In many cases, teachers shy away from including much writing because of the many hours it requires to read and provide substantial feedback on such papers. Yet writing is widely understood as critically important to learning (Applebee & Langer, 2013; Mayher, 1983; Zinsser, 1989). This article describes a program from the Northwest Arkansas Writing Project that aims to improve the teaching of academic writing and, in doing so, increase student achievement. The article describes three specific practices used to examine student writing: (1) constructivist coding; (2) calibrating with anchor papers; and (3) affinity mapping. These practices would transfer easily to any professional learning community. While each aspect of collaboration and formative assessment outlined in this article contribute to meaningful professional development, the larger goal is for educators to enact appropriate and meaningful instructional moves with students.