Qualitative Evidence
Student writing assignments are an vital element in analyzing the dramatic academic growth of my students over the course of the year. My students have frequent opportunities to practice and showcase their written work, specifically in the form of content-specific narrative, argumentative, and explanatory body paragraphs. Teaching my students how to write fully-developed paragraphs with strong, relevant evidence from multiple texts is a cornerstone of my curriculum and sets them up to be successful in 8th grade an high school, wherein they will be writing longer-form essays. In 7th grade, it is my job to ensure my students have the fundamental skills to craft and defend a strong claim. Because students complete writing tasks at least three times per month, I am able to track and measure students’ growth throughout the year, both in their knowledge of the content and their writing, vocabulary, and analysis skills.
The students featured in this section were chosen from various class periods and tested in different RIT bands on their fall 2018-19 NWEA MAP assessment. At the beginning of the year in 7th grade, students should be testing at 214.4; each student showcased below is either below, approaching, or above this RIT Norm.
Each student has three featured writing tasks from the beginning, middle, and end of the year, and each writing task was graded on the same Explanatory Body Paragraph rubric. Each rubric has been highlighted and annotated to show scores per category and the final grade for the writing task. For the purposes of this analysis, I will be focusing on three aspects of each piece of writing: thesis, evidence strength, and explanation. The writing task prompts and directions are as follows:
Written Analysis 1 Prompt: Each text discusses different experiences about the 1812 earthquake and tsunami. Write a paragraph explaining these experiences and how they are different from each other.
This prompt required students to choose evidence from two separate texts, which we read and analyzed whole group.
We broke down the prompt whole group; students were then required to develop their thesis and complete their paragraphs independently.
Written Analysis 2 Prompt: Consider how the place and time influences Nya and Salva’s lives and experiences. What challenges do they face that result directly from where and when they live?
This prompt required students to choose evidence from multiple parts of a novel, which we read whole group but did not analyze together.
Students broke down the prompt, developed their thesis, and completed their paragraphs independently.
Written Analysis 3 Prompt: Lynn Joseph’s development of Guario and Ana Rosa’s relationship was intentional. Was Guario’s death necessary for Ana Rosa’s development as a writer?
This prompt required students to choose evidence from multiple parts of a novel, which was read independently.
Students were given only 15 minutes to plan and craft their paragraphs independently.
I chose these three writing tasks for evaluation in this section because each required students to craft a strong claim or thesis and identify two pieces of relevant evidence. The steps of these writing tasks were scaffolded throughout the year in order to teach students how to properly plan and craft a body paragraph with strong, relevant evidence. See below for a closer growth analysis of three students who experienced dramatic academic growth this school year.
Student A
Student A had a RIT score of 196 in the fall of 2018, below the grade-level norm. This student also has an IEP and receives ESL services, which will be clear on the writing tasks. As part of the IEP accommodations, this student receives a modified resource and a scribe as needed (any colored pen handwriting). I chose this student because, despite having a specific learning disability in reading and physical constraints, has grown exponentially in their ability to craft a paragraph using relevant evidence from a text. At the beginning of the year, this student struggled to finish even two or three sentences with teacher support in handwriting in a 30-minute block of time, and by the end of the year, this student was able to complete a full paragraph without any aid in 15 minutes. Student A maintained a B average in Quarters 1-2, ultimately pulling their grade up to an A- in Quarter 3.
Writing Sample 1: Beginning of Year
In this writing sample, it is clear that the student does not have a strong understanding of how to respond to a prompt with relevant evidence.
Thesis/Claim: The student addresses only half of the prompt, referencing Karana but leaving out the analysis of the informational text discussing the 1812 earthquake and tsunami.
Evidence: The student provided only one of the required two pieces of evidence and never referenced the second, informational text, only the novel. The evidence the student did provide was relevant to the prompt, but it did not support the thesis.
Explanation: The student did not provide any explanation to tie the evidence to the claim. In the place of the explanation, the student simply restated part of the initial claim. This showed a strong lack of understanding on how to properly connect evidence to a thesis.
In this writing sample, the student scored 17/50, or 34%.
