Qualitative Evidence
Given the age and learning exceptionalities of my pre-kindergarten students, using qualitative evidence, such as writing samples, is another important way I measure progress. I provide frequent opportunities for students to demonstrate dramatic academic growth through literacy-based writing, throughout the year. Writing as an exercise is not only a fundamental measure of student understanding, but also serves as a gauge of students’ fine motor abilities, which fall in a range of development along age-appropriate bands. At the close of every anchor text, I provide my students with a writing prompt directly related to the unit of study or themed text. At the end of each unit, students self assess their writing sample according to a student-friendly rubric and compare their most current piece to their last sample. This allows my students to see their growth in written comprehension and how they’ve internalized each story, but also their proficiency in creating accurate letter formations.
Writing Rubrics
Writing samples are scored in two ways. As an evaluator of my students’ work, I use the Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG) bands and objectives to assess student growth along the developmental bands. TSG objectives are aligned to Common Core State Standards (CCSS), as well as Louisiana State Standards for Pre-Kindergarten. The document below demonstrates the TSG band for Objective 19B: Writing to Convey Meaning. Each developmental stage of writing is given a color band, which corresponds to a specific age group. Students in pre-kindergarten should score along the Blue band throughout the year, which signifies appropriate writing development for a 4-year-old.
In order to help students internalize the rubric and indicators their work will be evaluated against, I transferred the qualities outlined on the TSG 19B band into a student friendly visual. Prior to engaging in fine motor exercise, I reference back to this student rubric in order to prepare students to brainstorm before they write. Once students have completed their writing piece for a given prompt, students compare their work to the rubric and evaluate it based on these qualities- pictorial details, letter formation, letter-word correspondence, and initial sound use. Below is an image of the student-friendly writing rubric and visual.
The above document is hung linearly in my classroom, with the lowest developmental band on the bottom, and the highest band on the top. This provides a visual for students as they write, and reinforces their understanding of growth has an upward climb. By the end of the year, the goal is for 4-year old students to produce more detailed illustrations, and apply their letter sound knowledge to write the initial sounds to represent whole words, as seen on page 4 of the above document.
Student Writing Samples-BOY
Below is the assignment for a literary writing response from September 2017, after 3 weeks of instruction. This assessment is designed to not only measure my students' understanding of the book's theme, but also to determine their strengths and weaknesses in the area of fine motor dexterity. In order to connect to the main character in the text, this writing asked students to identify their own fears and insecurities.
Given the amount of instruction students received prior to the writing prompt, the assignment serves as an introduction to the formal writing process. While I assessed students according to the rubric, it is not formally graded and stands as a gauge of students' prior knowledge. In this way, the writing serves as a qualitative diagnostic baseline that provides an important data sample for me to evaluate their fine motor abilities (appropriate grip, spatial recognition, line formation) and how well they are able to communicate their understanding or perspective through writing. Each writing piece is orally told to an adult, and then transcribed in order to get an accurate read.
This is the writing prompt I provided to students following our Family & Friends themed unit, using the text Big Al by Andrew Clements as an anchor text selection.
The following student writing samples were selected from my Pre-K inclusion class, and two of the students selected identify with an exceptionality, and have an IEP. I selected each student to showcase one learner across different RIT bands: students who score above the developmental 4-year old band, one learner within the developmental 4 year old band, and one learner approaching the developmental 4 year old band. Students completed this exercise after the first unit of instruction in the school year.
Included within each document is the TSG rubric used to rate each student. Scores are circled in blue pen and a rationale for each score is included. Since I designed this assignment to simply measure student listening comprehension and fine motor proficiency, the rubrics served as a guide for me in lesson development and were only used as formative evidence to add to each student’s TSG portfolio.
Student 1 (pages 1-2) is a peer model student, and was initially placed in the classroom due to her high oral language development skills. However, her initial writing sample scored in the early 3-year-old age band. Her letter formation is stilll developing and consists of controlled linear forms. While she demonstrates strong spatial awareness and use of the whole page, both picture and text consist of repeated controlled scribbles. She does not yet utilize clear mock letters, or segments of letter forms, such as curves, or lines.
Student 2 (pages 3-4) is a special education student who is attending Pre-Kindergarten for a second year. His first writing piece earned a score of a 3, placing him in the early 4 year-old band. It evidences emerging letter like forms, such as what appears to be an "I", as well as the curved circle-like form. The mock letters include too many segments, and vary in orientation. He does not yet accurately write a letter nor does his writing include appropriate spaces between letters or words, which would push his writing to the next rubric level.
Students 3 (pages 5-6) is a special education student whose initial writing sample scores in the early-3 year old developmental band. The sample shows repeated forms and controlled linear scribbles, mostly in the form of curves. The accompanying illustration is also composed of simple lines, and only a small composition of such. The student does not yet produce letter-like forms, or recognizable line segments, in order to score a "3" on the TSG developmental rubric.
Student Writing Sample-MOY
Below is the assignment for a literary response writing response from November 2017, following an instructional unit on Zoo Animals, using the anchor text Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle. Given this time of year, the writing prompt is only loosely connected to the anchor text of the unit. I chose to do this in order to allow students to generate answers on their own without much adult prompting and support.
