ERIC Number: EJ1015541
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Dec
Pages: 36
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-5984
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Assessing Students' Skills at Writing Analytically in Response to Texts
Correnti, Richard; Matsumura, Lindsay Clare; Hamilton, Laura; Wang, Elaine
Elementary School Journal, v114 n2 p142-177 Dec 2013
Despite the importance of writing analytically in response to texts, there are few assessments measuring students' mastery of this skill. This manuscript describes the development of a response-to-text assessment (RTA) intended for use in research. In a subsequent validity investigation we examined whether the RTA distinguished among classrooms in students' ability to write analytically in response to text and whether measures of teaching predicted this variation. We demonstrate that the RTA was correlated with the state standardized assessment, but did not overlap with this accountability test completely and, additionally, that more variation between classrooms existed on the RTA. Students' opportunities for reasoning and extended writing in the classroom were significantly associated with RTA scores. The findings suggest that the RTA can be a valuable tool for conducting research on students' attainment of analytic writing skills and for understanding how teaching relates to student achievement on these skills. (Contains 12 notes, 6 tables, and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Reader Response, Writing Skills, Standardized Tests, State Standards, Accountability, Scores, Logical Thinking, Writing Tests, Evaluation Methods, Reading Tests, Grade 4, Thinking Skills, Cognitive Processes, Reading Comprehension, Test Validity, Student Characteristics, Teacher Characteristics, Psychometrics, Urban Schools
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Maryland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A