Writing Sample 2: Middle of Year
It was clear from this second task that the student’s ability to craft the pieces of a paragraph had improved, but that there was still a misunderstanding in how to explain a connection between evidence and claim.
Thesis/Claim: The student was given a claim to defend during the middle of the year to help focus on identifying strong supporting evidence and encouraging completion of the assignment.
Evidence: The student included both of the required pieces of evidence, and both pieces of evidence are relevant to the prompt and claim. At this point in the year, the student was given a sheet of paper with six citations to choose from as part of an IEP accommodation. The student was able to choose some of the stronger evidence to incorporate in this paragraph.
Explanation: The student provided short explanations following each quotation, writing “which shows…” or “This shows…” This showed growth in that the student was attempting to incorporate an explanation for each citation; however, the student’s explanation lacked analysis and read more as a restatement or paraphrase of the evidence provided.
In this writing task, the student scored 33/50, or 66%. While this is still a failing grade, the student showed improvement and growth from the beginning of the year.
Writing Sample 3: End of Year
While the student still struggled to complete a strong conclusion, overall, I was extremely pleased with the thesis and identification of strong evidence in this final writing sample.
Thesis/Claim: Scaffolding out of the accommodations, the student was given a sentence frame and then successfully developed a claim that addressed the entire prompt and provided a factual reason answering the question. The student showed growth from the beginning of the year by developing a claim that was relevant to the prompt and defendable with evidence from the provided texts.
Evidence: Because this was a timed writing task (15 minutes), the student was required to provide only one piece of evidence. The student did so successfully, choosing the exemplary piece of evidence from the text without prompting or additional accommodations.
Explanation: The student successfully crafted an explanation that was more analytical and less of a paraphrase of the quotation. While the crafting and clarity of the explanation still needs work, the student has show improvement in their understanding of what an explanation should be.
The student earned a 36/50, or 72%, on this writing task. The student grew from a 34% to a 72% on writing tasks within the school year, showing dramatic academic growth.
Student B
At the beginning of the year, Student B scored a RIT of 207, just below the grade-level norm. This student, who was new to our school this year, struggled during the first semester to close the gaps from their previous school. This was also a student who was afraid to ask questions, suffered social anxiety, and experience difficulty in completing assignments on time. Student B failed the first quarter with a 57% average in reading class, at which point I began working with them during my Focus period (built-in remediation to the school day) four times per week. With this remediation and the student’s own personal determination to improve, Student B raised that average to a 77% by the end of Quarter 2, ending Quarter 3 with an impressive 81%. I selected this student to showcase the payoff of their dedication and my additional instruction.
Writing Sample 1: Beginning of Year
In the first writing sample, it was clear that the student understood how to put the components of a paragraph together, but lacked the depth of skill to incorporate relevant evidence, explain that evidence, and ensure a cohesive claim was being discussed from beginning to the end of the paragraph.
Thesis/Claim: The student crafted a claim that was relevant to the prompt; however, the thesis is not fully developed and references only one of the two sources, naming the informational text “ranchera” but leaving on the character from the novel.
Evidence: While the student does provide two pieces of evidence, only the first citation is actually relevant to the initial claim.
Explanation: The student provided a very brief, low-level explanation in this writing sample, saying “it was different from other people.” While true, this explanation lacked the analysis and breadth of an exemplary explanation.
In this first writing sample, the student scored a 26/50, or 52%.
Writing Sample 2: Middle of Year
By mid-year, I saw improvement from this student in the thesis statement but still wanted to push for strong evidence selection and explanation.
Thesis/Claim: The student crafted a claim that addressed each component of the prompt, an improvement from the first writing task, but the student failed to provide a reason or rationale for the claim, which leaves the reader wondering how the paragraph is going to flow.
Evidence: The student chose two pieces of evidence that are related to the prompt and claim, which showed growth from the first writing task. at this point in the year, we began working on integrating citations into sentences. The student attempted that in this writing task, but lacked some of the grammar and punctuation skills to do so successfully.
