Assessment of writing ability for LG 112 – PROSE
Lorena B. Ellis - Spring, 2010
Your new German pen-pal would like to know more about you and your life. Write an e-mail message in
German to your friend describing what your typical day is like. Due: March 15, 2010
You may include:
 Time you get up and go to bed
 Whether you have breakfast and what you eat and drink
 Time you go to school/work
 What you do on weekends
 What you are interested in
Level 2 Writing (prose) Tasks - Holistic Rubric*
Comprehensibility
Exceeds
expectations
Text readily
comprehensible, requiring
no interpretation on the
part of the reader
16-20 points
Meets
expectations
Text comprehensible,
requiring minimal
interpretation on the part of
the reader
11-15 points
Text mostly
comprehensible, requiring
interpretation on the part of
the reader
Almost meets
expectations
Does not meet
expectations
6-10 points
Text barely
comprehensible
Level of
Discourse
Vocabulary
Grammar
Mechanics
Variety of complete
sentences and of
cohesive devices
Rich use of
vocabulary
Control of basic
language
structures
16-20 points
16-20 points
Few or no errors
in spelling, use of
punctuation and/or
capitalization
16-20 points
Adequate and
accurate use of
vocabulary for this
level
11-15 points
Somewhat
inadequate and/or
inaccurate use of
vocabulary and too
basic for this level
6-10 points
Inadequate and/or
inaccurate use of
vocabulary
Emerging control
of basic language
structures
6-10 points
Inadequate and/or
inaccurate use of
basic language
structures
Mostly accurate
spelling, use of
punctuation and/or
capitalization
11-15 points
Somewhat
inaccurate
spelling, use
punctuation and/or
capitalization
6-10 points
Inaccurate spelling,
use punctuation
and/or
capitalization
0-5 point
0-5 point
0-5 point
16-20 points
Emerging variety of
complete sentences,
some cohesive
devices
11-15 points
Use of complete
sentences, some
repetitive, few
cohesive devices
6-10 points
Predominant use of
complete yet
repetitive sentences,
no or almost no
cohesive devices
0-5 point
0-5 point
11-15 points
Emerging use of
basic language
structures
*Adapted from A-M.Bourbon’s rubric to be used for German prose and poems.
The points were changed to show differences within each level and to facilitate grading.
Results
Data indicate that four (33.3%) of the twelve students were writing at the required level. Only one (8.3%)
was writing below the standards, and seven (58.3%) of them were writing at a higher level than the one
required by the course (see Table 1 below). Since the number of students writing above the level is
unusually high, the instructor needs to assess his own grading or revise the rubric. Some adjustment is
needed in either case.
Table 1
Number of students and performance level
%
number
Students number
12
1
8.3
0
Below
Level
Almost
below
%
0.0
number
4
Level
%
33.3
number
7
%
58.3
Above
Level
Profile shows that the highest points were reached in comprehensibility, which was above expectation.
Vocabulary and mechanics reached the expected level while grammar and level of discourse were the
categories that were almost at level and below expectations.
4
3
2
Comprehensibility
Level
6
5
1
Level of Discourse
0
5
6
Vocabulary
0
11
Grammar
0
Mechanics
Total
Average
1
Totals
Average
41
21.35
1
28
14.58
1
0
35
18.23
9
3
0
33
17.19
0
10
1
1
33
17.19
6
.5
40
3.9
12
2
3
.25
170
14.9
LBE/LG112-Sp2010-Prose