Overview
Our formative writing program consists of three main components:
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hand-scored, text-based assessments for informational/explanatory and opinion/argument writing (Narrative writing is available in primary grades.)
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detailed, accessible writing data at the student, class, school, and district levels
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robust instructional materials to support student writing and save teachers’ time
Students who use our hand-scored assessments have a testing experience that is very similar to the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) in both structure and difficulty. Each assessment includes grade-appropriate articles with annotated text features, and one long performance task essay prompt in your chosen genre. Assessments are administered via our online testing platform (when paper-pencil tests are not selected) which has a look and feel similar to the online FSA platform. Digital tools in our online platform function similarly to those on the FSA, allowing for students to practice and become comfortable.
After essays are submitted for scoring, data results are returned quickly via an online teacher data report which breaks the scoring down into the three reporting categories: Purpose/Focus/Organization, Evidence/Elaboration, and Language Usage and Conventions. Within those reporting categories, specific response detail information helps provide targeted data to use in monitoring specific aspects of students’ writing and in making instructional decisions.
Keeping in mind the demands on teachers’ planning time, Write Score includes a bank of instructional materialsaligned to each data point in our scoring criteria. Approximately 60 lessons set per grade level are available at the beginning of the year in each grade level for topics ranging from introductions to attributions, and transitions to development of support. Most lesson plan sets include a lesson plan that is written in the gradual release of responsibility, a PowerPoint that is grade and age-level appropriate with relatable content, a student handout, and a teachers’ edition. Many lessons also contain an additional resource such as additional texts, a graphic organizer, or other handout.
After students’ results are released, post-assessment resources become available, including access to the actual student assessment and an annotated, high-scoring exemplar essay. Shortly after results become available, teachers will receive a customized email with links to resources that target the areas of greatest need.
