpreting common speaking and writing tasks

Uses for the Rubrics

The Interpretive Rubrics afford teachers opportunities to

• Collaborate with each other in co-planning classroom instruction and assessment • Collect evidence on ELLs’ oral and written performance over time • Coordinate ways to scaffold ELLs’ language learning • Convert the scales to student-friendly ones so that ELLs become familiar with the criteria for success

Analyzing Student Speaking and Writing Samples in the Classroom

Adapted Rubric for Student Conferences

WIDA Writing Interpretive Rubric

Writing Conference Rubrics for English Learners

Writing Rubric ResearchResearch Team: Heather Moulder, Tammy Peck, Rachel Rubright

Aspects of the WIDA Writing Rubric Conference that Aid in Understanding

Writing Rubric ResearchResearch Team: Heather Moulder, Tammy Peck, Rachel Rubright

Aspects of the Student-Friendly Rubric Conference that Aid in Understanding

2017 WIDA Writing Interpretive Rubric

Writing Conference Rubric for English Learners

repetitive sentence and phrasal patterns and formulaic grammatical structures used in social and instructional situations or across content areas

I use the same patterns of sentences for much of my writing. The patterns may be simple, and I may closely follow sentence frames or models. These patterns include the different language patterns I see at home, at school and in all content area texts.

Adaptation ProcessLevel 2: Emerging - Language Forms and Conventions

Adapting Entire Bands of Language Dimensions

Learning from the Close Analysis

With an elbow partner, choose a piece of work to assess. Decide together where the student falls with this piece of writing. What next steps would you suggest?

Partner Score

Explore the Electronic Roster

ResearchAspects of the WIDA Writing Rubric Conference that Aid in Understanding

Aspects of the Adapted Writing Rubric Conference that Aid in Understanding

Using the Rubric for Conferences

Adapted Rubric for Student Conferences

Types of Conferences:

*Content Conference I am engaged in the process of

writing, and I need to talk about the decisions I have made and my next steps.*Editing Conference

I think I have finished my piece, and I need a conversation about accuracy and correctness. *Assessment Conference

I need to know what I am doing well and what I need to work on next to grow as a writer.

Adapted Rubric for Student Conferences

The Assessment Conference:

● Setting writing goals ● Communicate next steps

● Student Self-Assessment

Adapted Rubric for Student Conferences

The Assessment Conference

● Introducing the Rubric

○ Time to discuss the rubric without work attaching it to work OR by attaching it to target work.

● One-on-one, small group, or whole group

● Follow-up conferences: Getting a perspective on growth throughout the year.

Adapted Rubric for Student Conferences

The Editing Conference

● Communicate about correctness and readability.

● Build the understanding that editing

helps us help our reader clearly understand.

Adapted Rubric for Student Conferences

The Editing Conference

● Start with an open prompt:

○ Are there any places where you think you have errors but don’t know for sure?

○ What have you already fixed?

Adapted Rubric for Student ConferencesThe Editing Conference

● Place the piece in front of both of you and read through. ○ If one of your goals from the WIDA rubric was a

conventions goal, start with that. Refer back to the rubric and remind the student of the next step.

○ Ask if the student can show you where he/she worked on this goal.

○ Read through together to see if you find things he/she missed.

○ If the student has attended to the goal, you may decide to use this conference to teach a grammar / structure piece that is needed or clarify another way a rule could be applied.

Adapted Rubric for Student Conferences

The Purpose of the Content Conference

● Communicate about the decisions students are making while they are in the course of writing a piece.

● Set the stage for good conversations

about writing as a process.

● Empower students with the opportunity to share their own questions about the writing and to make decisions while getting feedback

Adapted Rubric for Student ConferencesThe Content Conference

● Start with an open prompt: ○ How’s it going? ○ Where are you in the process? ○ Let me hear your lead. ○ Read me a part of your story that you really like. ○ What do you need to do next?

● Have students read to you.○ Taking the piece in-hand makes you less likely to

focus on content; red-pen-brain takes over.○ Freeing your eyes gives you opportunity to monitor

other students as you listen.

Adapted Rubric for Student Conferences

The Content Conference

● Listen and respond with probing questions.○ What do you think would work there?○ There was one part of your story that confused

me a little; can you read this part here again? I think this is confusing me because...what could you do to clear that up, so your reader is not confused?

○ There is a part of the story where you are telling about seeing your abuela by the window; when you were reading that, I wished I could see her too. What could you do as a writer to help your reader imagine what she looked like?

Peer ConferencesAs students become familiar with the way you hold

conferences, start setting up peer conference sessions.

● Pair students who have learned a particular skill with others who are in need of conversation about it.

● Rather than holding mass “peer conference” days, set up a peer conference section in the classroom.

● Keep peer conference forms on-hand and hold students accountable for recording the contents of their conference and the decisions made.

● Make time to do a “drive-by” conference with the student who was receiving help. Ask him to let you know what he decided and what his next steps are.

Peer ConferencesJust before a writing assignment is due for the whole

class, then it is more reasonable to have a whole-class session. In that case, set up conference forms that require them to FIND the things you will

be grading on. This helps them focus on what needs to be addressed.

Peer Conferences

Peer ConferencesHave students talk through the forms together as

they look at a piece of writing. This helps both students find and discuss desired elements.

For all conferences:

● CELEBRATE!○ The essence of the conference should be a

celebration of growth and achievement. ○ A key piece of conferring is building faith that

because we have made progress, we are strong enough to take the next step.

○ ALL writers have moments of BRILLIANCE. Celebrate those. Do not get so focused on the “goal” that you forget to see the brilliant or the personal or the heartbreaking moments that beg to be attended to in our conferences.

For all conferences:

● CELEBRATE!

○ When students have done something brilliant (or even moderately impressive), ask them to share - even if it is only one sentence - with the rest of the class as you close.

○ Ask them to teach the class what they learned. ○ Ask them if you can share this writing with your other

classes because you are so impressed with their work. ○ Be personal - recently in a conference, my first

response to a student was, “I’m so sorry this happened to your dog; I know you miss him.” Be human first; it goes a long way.

The one-on-one conference is probably my most effective accountability tool. When students know I care about their writing, I am going to be having real conversations with them about the work, and what they are writing matters, they are more likely to attend to the process with fidelity.