An Introduction to
e-asTTle Writing
Using assessment to improve
learning
Scope of the Tool
• The tool assesses writing from students in Year 1 through to
Year 10.
• In order to be assessed accurately by the new tool, students
should be able to write at least one or two simple ideas.
(Students who score in the lowest category for every element assessed are
not well targeted by the assessment, as it may not accurately indicate the
students’ skills and next learning steps.)
Prompts and purposes
• The tool emphasises ‘prompts’ rather than ‘tasks’.
• 20 open-ended prompts encourage students to choose
subject matter relevant to their experience.
• There is a range of prompts for younger or older students.
• There are five writing purposes, important to writing in
general.
Marking Rubric
• There is one rubric for all writing purposes.
• There are seven elements of writing to be marked
• There is a range of achievement categories on a continuum
from R1 to R6 for five elements and R1 to R7 for
Organisation and Punctuation.
• The tool is aligned to the NZ curriculum:
- it reflects the intentions of the literacy learning
progressions and national standards
- it is not specific to a particular learning area
• However, the rubric was mainly developed through the
analysis of student responses to writing prompts.
Marking Rubric elements
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ideas
Structure and Language
Organisation
Vocabulary
Sentence Structure
Punctuation
Spelling
Annotated Exemplars – Specific and Generic
• The prompt specific exemplars are examples of students
writing in relation the prompt being used. They show a
range of abilities and are accessed during the test creation
process
• The generic exemplars are a constant set of exemplars not
necessarily from the same purpose or prompt as the
student sample. They are downloaded separately.
• The exemplars are actual samples of student writing, and
are representative rather than ideal examples.
• They are essential tools for ensuring consistent scoring
decisions.
• There are 76 annotated exemplars in total.
What it assesses
e-asTTle writing assesses a student’s ability to independently
write continuous texts across a variety of communicative
purposes.
These are:
• Describe – a life cycle or moment in time
• Explain
• Recount
• Narrate
• Persuade
How it assesses
• Up to 40 minutes
• Scored using rubric and annotated exemplars (both
prompt specific and generic exemplars)
• Curriculum level is not part of the marking
• However, a curriculum level for each element and overall
score will be available once the element scores have been
inputted
Can you make your own prompt?
Yes and No
• Yes the rubric can be used to assess teacher’s own
prompts.
• However, DO NOT put the scored results for your own
prompts into e-asTTle as the difficulty of the ‘made up’
prompt is unknown.
• A conversion table is available for non standardised
assessments such as teacher made prompts.
• ‘Teacher made’ prompts should assess continuous texts
using one of the five purposes as this is what the rubric
was developed for.
Creating a writing assessment - Considerations
• When choosing a prompt consider possible sources of
difficulty
• Level of abstraction
• Complexity of the structure eg. Narrative harder than
description or recount
• Topics better suited to some age levels – 5 in slightly
simpler language as most likely to be used by younger
students (the recounts and 3 describes)
• Can use more than one prompt to cater for and
engage students, but probably wise to do so at
different times
Other prompts
Choosing a prompt
• The prompt specific exemplars can provide a good
indication of suitability.
Example: Lowest level prompt specific exemplars
Recount – Whānau and family
Narrative – The bush
Creating a writing assessment
Step One – Choose a Purpose
Step Two – Choose a Prompt
Step Three – Create Test
Test creation
Once a prompt has been chosen the prompt pack is created.
It includes:
• Admin instructions
• Student booklet
• Glossary
• Rubric
• Annotated exemplars
• NOTE: Generic exemplars need to be downloaded
separately.
Test assignment
• The test must be created prior to the students writing
their scripts.
• Don’t forget to assign tests to students – element scores
cannot be entered or results generated until this is done.
The scoring rubric – What are R’s
• The progressions for each element within the scoring
rubric is by category - not curriculum level
• R means Rubric
• Do not use the rubric in isolation for marking – use it in
conjunction with the specific exemplars, the generic
exemplars and the Structure and language notes.
The scoring rubric – by category
• Using student samples and the literacy learning
progressions, the rubric has been able to capture stages of
skill development in writing.
• A little like children’s art?
