The Writing Process

Reading, Writing, and Assessment Diagnostic Test

Diagnostic tests measure students' understanding of a subject area or skills base. Teachers typically administer diagnostics for reading and math skills, using the results to provide remedial instruction or place students within appropriately leveled classes. Many content teachers, though, give formative assessments to gauge what knowledge students bring to class. Some schools also diagnose concepts as a whole, aiming to reveal commonly held misconceptions in specific subjects.

Here's Yours:

Why are reading, writing, and literacy skills important to all students?
How are reading, writing, and literacy skills beneficial for music students? 
What is the difference in summative and formative assessment?
If you were teaching a student who was a struggling reader and writer, how would you intervene?

Literacy Notes

Relevancy:

The relationship between musical ability and literacy skills

1. Sheila Douglas^1,* and
2. Peter Willatts²
3. 1. ^{Research has shown that a relationship exists between phonological awareness and literary skills. It has been suggested that a structured programme of musical activities can be used to help children develop a multi-sensory awareness and response to sounds. The relationship between musical ability and literacy skills was examined in a study that showed an association between rhythmic ability and reading. A further pilot intervention study showed that training in musical skills is a valuable additional strategy for assisting children with reading difficulties.}

According to the literacy fast facts from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), literacy is defined as "using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one�s goals, and to develop one�s knowledge and potential."

"One measure of literacy is the percentage of adults who perform at four achievement levels: Below Basic, Basic, Intermediate, and Proficient. In each type of literacy, 13 percent of adults were at or above Proficient (indicating they possess the skills necessary to perform complex and challenging literacy activities) in 2003. Twenty-two percent of adults were Below Basic (indicating they possess no more than the most simple and concrete literacy skills) in quantitative literacy, compared with 14 percent in prose literacy and 12 percent in document literacy."

Literacy statistics worldwide

• According to UNICEF, "Nearly a billion people will enter the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names and two thirds of them are women."

Literacy statistics and juvenile court

• 85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate.
• More than 60 percent of all prison inmates are functionally illiterate.
• Penal institution records show that inmates have a 16% chance of returning to prison if they receive literacy help, as opposed to 70% who receive no help. This equates to taxpayer costs of $25,000 per year per inmate and nearly double that amount for juvenile offenders.
• Illiteracy and crime are closely related. The Department of Justice states, "The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure." Over 70% of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level.

Many of the USA ills are directly related to illiteracy. Just a few statistics:

• Literacy is learned. Illiteracy is passed along by parents who cannot read or write.
• One child in four grows up not knowing how to read.
• 43% of adults at Level 1 literacy skills live in poverty compared to only 4% of those at Level 5
• 3 out of 4 food stamp recipients perform in the lowest 2 literacy levels
• 90% of welfare recipients are high school dropouts
• 16 to 19 year old girls at the poverty level and below, with below average skills, are 6 times more likely to have out-of-wedlock children than their reading counterparts.
• Low literacy costs $73 million per year in terms of direct health care costs. A recent study by Pfizer put the cost much higher.

Teaching reading skills is one of the best ways to save an aging brain

"Carlson is running a study called the Experience Corps Trial, in which older men and women volunteer to teach reading skills to kindergarten through third graders in Baltimore city schools. Using brain-imaging studies, Carlson and her colleagues have shown that after just a few months, people who volunteer show beneficial changes in their brains similar to those that other research teams have seen with exercise."

Stats from http://www.begintoread.com/research/literacystatistics.html

--------------------------------

Why is Reading Important?

1.  Reading is fundamental to function in today's society.  There are many adults who cannot read well enough to understand the instructions on a medicine bottle.  That is a scary thought - especially for their children.  Filling out applications becomes impossible without help.  Reading road or warning signs is difficult.  Even following a map becomes a chore.
2.  Reading is a vital skill in finding a good job.
3.  Reading develops the mind.
4.  Reading is how we discover new things.
5.  Reading develops the imagination.
6.  Reading develops the creative side of people.
7.  Reading is key in developing a good self image.  Non-readers or poor readers often have low opinions of themselves and their abilities.
8.  Good reading skills improve spelling.  
9.  Ideas written down have changed the destiny of men and nations.
10.  The power of written ideas communicated through reading is a foundational reason why some governments oppose free and honest communication.  Illiterate people are easier to control and manipulate.  They cannot do their own research and thinking.  They must rely on what they are told.

Words are the building blocks of life.  You are, right now, the result of words that you have heard or read and believed.  What you become in the future will depend on the words you believe about yourself now.  People, families, relationships, and even nations are built from words.  Think about it.

Why is Writing Important?

