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Course Calendar

Writing Assessment in High School and Middle School (English 409.03) Spring 2011

Instructor: Bob Broad, Ph.D., Professor of English

Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois

 

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Mid-term

End-term

 

Meeting # and Date (all are Sat.)

Preparation

Class Activities

Monday, 1/17: Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. observed

#1 of 8

 1/22

Educative Assessment and the Teaching of Writing

Read:

Write Journal Entry #1 in response to Wiggins's article and book. Write:

  • One robust paragraph about why you took the course, describing your current "project" (questions, problems, goals, ideas) regarding writing assessment,
  • Ideas, questions, connections, problems the readings inspire for you, and
  • Which one, specific assessment you use in your teaching is most "educative," and which one, specific assessment you use in your teaching is least educative. 

Post your Journal Entry #1 (JE1) to our course Blackboard (online resource) under "Discussions."  You can gain access to the Eng. 409.03 Blackboard by logging into ISU's i-Campus and clicking on the "Academics" tab. If you have any trouble accessing the Blackboard, don't worry (yet): just bring hard copy of your journal entry to class. 

Bring to our first class meeting hard copy of the most educative assessment and the least educative assessment you use in your teaching.

Greetings and introductions

Discuss course content, readings, projects, evaluation, meeting dates, policies, Blackboard, etc. 

Pick a date for our optional and informal pot-luck gathering at Bob Broad's home. 

Read and respond to each others' Journal Entry (JE) #1. 

Discuss the readings and your responses to them including your response journal entries. 

How well do your assessments support your theories, goals, and strategies as a teacher of writing?  What do your assessments teach your students about writing, learning, etc.? 

Discuss our communal change project for this semester.

Discuss interesting problems and questions related to writing assessment to get you started on your solo research projects.

Read and discuss NCTE/WPA and CCCC position statements on writing assessment.  How do your (and your district's, your state's, etc.) writing assessments compare to the ideals expressed in these documents? 

(Brunch: Kevin Vernon)
Monday, 1/24: Last day to drop a course with no withdrawal grade and a full refund

#2 of 8

2/5

 Statewide Writing Assessment in Illinois: How Authentic and Educative? 

Read:
  • Broad, "Making Our Assessments of Writing More Authentic, Educative, and Rhetorical" (in DRR folder)
  • Hillocks, The Testing Trap... (book)
  • ISPAW, "Making Statewide Writing Assessment Rigorous, Valid, and Fair..." (in DRR folder)

Write journal entry #2 (JE2) in response to the readings, using "A Guide for Using Response Journals."   Also use part of JE 2 to develop further your ideas for your solo research project for this course.  Explore questions, readings, research methods, and data that might be involved.  

Post your journal entries to the Eng. 409.03 Blackboard. 

Read and respond to each others' JE #2.

Discuss your journal entries and the readings. 

Discuss your ideas for research projects, both individual and communal.

(Brunch: Michelle Cusack)
During these weeks, you will meet with Bob Broad individually
to discuss and to firm up plans for your solo research project.

[Date TBA]

Students in this class are invited to Bob Broad's family's home for an optional and informal pot-luck supper. Please mark it on your calendar and plan to attend. It'll be fun. 

#3 of 8

2/19

 

 Theories and Practices of Writing Assessment: The Greatest Hits of the 80s and 90s. 

Put your thinking caps on. 

Read the following chapters from Huot and O'Neill's edited collection Assessing Writing: Start with the "Introduction" and then read Yancey's "Looking Back as..." (ch. 8). Then read these chapters: 2, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, and 21. 

Write JE 3 in response to the readings.

Write JE4 as a way to move forward with your contribution to our communal change project.

Post your journal entries to the Eng. 409.03 Blackboard. 

Read and respond to each others' JE #3. 

Discuss your journal entries and the readings. 

Read and respond to each others' JE #4. 

Discuss your new ideas for our communal change project. 

Discuss your plans for your individual major research project.

(Brunch: Ahmed and Martin)
Fri., 3/4: Last day to drop a full semester
course with a withdrawal (WX) grade assigned.

#4 of 8

3/5

Writing Assessment in the Digital Age

Read:

  • Broad, "More Work for Teacher..." (in DRR folder)
  • Narter, "Teacher as Machine..." (in DRR folder)
  • Neal, Writing Assessment and the Digital (R)evolution... (book)

Write JE 5 in response to the readings. 

