Assessment for writing
Scoring rubrics are descriptive scoring schemes that are developed by teachers or other evaluators to guide the analysis of the products or processes of students' efforts. They have become a common method for evaluating students' work, with different scoring rubrics serving different purposes for different student grades and subject content.
One common use of a scoring rubric is to guide the evaluation of students' writing, which may vary depending upon the criteria established by the individual evaluators. By using a pre-defined scheme for the evaluation process, the teacher who evaluates a piece of writing will be more objective.
The project at the HHCKLA Buddhist Ching Kok Secondary School (BCKSS) involved all four Secondary 4 classes, five local and one Native Speaking English teacher (NET) - with the WrITE Project as the consultancy team. The objective involved developing an effective and school-based scoring rubric for assessing students¡¦ writing at BCKSS. To achieve this objective, the teachers of BCKSS first drafted their scoring rubrics, and then submitted them to the WrITE Project for professional advice. Subsequently, the first workshop titled Introduction to Scoring Rubrics for Assessing Writing was delivered by the WrITE Project. In the workshop, the concepts of analytic and holistic scoring rubrics and their associated advantages and disadvantages were introduced. Following this workshop, BCKSS teachers used the scoring rubrics to mark students¡¦ writing, as well as writing reflective journals on this exercise.
Subsequent to the above work, a second workshop on reflection and sharing on using scoring rubrics for assessing writing was conducted by the WrITE Project team. In the workshop, reflection and sharing from teachers on the scoring rubric (for teachers) were generated, and advice on building the scoring rubric (for students) was given. After this workshop, BCKSS teachers drafted the scoring rubric for students to use in peer assessment / self-assessment. The teachers further collected students' marked writing samples, evaluated the scoring rubrics and modified them. Their scoring rubrics were then submitted to the WrITE Project for validity checking. Following this, the BCKSS teachers tried out peer assessment with their students by using the rubrics.
In the WrITE Conference held on 19 May 2007, Ms Carina Lo and her English panel members from BCKSS, summarized their experiences as outlined above. They shared their views in using their self-designed scoring rubric for assessing writing with the conference participants. For details of the rubric, refer to the deliverables and outcomes below.
The BCKSS school project concluded with the 4th workshop on giving feedback on students' writing conducted by the WrITE Project. In the workshop, six fundamental principles / issues on giving feedback on students' writing were raised, and alternative approaches were suggested.
Deliverables and Outcomes
(a) The four workshops held by the WrITE Project in this project for BCKSS are summarized in the table below.
Topics
Facilitator(s)
1.Introduction to scoring rubrics for assessing writing
Dr Paul Sze,
Faculty of Education, CUHK
2.Reflection and sharing session on using scoring rubrics for assessing writing
Prof Barley Mak
Faculty of Education, CUHK
3.Experience sharing on the project
(incorporated as part of the WrITE Conference 2007)
Ms Carina Lo and her English panel members, HHCKLA Buddhist Ching Kok Secondary School
4.Giving feedback on students' writing: established and alternative approaches
Dr Paul Sze,
Faculty of Education, CUHK
(b) The scoring rubric for Secondary 4 writing assessment developed by HHCKLA Buddhist Ching Kok Secondary School and the WrITE Project
Scoring rubrics are descriptive scoring schemes that are developed by teachers or other evaluators to guide the analysis of the products or processes of students' efforts. They have become a common method for evaluating students' work, with different scoring rubrics serving different purposes for different student grades and subject content.
One common use of a scoring rubric is to guide the evaluation of students' writing, which may vary depending upon the criteria established by the individual evaluators. By using a pre-defined scheme for the evaluation process, the teacher who evaluates a piece of writing will be more objective.
The project at the HHCKLA Buddhist Ching Kok Secondary School (BCKSS) involved all four Secondary 4 classes, five local and one Native Speaking English teacher (NET) - with the WrITE Project as the consultancy team. The objective involved developing an effective and school-based scoring rubric for assessing students¡¦ writing at BCKSS. To achieve this objective, the teachers of BCKSS first drafted their scoring rubrics, and then submitted them to the WrITE Project for professional advice. Subsequently, the first workshop titled Introduction to Scoring Rubrics for Assessing Writing was delivered by the WrITE Project. In the workshop, the concepts of analytic and holistic scoring rubrics and their associated advantages and disadvantages were introduced. Following this workshop, BCKSS teachers used the scoring rubrics to mark students¡¦ writing, as well as writing reflective journals on this exercise.
Subsequent to the above work, a second workshop on reflection and sharing on using scoring rubrics for assessing writing was conducted by the WrITE Project team. In the workshop, reflection and sharing from teachers on the scoring rubric (for teachers) were generated, and advice on building the scoring rubric (for students) was given. After this workshop, BCKSS teachers drafted the scoring rubric for students to use in peer assessment / self-assessment. The teachers further collected students' marked writing samples, evaluated the scoring rubrics and modified them. Their scoring rubrics were then submitted to the WrITE Project for validity checking. Following this, the BCKSS teachers tried out peer assessment with their students by using the rubrics.
In the WrITE Conference held on 19 May 2007, Ms Carina Lo and her English panel members from BCKSS, summarized their experiences as outlined above. They shared their views in using their self-designed scoring rubric for assessing writing with the conference participants. For details of the rubric, refer to the deliverables and outcomes below.
The BCKSS school project concluded with the 4th workshop on giving feedback on students' writing conducted by the WrITE Project. In the workshop, six fundamental principles / issues on giving feedback on students' writing were raised, and alternative approaches were suggested.
Deliverables and Outcomes
(a) The four workshops held by the WrITE Project in this project for BCKSS are summarized in the table below.
Topics
Facilitator(s)
1.Introduction to scoring rubrics for assessing writing
Dr Paul Sze,
Faculty of Education, CUHK
2.Reflection and sharing session on using scoring rubrics for assessing writing
Prof Barley Mak
Faculty of Education, CUHK
3.Experience sharing on the project
(incorporated as part of the WrITE Conference 2007)
Ms Carina Lo and her English panel members, HHCKLA Buddhist Ching Kok Secondary School
4.Giving feedback on students' writing: established and alternative approaches
Dr Paul Sze,
Faculty of Education, CUHK
(b) The scoring rubric for Secondary 4 writing assessment developed by HHCKLA Buddhist Ching Kok Secondary School and the WrITE Project