The Levels of WritingThe Levels of Writing

FLASHFLASHCARDCARDReviewReview

Level 1 writing is:

•WTL (WRITING to LEARN)•thinking through writing•meant for the writer him/herself•informal—like talking to close friends

Level 2 writing is:

• meant to communicate to others

• emphasizes content & may be scored for that, but not usually for other traits

Level 3 writing is:

•formal, academic

•meant to display knowledge to others

•scored on all the traits, depending on the assignment

Keep in Mind:

• The THREE levels need to be explained to students frequently

• Level 1 writing does NOT require assessment of content

• Level 2 focuses exclusively on content

• Level 3 focuses on many or all of the Six Traits, or other analytic scoring system

Writing & Grading…general rules

LEVEL 1- no scoring of contentLEVEL 2- scored for content onlyLEVEL 3- scored consistently

and analytically by trait across faculty

More on Assessing Writing to Learn (WTL)or LEVEL 1 Writing

Level 1 assessment is based on satisfactory completion. Use a binary system.

Level 2 will typically be scored for content correctness only

Giving Feedback to WTL… (Level 1)

Use the work in class...e.g., begin class by having students read aloud from their response journals, etc

Respond in writing OCCASIONALLY, answering content with content

Use binary grading

What about Grading & Level 3?

Writing that is polished, requires revisions, and is not done ‘on demand’ is Level 3 writing and should be assessed using all or some of the 6 Traits—

Polished writing (Level 3) needs Six Trait (analytic) assessment!

If you assign polished pieces, especially those that adhere to conventions of your subject, then we suggest putting the burden of proofreading squarely where it belongs--on the writer, then use the 6 TRAITS assessment!

WTL (Level 1) vs Customary School Writing Tasks:

WTL Traditional Writing Tasks

SPONTANEOUS vs planned

SHORT vs lengthy

EXPLORATORY vs authoritative

EXPRESSIVE vs transactional

INFORMAL vs formal

PERSONAL vs audience-centered

UNEDITED vs polished

UNGRADED vs graded

FREQUENCY OF LEVELS

Level 1 – should be done in ALL

classes daily. It should represent

about 70% of all student writing

Level 2 – may be about 20% of all writing, but no more

Level 3 – should be done only about 1 time per grading period, reflecting

about 10% of all writing.

Flash Cards

Identify the following typical writing examples as Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3:

READY?

HERE GOES:

Notes from a small group discussion

Level 1

A business letter

Level 3

An overnight homework assignment

Level 2

A summary of a chapter

Level 2 or Level 1, depending…

A first draft of an essay

Level 1

A Lab Report

Level 3

A journal entry

Level 1

Lab Notes

Level 1 or Level 2, depending…

The second draft of an essay

Level 2

An essay for a contest

Level 3

Congratulations!