tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364445842620492890.post8273403126283767625..comments2023-04-02T20:58:12.407-07:00Comments on Washington Teachers: how we pass the WASLJim Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09928624189124041120noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364445842620492890.post-45383837806367069552007-06-12T18:04:00.000-07:002007-06-12T18:04:00.000-07:00Thanks, TRP--those are almost exactly the parts I ...Thanks, TRP--those are almost exactly the parts I left out of my summary. I agree also about all the teaching that's gone before. They're mostly ready by the time they reach me. (They have to unlearn a few things, though--"Step Up" crap, mostly.)<BR/><BR/>The banality of the WASL prompts is so sad. After several freshfolks complained about the topic, we had a nice chat about faking enthusiasm for anything. Not that I would ever do that.Jim Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09928624189124041120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364445842620492890.post-54267990258344327952007-06-12T17:20:00.000-07:002007-06-12T17:20:00.000-07:00Nice, Jim. If I throw a couple of pennies into yo...Nice, Jim. If I throw a couple of pennies into your font of wisdom:<BR/><BR/>1. Do what I'm going to do anyway. Teach what I'm going to teach. When teaching and assessing writing, focus hard (as always) on organization and backing opinions with evidence.<BR/><BR/>2. After doing that for a while, pass out the state-provided exemplars: a one, several twos, several threes, and a couple of fours. <BR/><BR/>Ask for the key difference between the two and the three, and the three and the four. Kids usually land here:<BR/><BR/>A two isn't organized into coherent paragraphs, and doesn't use specific examples. A three does one or the other. A four does both.<BR/><BR/>Check it out. It's 95% true.<BR/><BR/>I then write a dull, pallid, WASL-esque prompt (this in December or so). I grade it almost exclusively on organization and use of specific examples. I tell the kids I'll only take a minute or two to grade it, as though I were a WASL grader. Anyone who falls short of 3-level in either gets some individual love from me.<BR/><BR/>100% of my kids passed the WASL in reading and writing last year. I'd be a fool to take all the credit for that--they had great junior high teachers, elementary school teachers, and parents--but I do think this process demystifies the writing WASL without detracting from my curriculum for more than two or three days.TeacherRefPoethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10087147646389275919noreply@blogger.com