The scoring rubric – like categorising children’s art
Random scribble
Symbolism
Controlled scribble
Realism
Pre symbolism
3 dimensional space
R3 is not Curriculum Level 3 and R3 ≠ R3
Curriculum
Level
1
2
Ideas
R1
Structure &
Language
Organisation
Vocabulary
Sentence
Structure
Punctuation
Spelling
R2
R1
R1
3
R3
R1
R4
R1 R2
***
R6
R5
R6
R6
R4
R3
6
R5
R5
R3
R3
5
R4
R3
R2
R2
R4
R3
R2
R1
R1
R3
R2
R2
4
R5
R4
R5
R4
R5
R4
Representative diagram only
R7
R5
R6
R6
R6
R6
R7
The scoring rubric – the layout
The focus
Definition
Category
Descriptor
Notes
Generic
exemplars –
for this
element only
The scoring rubric – Have a read
• Your turn – please spend time becoming familiar with the
scoring rubric, using the glossary and definitions as
reference material.
• Try and identify the step up between R scores. You might
want to look what this looks like by looking at the generic
exemplars.
Marking a script – What you need
2
4
1
Only for supporting
the marking of S and L
Make direct comparative
judgements.
Reference Tool
Not sure? Use the
Generic Exemplars
5
3
Marking a script – Considerations
• Age is irrelevant! It’s the quality of writing that counts.
• Mark the script in front of you, not what you know about the
student who wrote it.
• You can only use the evidence in front of you. e.g. If technical
words are not there, there is a limit to how far you can score in
spelling.
• There is no scoring rubric for neatness of handwriting!
• Beware of ‘proximal marking’. i.e. Mark each element
independently and separately from the other elements.
• It is possible to be at R6 for spelling and R2 for punctuation.
Marking a script – Suggested process
1. Read the text right through
2. Go to one of the seven elements and read
the descriptors and notes. Get a feel for
which category it may fit.
3. Check against the prompt specific
exemplars for comparative qualities.
4. Still not sure? – use the relevant generic
exemplars as another check.
Marking a script – Have a go
• The script being given to you has an
accompanying annotated exemplar.
• Have a go at marking it and then we will
discuss your experiences of marking this
script (i.e. which areas were easy/hard etc.)
• We will then compare to the annotated
scores.
Splashing in the waves – How close were we?
Element
Ideas
Structure
and Lang.
Organisation
Vocabulary
Sentence
Structure
Punctuation
Spelling
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
R7
Have another go – same prompt, different
sample!
Depressing Dogs
• Have a go at marking and try and come to agreement over
scores for each element with a partner.
• Remember to use the rubric, structure and language
notes, generic exemplars and specific exemplars to help
with your decisions
Depressing Dogs - How did we go this time?
Element
Ideas
Structure
and Lang.
Organisation
Vocabulary
Sentence
Structure
Punctuation
Spelling
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
R7
Third Script – Your choice
• Choose one of the recount or narrative scripts and mark
by yourself or with a partner.
• Once complete we will get into ‘script groups’ and analyse
the scores and debate.
Don’t forget to use
• The correct specific exemplars
• the group scoring grid.
Entering the data into e-asTTle
Check these things. Have you:
1. Assigned the test to the students?
2. Changed the date to represent when the actual samples
were written rather than the date of data entry?
3. Put the attitude and seven element scores into e-asTTle?
4. Clicked ‘Save’ after each student
If yes to all the above then the reports are ready to view!
Viewing reports
Viewing reports – Interpreting the Overall Score
• The curriculum levels reported for e-asTTle Writing are based on a
standard-setting exercise. This was undertaken to link performance
on an e-asTTle assessment with the descriptions of writing
competence provided in the Literacy Learning Progressions.
• A curriculum level of 4A for example means that
“given 40 minutes to write to a particular prompt under test conditions,
the student has produced a text of sufficient quality to indicate they
have the writing skills and competencies described as appropriate for
students working at an advanced stage for Level 4 of the curriculum.”
Viewing reports – Interpreting the Overall Score
• The e-asTTle curriculum level attempts to identify the student’s
performance in the context of an e-asTTle writing assessment.
• A student who has been assessed by e-asTTle Writing at a
particular curriculum level will not necessarily have produced a
piece of writing that is of the same standard as a National
Standards illustration.
Viewing reports – Taking imprecision into account
• No educational assessment is perfectly precise.
• e-asTTle Writing provides a margin of error by presenting scale
scores within a “plus or minus” range, for instance 1250 ± 40.
• If the student was to repeat the assessment we could expect
him/her to score somewhere between 1210 and 1290 scale units
about 70% of the time.
• Imprecision also needs to be taken into account when considering
the curriculum level descriptor. A student who scores 4A is
probably somewhere in the range 4P to 5B.