Explanation: The student had a longer explanation in this writing sample and did attempt to connect the evidence to the claim. I was impressed with the growth from the first writing sample, but I still wanted to push the student to be more specific in the explanation in outlining exactly how the evidence presented supported the original claim.
The student scored 30/50 on this writing task, or 60%, which, though still a failing grade, showed some growth from the beginning of the year.
Writing Sample 3: End of Year
At the end of the year, I was impressed to see this student develop a cohesive paragraph with a clear direction from beginning to end.
Thesis/Claim: The student crafted a well-developed claim that addresses each aspect of the prompt, while also providing reasons for the opinion stated. This thesis showed a stronger understanding of the purpose of a thesis and served as a strong guidepost for the rest of the paragraph.
Evidence: The student identified two pieces of strong, exemplary evidence that were related to the prompt and claim.
Explanation: While I am still pushing this student to analyze at a higher level, the student succeeded in writing a specific and concise explanation in this writing sample. The student went beyond restating the citations and successfully connected the evidence provided with the initial claim.
The student earned 40/50 on this writing task, or 80%, showing huge growth from scoring only 52% at the beginning of the year.
Student C
While Student C had a RIT score of 218, above the grade-level norm, at the beginning of the year, this student struggled to keep up with their peers. This student has a hearing deficit and processing delay, which was a hinderance in completing tasks in a timely manner early in the school year. I worked individually with this student after school and during Focus periods, teaching the student how to break down a prompt and outline a paragraph more quickly, as well as how to annotate for sufficient evidence during reading to save time during writing. With this rigorous additional instruction and the student’s impressive work ethic, the student brought their 79% Quarter 1 grade all the way up to a 92% in Quarter 3. I selected this student because they had a solid understanding of language and writing at the beginning of the year, but showed impressive growth in fully developing a paragraph and integrating strong evidence.
Writing Sample 1: Beginning of Year
From the very beginning of the year, it was clear that Student C had a strong command of grammar and punctuation and was above his peers in crafting a thesis statement. I was impressed with this student’s overall writing skills; however, this student failed to choose exemplary evidence and did not have time enough to craft an explanation or conclusion.
Thesis/Claim: The student crafted a strong claim, referencing both required texts within the thesis statement and fully addressing the question in the prompt.
Evidence: While I was impressed with this student’s ability to use brackets and incorporate short chunks of a quote into sentences, the student did not choose exemplary evidence. Additionally, the student spent a great deal of time identifying those pieces of evidence, which showed a lack of understanding in how to do so.
Explanation: The student did not manage time effectively and failed to provide an explanation in this writing task.
The student scored 28/50, or 56%, on this first writing task.
Writing Sample 2: Middle of Year
By the middle of the year, it was clear that the student understood the prompt but could still improve in the analysis piece of the paragraph.
Thesis/Claim: The student showed growth in writing a stronger thesis statement that effectively set up the flow of the rest of the paragraph.
Evidence: The student identified strong, relevant evidence in this writing task, choosing citations that were related to the prompt and supported the claim presented in the thesis.
Explanation: The student was able to complete this writing task and provided analysis of both pieces of evidence. I appreciated that the student did not simply rephrase the citations, but added a level of inferencing to the explanations. At this point, I was pushing the student to go one step farther and craft an explanation that would also connected both pieces of evidence to each other, in addition to supporting the claim.
The student earned a 46/50, or 92%, on this writing task, showing incredible growth from the beginning of the year.
Writing Sample 3: End of Year
I was extremely impressed with the quality of this student’s work at the end of the year. The student succeeded in crafting a solid thesis statement, identified the exemplary evidence, and formed a strong explanation — all in accordance with the question in the prompt.
Thesis/Claim: The student crafted a strong thesis statement that included the language of the prompt and provided a clear reason for the opinion stated in the claim.
Evidence: The student chose two pieces of exemplary evidence from the novel.
Explanation. The student wrote a well-developed, concise explanation that connected the evidence to each other and supported the overall thesis stated at the beginning of the paragraph.
At the end of the year, this student earned a 50/50, or 100%, on this writing task. This showed dramatic academic growth from the 56% score at the beginning of the year.