Write JE 6 as an early/small draft of your solo research project. 

Post your journal entries to the Eng. 409.03 Blackboard. 

Confer and/or correspond with Bob B. about your progress on your solo research project. 

Read and respond to each others' JE #5. 

Discuss your journal entries and the readings. 

Continue research and drafting of our communal change project(s).

Discuss your developing solo research projects (including JE #6) and help everyone be ready to move ahead with them in the remaining weeks. Establish our network of expertise.

Discuss course portfolios. 

Conduct our "Mid-Term Chat."

(Brunch: Jenn Jones)
Notes on work for March 5 through April 2:  During the four weeks leading up to our April 2 meeting, you need to conduct research (read and write, collect and analyze data) for your solo research project and our communal change project.  On April 2 and 16, we will discuss draft research projects and share our feedback with the project's author(s).

ISU's Spring Break: March 5-13

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End-term

#5 of 8

3/19

 

 Complementarity, Community, and Rubrics

Read:
  • Broad and Boyd, “Rhetorical Writing Assessment: The Practice and Theory of Complementarity” (in DRR folder)
  • Inoue, "Community-Based..." (in DRR folder)
  • Wilson's Rethinking Rubrics (book)

Please note this revision to our calendar: You are *not* assigned to write a journal entry in response to these readings.  Instead, use that time to progress with writing both your solo research project and for our communal change project. 

During the four weeks leading up to our next meeting, you need to conduct research for your individual research project and our communal change project.  By the time of the next class meeting, you should have a substantial draft composed of your research project(s).

Discuss the readings:

  • Wilson's Rethinking Rubrics,
  • Inoue's "Community-Based Assessment Pedagogy...," and
  • Broad and Boyd's "Rhetorical Writing Assessment...". 

Continue to discuss your solo research projects.

Continue work on our collaborative change project.

(Brunch: Mackinson and Uhlman)

#6 of 8

4/2

 Post your draft research project to the "Eng. 409.03 Workshop Drafts and Writer's Memos" section of our course Blackboard one full week before the date on which your project will be discussed. 

Read draft research projects and Writer's Memos.

Post your Response Memos to the Eng. 409.03 Blackboard. 

Continue research for your individual research project and our communal change project.  By the time of this class meeting, you should have a substantial draft composed of your research project(s).  We will workshop remaining drafts on April 16. 

Discuss draft research projects from the following authors:

Jarot

Ahmed

Mackinson

Uhlman

Vernon

Cusack

Work on our communal change project. 

(Brunch: Marshall and Oakwood)

Fri. 4/18 Last day to officially withdraw from the University

#7 of 8

4/16

 Continue to research, develop, refine, and revise your major research projects. Bring notes, bibliography, and a strong, substantial revision draft to class. 

Post your draft research project to the "Eng. 409.03 Workshop Drafts and Writer's Memos" section of our course Blackboard one full week before the date on which your project will be discussed. 

Read draft research projects and Writer's Memos.

Post your Response Memos to the Eng. 409.03 Blackboard. 

Continue research for your individual research project and our communal change project. 

Discuss draft research projects from the following authors:

Martin

Marshall

Jones

Oakwood

Wyant

Work on our communal change project. 

(Brunch: Jarot and Wyant)

#8 of 8

4/30

 Complete your course portfolio. 

Choose a passage from your Course Portfolio to read aloud to the class.

Bring your portfolio to class and submit it to Bob. 

Reflect on your work and learning in the course in preparation for evaluating the course and the professor's teaching of the course.

Prepare any final comments you wish to offer the group regarding your learning in this course and your future plans for practicing and researching writing assessment. 

Complete work on our communal change project.

Course retrospective:  Review and reflect on readings, writings, discussions, activities, and the mid-term chat.

Evaluate the course and the professor's teaching of the course. 

Collaborative-constructivist final exam: read aloud an excerpt from your portfolio. 

Discuss how you will carry your learning in this course into your future teaching and scholarship. 

Submit course portfolios.

Say goodbye.

(Brunch: Broad)
 

Sat. 4/30: Last day of classes.
 

Fri. 5/6: College of Arts and Sciences Commencement
 

Tuesday 5/10: Grades due.

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Mid-term

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