Viewing Individual Reports
Viewing reports
Viewing reports – R3 does not equal R3 or Level 3!
Element
R
score
Overall score
Explain - Caring for
Planet Earth
Narrate - I heard
a whisper
Recount – Time
with friends
2A
3B
2A
Ideas
R3
2A
3B
2A
Structure and
Lang.
R3
3B
3P
3B
Organisation
R3
2A
2A
2P
Vocabulary
R3
2A
3B
2A
Sentence
Structure
R3
3B
3P
3B
Punctuation
R3
2P
2A
2P
Spelling
R3
2P
2A
2P
Viewing reports – Individual Elements
• In the revised e-asTTle writing each element has only 6 or 7
scoring categories. Moving from say a R2 to a R3 will involve a
large shift in the associated curriculum sublevel.
• It is wise not to treat the element curriculum scores as precise
measures.
• It is best for teachers to look at the rubric scores given for each
element when discussing a report with students.
R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
1B 1P 1A 2B 2P 2A 3B 3P 3A 4B 4P 4A 5B 5P 5A 6B 6P 6A
Use to improve teaching and learning
• This is an assessment tool.
• “The primary purpose of assessment is to improve
students’ learning and teachers’ teaching as both student
and teacher respond to the information that it provides.”
• Therefore we take the information from these samples to
identify areas for improvement and deliberate teaching to
support the student in his/her learning.
Use to improve teaching and learning
• Suggestion – use the curriculum level scores to indicate
needs and areas for future teaching because R scores by
themselves will be misleading.
i.e. R3 in Organisation does not necessarily = R3 in Spelling
• Go back to the rubric to identify the progression needed.
Use documents such as the literacy learning progressions
to support you in the teaching of this element.
Example: Sentence structure R3 – 2A - Gap
You could use the rubric and exemplars at R3 and R4 to assist in
identifying next steps for this element.
Viewing reports – showing progress
What now for you and your school?
• Is this a tool that can add to the improvement in teaching
and assessment of writing in your school?
• Is it useable and manageable?
• How might you use it?
• When?
• How?
Evaluation
• Please spend a minute or two reflecting on this seminar
and how it has helped you come to terms with the revised
writing tool.
• Your feedback helps us to evaluate our own performance
and provides us with information on how to improve the
experience for others in the future.
• Thank you
Other prompts
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Home
Appendix One - The scoring rubric – Notes
• These are not requirements – for example, in Punctuation
there are notes for ‘Other punctuation’ at R2 and R3.
‘Other punctuation’ is not required in the descriptor until
R4.
• The intention of the notes is to describe ‘what else’ you
might see in scripts.
Appendix Two – Structure & Language notes
• These notes are prompt specific i.e. The notes vary
depending on which purpose is being written
• Check carefully that these notes relate to the prompt/s
being used.
• For example the prompts Adult and child, Girl, The
Market, Stick Insect, and Dogs at the beach use the same
structure and language notes
Appendix Three: The exemplars
• There are 76 exemplars in total
• There is one set of generic exemplars as well as specific
exemplars for each prompt
• The exemplars are not exemplary items. They represent
actual samples of student writing
• The annotated exemplars provide excellent comparative
reference points
Appendix Three cont.: The specific exemplars
• These are generated when creating a prompt pack in easTTle.
• They directly relate to the prompt you have chosen.
• The show a range of scores for the prompt you are using.
• DIRECT comparisons can be made
• Use these before going to the generic exemplars.
Appendix Three cont.: The generic exemplars
• They are referenced at the bottom of the marking rubrics.
• They do not necessarily directly relate to the prompt you
are using.
• Use these for further reference if the specific exemplars
have not enabled a definitive decision.
Tool overview
Scope
Prompts & Purpose
Assessment
Creating an
assessment
What
Considerations
How
Making own prompt?
The scoring
rubric
What are R’s
By category
Generic exemplars
Notes
Specific exemplars
Rubric
Exemplars
Other prompts
Reporting
Prompt pack
R3 is not L3!
Administration
Have a read
Scoring sheets
What you need
Splashing in the Waves
Considerations
Depressing Dogs
Suggested process
Third time lucky
Have a go
Entering the
data
Overview
The layout
Choosing a prompt
Marking a script
The exemplars
Struc & Lang. notes
Viewing reports
Teaching and
Learning
Interpreting Overall
An assessment tool
Score
Suggestion for analysis
Imprecision
Individual Elements
R3 does not equal R3
The table
The ILP
Progress Reports