Possibilities in Liberating Student Writers
Writing Without Grades
Valerie MattessichPascack Valley Regional High School District (NJ)
NCTE/CEL—Chicago, ILNov. 21, 2011
Typical Reaction to “Grading Essays”
What does an ‘A’ mean, anyway?
Do they even read my comments?
Why am I grading all students on the same criteria when their needs and abilities are so different?
To prompt you to examine the way in which grades are assigned to student writing in your district/department
To provide a brief glimpse into some alternatives ideas about grading writing
My Agenda
…was that the students’ focus was on grades, not on
improvement in writing skills.
My Sneaking Suspicion…
How do I remove grades from the equation, thus
freeing students to think, learn and write?
What does the research say?
“A grade may be influenced or contaminated by everything fromflattery to a teacher's personal preferences, to a desire to warn, to afear of causing psychological harm, to a need to reward good behavior,to a need to meet institutional distribution requirements. Yet,despite this, once given, grades are treated as scientific, immutable,factual” (Holaday 36 ).
“Even when teachers (or peers) offer extensive commentary in addition to grades, the presence of grades distorts the feedback, influencing the way the writer hears it” (Bauman 170).
“Giltrow and Valiquette foundthat students most often read the comments as justifications for thegrade on the paper, rather than as specific suggestions for improvement. Other research, too, shows the dubious value of teacher comments on students' papers” (Bauman 170).
How can I make adjustments that suit me, my students, and my school district?
Frequent writing occurs
Low-stakes writing is the norm
Ample conferencing time allotted
Assessment is mainly formative
Writing perceived as both process-oriented AND product-oriented
My Ideal Writing Classroom
1. Nancie Atwell’s In the MiddleFully-realized workshop model with structure
and purpose
2. Unit received via NCTE Lesson Plan Exchange
3. Collins Writing ProgramFocus Correction Areas
Catalysts for Change
The obvious:
INSPIRATION! How can I engage and nurture student writers
more fully?
INFORMATIONThe nuts-and-bolts of running a fully-realized
workshop environment in which students are given the space and resources to read and write for authentic purposes.
Atwell’s Contributions
Unit plan received through NCTE Lesson Plan Exchange circa 2003
Focused on writing for mastery
Essays revised continuously until mastery achieved
No grade assigned to any one piece of writing
Writing was recursive; revision was “forced”
Practical Influences
Focus Correction Areas
Teacher identifies 2-3 areas in which students need to improve
Student only graded on progress toward those goalsNot assessed/evaluated on other skills in a given
piece of writing
Collins Writing Program
Limit (but still use) one-shot, formally graded pieces
Use individual writing rubrics with all students for majority of writing pieces
Plan writing units that rely on repeated practice of given set of skills
Emphasize and make room for frequent reflection
Employ consistent writing-to-learn activities
Make room for plenty of structured, and often anonymous, peer feedback
Key Components of My Writing Instruction
…students who feel incompetent at writing avoid writing.They do not practice. They do not get better. The truly traumatized,and I estimate that about 20 percent of my classes are in this category,will do anything to avoid the torture they experience when they arerequired to put pen to paper or finger to key. They may strugglethrough a writing course, put out a few scraps they are not happywith, make the changes the teacher demands, accept a C or a D orwhatever is enough to get them past the requirements, and then rushout at the end of a semester, breathe a huge sigh of relief that that isover, and vow never to write again. Their experiences in a writingclass and the C or D they receive for their efforts reinforce their beliefthat they cannot write and increase their determination to find futurecourses, and later, a career, in which they will not have to write. Andwhen they find that they do have to write again, because physicistsand psychotherapists and business people and even leaders of wildernessoutings all have to write, they repeat the ghastly process over andover (Holaday 36).
Why write to learn?
Journal entries to start class
Assessment takes place mid-marking period and at end, part of class participation
Teacher sees areas where student naturally tends in his/her writing
Practice with timed writing, for test prep
Writing-to-learn activities
Use of Google Suite for Content
Sample journal entries
More Writing-to-Learn Opportunities
Summarizing/reflecting mid-lesson in journals
Taking Cornell notes on readings, lectures, videos
Assessment is quick, observed, pass/fail
Sample Cornell Notes
Another Cornell Note example
Students identify 2-3 areas in their writing in need of improvement
Teacher confirms the areas that student identifies
Student makes rubric, with examples of target skill in action
Teacher uses rubric to assess majority of writing pieces over the next unit/marking period
Individual Writing Rubrics
Can be used at thesis, paragraph or essay level
Mastery of skills, not necessarily content, the focus here
Content can be incorporated if necessary
Recursive Writing Units
(Elbow 19)
Create reflection assignments in Turnitin.com based on each writing piece submitted
Reminds teacher to allow for that extent of feedback on the part of the student
Reflection assignments
Example Writing Reflection
Writing Reflection Example
It is not enough simply to take the specter of grading away… Take away grades and you also take away the traditional means whereby students are motivated to work hard; you take away the chief mechanism through which they get feedback about their writing; you take away the means through which they learn how successfully they write compared with their classmates and others; and you take away their sense of accomplishment and reward. Similarly, when you take away grades, you take away the familiar lens through which teachers are accustomed to viewing students, themselves, and everyone’s respective roles in the classroom-even what goes on in the classroom. If we choose not to grade student writing, that choice sets in motion a chain of causation that necessitates a number of other decisions as well (Bauman 165-166).
Buyer Beware!
I wish you well as you continue to seek
opportunities for teachers to more effectively coach and nurture student writers!
Thank you for your time.
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