The National Study of Writing Instruction - University at Albany

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Year 3: Studies of Schools with Local Reputations for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing The third year of data collection examined curriculum and instruction in contexts that were likely to be the most conducive to effective teaching of writing, where there was a school or district commitment to the teaching of literacy in general and writing in particular. Methods Sample of Schools The sample for year 3 was based in 5 states that differed in their curriculum and assessment policies and practices across the core academic subject area. Tables 4 and 5 summarize key differences in assessment practices across subject areas for middle and high schools at the time of site selection and data collection. Some of the more notable contrasts include a crosssubject portfolio of writing in Kentucky at Grades 7 and 12, the inclusion of constructed response in all 4 core academic areas in middle and high school exams in New York, the inclusion of persuasive essays in Michigan at Grades 6, 9, and 11, and the differing genres or types of writing used to assess writing achievement in middle and high schools in California and Texas. Within each of the 5 states, the sample consisted of two middle and two high schools, distributed across participating states with a bias toward schools serving low-income populations. Schools were selected to reflect the range of practice in schools that have reputations for supporting writing instruction, not to highlight typical or poor practice. In addition to reputations for excellence in the teaching of writing or literacy, all of the schools had above-average achievement scores in writing or literacy when compared with others serving similar populations of students. Table 6 displays the demographic characteristics of the 20 schools at the time of site selection. (All 20 agreed to be identified by name.) They represent a wide range in school size (340 to 4632), percent minority (6 to 99%), eligibility for free or reduced price lunch (12 to 83%), and percent English language learners (0 to 34%). 12
Table 5. Types of Writing Required on State Exams in Middle School English Social Studies Science Math C A 1 75+ min essay in grade 7: None None None fictional narrative persuasive summary of reading passage response to literature KY Writing portfolio in grade 7 written across the curriculum - *1 of the following 3 pieces is required to come from a class other than ELA; all of the pieces could come from content areas, but at least 1 must. reflective writing about growth in writing through literacy personal expressive or literary sample transactive sample On-demand writing in grade 8 1 one hour on-demand prompt 12 multiple choice questions (grammar and revision skills) MI 1 essay in grades 6-8: Formerly, one 20 minute essay writing from knowledge and experience in grade 6: persuasive civics essay 1 multiple choice test about paired readings in grades 6-8. Recently changed from one 50 minute essay. NY 1 45 minute response to a listening passage 1 90-minute documentbased 34 short responses 13 4 extended responses and 6 in grades 6 and 8 essay at grade 8 in grade 8 short responses in 60
Page 1 and 2: February 2011 The National Study of
Page 3 and 4: Appendix 3. Instruments: Year 3 Stu
Page 5 and 6: Year 1: Analysis of Existing Nation
Page 7 and 8: Table 1. Middle School Demographics
Page 9 and 10: egin the conversation, and a series
Page 11: At the end of the school year, all
Page 15 and 16: Table 6. Types of Writing Required
Page 17 and 18: Participants At each school site, p
Page 19 and 20: Notes to Table 6 CA: Size, grade sp
Page 21 and 22: Instrumentation Experiences with da
Page 23 and 24: influence of external examinations,
Page 25 and 26: coordinated so that the field resea
Page 27 and 28: 5 Interview 1 teacher Interview 1 t
Page 29 and 30: demographic data on each school, in
Page 31 and 32: significant differences between the
Page 33 and 34: The final comparison in Table 11 us
Page 35 and 36: Source: National Center for Educati
Page 37 and 38: Appendix 2. Instruments: Year 2 Cas
Page 39 and 40: Schedule, Arrangements and Environm
Page 41 and 42: Teacher Interview Schedule: First I
Page 43 and 44: 16. How would you describe high-qua
Page 45 and 46: Teacher Interview Schedule: Follow-
Page 47 and 48: 9. Are there differences in what ma
Page 49 and 50: Pre- and Post- Observation Question
Page 51 and 52: Writing for Your Subject Will stude
Page 53 and 54: Discipline-Specific Learnings This
Page 55 and 56: How important is each of the follow
Page 57 and 58: ___ Overhead projector ___ Webpage
Page 59 and 60: Below is a list of reasons that tea
Page 61 and 62: To what extent do you use the follo
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improving students' writing skills.
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How many days did students have to
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Administrator Interview Schedule Sc
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20. Are you satisfied with your stu
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INITIATIVES & SUPPORT How does your
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STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING How
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18. Tell me about your use of techn
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Paragraphs+ (1 or more parag.) Focu
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Other Technology Use By Student Int
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Daily Interpretive Memo After each
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7. What unusual approaches or metho
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___ Special education ___ Other (pl
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If so, please specify: ____________
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Are there specialized types of writ
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What technologies have you used in
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How important have the following so
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What is the general subject of this
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If you assign paragraph-length writ
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How many weeks are there in a full
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Was this assignment ___Required ___
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Writing and Learning Activities 200
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