ERIC Number: EJ1097681
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-May
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0922-4777
EISSN: N/A
Writing to the Common Core: Teachers' Responses to Changes in Standards and Assessments for Writing in Elementary Schools
Wilcox, Kristen Campbell; Jeffery, Jill V.; Gardner-Bixler, Andrea
Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, v29 n5 p903-928 May 2016
This multiple case study investigated how the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for writing and teacher evaluation system based in part on CCSS assessments might be influencing writing instruction in elementary schools. The sample included nine schools: Six achieved above-predicted performance on English Language Arts (ELA) as well as prior ELA assessments (called "odds-beating"), and three demographically similar schools that achieved predicted outcomes on the same assessments (called "typically performing"). Interview and focus group transcripts (N = 30), classroom observations (N = 24), and documentary data were collected and analyzed. Findings from this study revealed that teachers in the majority of schools were using evidence based practices such as peer collaboration, prewriting/planning/drafting, using rubrics, and writing to learn. They focused on comparison/contrast and writing based on research tasks. Teachers shared a generally positive view of the CCSS for writing. However, typically performing school teachers expressed a more negative view regarding the paucity of emphasis on creative writing in the CCSS. The study offers considerations regarding aligning CCSS instruction to evidence based practice highlighted in the research and providing teachers with guidance on scaffolding writing in an effort to develop engaged, motivated, and independent young writers.
Descriptors: Case Studies, Common Core State Standards, Writing Instruction, Evaluation Methods, Elementary Schools, Language Arts, Academic Achievement, Interviews, Focus Groups, Observation, Documentation, Content Analysis, Evidence Based Practice, Peer Teaching, Cooperative Learning, Prewriting, Planning, Scoring Rubrics, Teaching Methods, Teacher Attitudes, Student Evaluation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A