It seems like a silly question, but it is very important to be able to express yourself well.  Our writings precede us, or introduce us.  For example, when we apply for a job or to enroll in a school, we need to submit a resume and sometimes a cover letter, or when sending e-mails to someone we don’t actually know well or haven’t met yet (work partners, customers, or even responding on behalf of the company you work for).  If we make a bad (or illegible) impression, the outcome for us may not be favorable.

Poor writing may cost a lot; it may lead to misunderstanding and misconstruing due to sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and spelling problems.

We need to write well for the following reasons:

-        To translate, communicate, and materialize our ideas and thoughts into accessible documents that are useful to ourselves and others

-        To report our work in informative, concise, and professional formats

-        Another important reason is that when writing, we are sending a message to our readers about who we are.  Therefore, we need to be clear, focused, and accurate so as not to be misunderstood, underestimated, or ignored.

Literacy Autobiography

The Literacy Autobiography is a personal and reflective narrative based around your own experiences surrounding reading, writing, and comprehension.  This should be written chronologically and include moments from your childhood, adolescence, schooling, and personal life.  These narratives require the student to be reflective as a “prospective teacher” and consider the importance of each event, why it was important, and how it shapes and molds who you are today as a future educator.  There should be gleanings and important “take away” information that arises from this reflective journey.  100 pts.   

Current Alabama Test Requirements, Processes, and Procedures

ARMT, Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing Exam, ASA, AHSGE, and SAT

Although test results are only one measure of student achievement, they have become increasingly important in assessing student learning. In 2007-2008 Alabama used the Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test (ARMT) to measure student achievement in grades 3 through 8 in math and reading. Students in grades 5, 7 and 10 took the Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing Exam. The writing test includes four parts: Grammar and Usage, Holistic Composition, Writing Mechanics and Sentence Formation. Alabama introduced the Alabama Science Assessment (ASA) in 2007-2008, which tests students in science in grades 5 and 7.

High school students took the Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE) in reading, language arts, math, science and social studies, beginning in grade 10. Students must pass the AHSGE to graduate. The ARMT, ASA and AHSGE are all standards-based tests that measure how well students are mastering specific skills defined by the state of Alabama.

Alabama also used the Stanford 10, a national test, to measure how well students performed in comparison to their peers across the country. Students in grades 3 through 8 took the Stanford 10 in reading, math and language arts, while students in grades 5 and 7 took the Stanford 10 in science. Students in grade 6 took the test in social studies.

How are the tests scored?

ARMT, ASA, AHSGE and Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing Exam results show the level of proficiency a student demonstrates in meeting state standards. Students are rated at one of four levels: does not meet, partially meets, meets and exceeds. High school students are considered to have passed the AHSGE if they score at the level of meets or exceeds. The goal is for all students to meet or exceed state standards on the tests.

The Stanford 10 measures performance through a percentile based on the scores of all students of the same grade level in the nation. Students receive a percentile rank, which indicates how well they performed in comparison to peers in other states. If the number is 45, for example, students scored as well or better than 45% of students who took the test across the country. The state's goal is for students to score at or above the 40th percentile.

Alabama test results provide an indication of whether students are making progress toward mastery of state content standards. This is especially important for high school students, who must pass the AHSGE to graduate. Students who do not pass it the first time have multiple opportunities to retake the test. Checking that your child is meeting state expectations on standardized tests in the early grades can ensure that she will be on track to pass the graduation exam in high school.

Test results are important for schools because Alabama uses them to place schools in one of three categories: clear, caution or alert. Schools placed under alert have three years to meet target improvement goals and demonstrate that they are working to meet the state's standards.

It is important to be aware of both your child's score on the assessments and the overall scores for his school. If your child scores below the standards, contact his teacher to discuss getting additional assistance, and to find out how you can support your child's learning at home. If the school's overall scores are low, ask what steps the school is taking to raise achievement levels for all students, and what you as a parent can do to help.

Assessments

Formative Assessments:

Formative assessment

The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning. More specifically, formative assessments:

• help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work
• help faculty recognize where students are struggling and address problems immediately

Formative assessments are generally low stakes, which means that they have low or no point value. Examples of formative assessments include asking students to:

• draw a concept map in class to represent their understanding of a topic
• submit one or two sentences identifying the main point of a lecture
• turn in a research proposal for early feedback

Ideas for Informal (formative) Assessments:

-teacher monitoring and observing

-nonverbal cues

-teacher conferencing

-exit slips

-thumbs up/ thumbs down

-class discourse and questioning 

What are the strengths and weaknesses of these?


Summative Assessments:

Summative assessment

The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.

Summative assessments are often high stakes, which means that they have a high point value. Examples of summative assessments include:

• a midterm exam
• a final project
• a paper
• a senior recital

Information from summative assessments can be used formatively when students or faculty use it to guide their efforts and activities in subsequent courses.

Validity and Reliability
Norms
Bias
Scoring Concerns
Ethical Concerns