After seven weeks of instruction, students again engaged in a literary-based writing response. The writing pieces below reflect the same students as the BOY samples. Each student was presented the prompt following a fourth reading of the story, and was allotted an untimed writing period.
Student 1 (pages 1-2) has made tremendous growth along the writing progression, moving from the end of the 2 year old age band to the beginning of the 5 year old band. This sample received a score of "5" on the TSG rubric. Her writing sample demonstrates a high letter-sound understanding, as well as developed fine motor dexterity. She is able to use clear, accurate letters that represent the initial sound of the whole word. However, her writing evidences a lack spatial clarity and appropriate letter order. She does not yet include middle or ending sounds in words.
While Student 2 (pages 3-4)'s second sample scored a "4" on the TSG rubric. While this score falls within in the same developmental band as his BOY writing sample, this piece demonstrates growth within the band's indicators. There is evidence of developmentally appropriate line/letter formation and emerging letter-order awareness, such as a clear "M". The letter strings consist of recognizable letters, and the student has used spaces to separate letters and groups of letters, albeit inconsistently. The student remains at the "4" stage on the rubric, because he does not yet utilize initial sounds to represent whole words, nor is his letter ordering accurate.
Student 3 (page 5-6) demonstrates growth over two scoring bands, moving from a score of "2" to a "3", which corresponds to the end of the 3-year old band. This sample demonstrates a combination of mock letters or letter like forms, but also includes some controlled linear scribbling. The student has begun to write recognizable letter segments such as "M" and "r", though other letter forms include superfluous segments. The student does not yet use strings of letter to represent words, nor are all letter forms composed accurately.
Student Writing Samples- EOY
The following prompt was presented to students in February 2018 at the finish of a 5-week unit on Winter. The prompt was projected on the Promethean Board, and repeated orally both aloud to the class and to students individually. As dictated by Louisiana State Standards, students can receive adult prompting and support as necessary and appropriate.
For this writing assignment, students were provided an anchor chart that consists of a metacognitive checklist in order to ensure students includes all expected elements of age appropriate writing. These elements include accurately responding to the prompt, using the story in your answer, and writing beginning sounds. As students responded to the prompt, I rotated to each student, transcribing and taking anecdotal notes of students’ oral responses to the prompt. Particularly for IEP documentation, oral responses are an appropriate, additional measure of student understanding, and serve to clarify students’ writing samples.
Included below is each of the three sample students' final pieces of writing, and my rubric markup. Overall comparisons of student writing templates showed that student writing had progressed in terms of fine motor skills as well as in the qualitative indicators of the 4 year old age bands.
Student 1 (pages 1-2) scored a 4 on her writing sample, according to the TSG writing rubric for objective 19B. Her writing demonstrates some early invented spelling, though it still includes some superfluous letters. She has begun to use appropriate spacing between letters and/or words, though inconsistently. Her letters are mostly clear, and some represent initial sounds of the whole word she attempts to write. However, she does not yet represent middle or ending sounds in words, nor is her spacing between letters and/or words consistent enough to score a "5" on the writing rubric. From her BOY to EOY sample, Student 1 grew from a "2" to a "4" on the TSG 19B objective rubric, indicating one developmental year's growth, so far. A score of "4" indicates that Student 1 is "on grade level" for writing.
Student 2 (pages 3-4) also scores a 4 on this writing sample, owing to his clear, concise letter strings and more detailed illustration. This piece demonstrates emerging letter order, and while he still includes extra letters, he has begun to use some initial sounds to represent whole words. Additionally, his accompanying illustration includes appropriate detailing and recognizable form and structure. He does not yet consistently use initial sounds to represent whole words, nor does he write middle or ending sounds of words. From his BOY to EOY sample, Student 2 grew from a 3 to a 4 on the TSG 19B objective rubric, which corresponds to the mid 4-year-old age band, making Student 2 "on grade level" for writing.
Student 3 (pages 5-6) scored a "4" on his writing sample. This piece demonstrates clear and accurate letter formation, as well as appropriate letter spacing and use of the page. He has begun to use initial sounds to represent whole words, but does not do so consistently. His sample includes superfluous letters in some parts of his sentence, and he does not yet use middle or ending sounds to represent whole words. From his BOY to EOY sample, Student 3 grew from a 2 to a 4 on the TSG 19B objective rubric, indicating one developmental year's growth, so far. A score of a "4" indicates that Student 3 is "on grade level" for writing.
Conclusion
When comparing these three students’ writing samples, it is clear that all my learners made significant academic gains in their ability to write and communicate about familiar stories. All three students still have room to grow in order to be “kindergarten-ready” writers, and need to focus on applying their onset-sound knowledge to writing words, as well as their ordering of letters. Student One, in particular, demonstrates significant growth in the quality of her illustrations and her use of invented spelling. While her overall score may not reflect an above grade level band yet, her writing samples evidence growth within the depth of the 4-year-old range. Moving forward, providing frequent opportunities for practice by integrating writing in all content areas is and will continue to be a major component of my instruction as well as implementing both quantitative and qualitative assessment in order to drive student outcomes.