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Writing Assessment Linked to

Accommodations and Instruction

Windy Clark, Ed.D.

Region 4 ESC Dyslexia Consultant

Today’s Goals

1. Understand the need for data-driven decisions on individualized accommodations and instructional strategies

2. Analyze the difficulties in the 5 major components of written language using case studies

3. Examine a framework to guide decisions for selecting accommodations and instructional strategies

4. Develop learning plans for the 5 major components of written language that will positively impact student achievement

•Academic Skills

•Neurodevelopmental Functions

Analyzing Writing Samples

Academic Skills and Neurodevelopmental Functions

Academic Skills

Neurodevelopmental Functions

Linkages

Pohlman, 2008

Spencer – Fourth Grader

Writing Sample

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Academic Skills and Neurodevelopmental Functions

Academic Skills Handwriting, Spelling, Usage, Vocabulary,

Text Structure

Neurodevelopmental Functions

Motor Skills, Fluid Reasoning, Intelligence, Attention, Executive Functioning, Memory,

Auditory/Visual Spatial Processing

Linkages

Pohlman, 2008

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•Writing Demands

• Current Trends in Writing

Need for Data-Driven Decisions

Writing Demands

•Children spend nearly 60% of the school day engaged in the process of written expression. •Deficits in writing have an impact on many academic tasks:

•Copying directions •Taking notes •Composing a story •Answering open-ended questions •Completing a worksheet

Feifer, 2013

Current Trends in Writing

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) commissioned the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2011:

• 52,000 students (Grades: 8th, 12th)

• Proficient – 24% • Basic or below – 53% • Females scored higher – 17 pts

Feifer, 2013

National Impact

• American College Testing (ACT, 2005) report: one-third of students do not meet basic readiness standards •US corporations spend $3.1 billion annually to remediate employee writing skills • State governments spend $221 million

Feifer, 2013

The Need for Data-Driven Decisions on Accommodations

•Qualitative judgments •Lack of goals for using accommodations •Similar accommodations to all students • Implementation constraints affected decisions

Crawford & Ketterlin-Geller (2010)

Effective Teachers

• Analyze a student’s strengths and weaknesses in writing • Develop specific learning plans linked to assessment

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

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•Accommodations

• Compensation

• Intervention

Learning Plans

Clarifying Terms

Intervention

•Correcting or eliminating a problem to reach a desired objective

Compensation

•Reaching an objective by other means within your capabilities

Accommodation

•Changing the “how” of learning to work around the disability

Sanders, M., 2001

•Direct/Explicit Instruction •Multisensory Instruction

•Memorization of words •Only use familiar words •Rely on strong oral language skills

•Word Processor •Extended Time •Spelling Dictionary

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Which One Do You Choose?

Intervention

Compensation

Accommodation

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Case Study

Intervention Explicit multisensory

handwriting instruction

Compensation Development of

keyboarding skills

Accommodation Computer Processor Extra Time on tests

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Determining the Amount of Support

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• Zone of Proximal Development • Students working in their instructional level • Good instruction cannot be too easy or hard

•Instructional Scaffolding

• Determine difficulties/barriers • Select strategies to overcome anticipated problem • As students grow, withdraw supports

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

• 5 Major Components

•Analyze Writing Pieces

Assessment of Writing

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Major Components of Written Language

Handwriting

Spelling

Vocabulary

Text Structure

Usage Handwriting

Dan, Grade 4 I am Dan. Dear whomever would be concerned. We at Canyon View think we need help and supplies so if you could help that would be great. Thank you

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Handwriting

Letter Formation

Slant

Size and Proportion

Spacing

Alignment Line

Quality

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Letter Formation

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

•Is handwriting legible? •Are all letters formed correctly? •Are any letters reversed?

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Slant

•Is the slant appropriate? • Is the slant consistent?

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Size and Proportion

•Is the size of upper/lower case letters correct? •Is the letter size consistent?

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Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Alignment

•Are the letters aligned correctly? • Are the words aligned horizontally and vertically?

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Spacing

•Is the spacing between letters and words correct? •Is the spacing between letters and word consistent?

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Line Quality

•Is the line quality correct? •Is the line quality consistent?

Case Study Darrell, Grade 4 Social Studies Essay

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Spelling

June, Grade 6 On Saturday my friend came with me and my mother to buy me some shoes. We looked and looked and looked until we found some beautiful orange boots. My friend said they matched my jacket but my mother thought they were too expensive.

Spelling

• Accurately sequence phonemes Phonology

• Recall letter patterns and sight words Orthography

• Vocabulary

• Use of homophones Semantics

• Apply morphological knowledge Morphology

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

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Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

• Do most of the misspellings include the sounds in the words?

• Is there knowledge of sound-symbol correspondence?

Phonology

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Orthography

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

• Are common sight words spelled correctly?

• Are words spelled consistently, even if incorrect?

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

• Are homophones spelled correctly?

Semantics

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

• Are there morphological errors?

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Morphology

Case Study Darrell, Grade 4 Social Studies Essay

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Usage Brian, Grade 4 I was asleep then my mom gets my brother and he shouts at me wake up I walked up I took a bath I was lazy as a slug I dressed up. And we were having a big test today then we got in my dad’s car it was shiny as glitter so when we got there we ate a snack then everyone was nervous even me so we took it and I did a really good job then the ms. proud of me then she said do social studies so I was working on it then somebody checked if for me and I got a good grade on it then it was time to go to lunch…

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Usage

Capitalization Punctuation

Syntax

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Capitalization

• Are uppercase letters used correctly?

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Punctuation

•Is appropriate punctuation (period, question mark, exclamation point, comma) used consistently and correctly?

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Syntax

• Are uppercase letters used correctly?

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

• Are articles used correctly? • Are there a variety of sentence patterns? • Is there consistency with verb tense? • What other errors are there in usage?

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Case Study Darrell, Grade 4 Social Studies Essay

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Vocabulary

Grace, Grade 6 My friend is always saying that I did a great job and it means a lot to me. Sometimes I know when she is saying the truth. Although sometimes she just says it to make me feel better. So far she is doing a great job at it.

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Vocabulary

Descriptive Appropriate

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Descriptive

• Do the words add depth to the writing? • Is there use of figurative language? • Do the words add interest?

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Appropriate

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

• Are the words age appropriate? • Are the words at the same level of oral language? • Are multisyllabic words used (if grade appropriate)?

Case Study Darrell, Grade 4 Social Studies Essay

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Text Structure

Eduard, Grade 4 Yes, mom said it’s getting cold. So that means it’s getting winter. I love winter because in the word winter it has win in it. And because you get to have hot cocoa it snows will probably have snowball fight. Snowball fights are so fun, you get to hide and jump up and surprise everybody. It’s getting cold in here isn’t it mom I ask. Yes she replied. I walked over to check the thermometer and it was below 2 degrees! I went to my closet as fast as I could and put on gloves, a coat, a beanie, and a pair of boots. I ran to the window to see if it was snowing…

Text Structure

Genre

• Narrative

• Expository

Coherence/Cohesion

• Text Coherence

• Word Cohesion

• Sentence Cohesion

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

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Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Genre

• Is story grammar followed for a narrative text? • Is the organization structure appropriate for an expository text?

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

Case Study Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

I get up. And get dress. I eat breakfast. I brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I fix my lunch. I fill my water bottle. I put my stuff in my bag. I put my earrings in my ears said bye to my family and I go to the bus stop. I wait and wait and wait and wait. I go on the bus and I’m at school.

• Are cohesive ties used? • Are the ideas sequentially appropriate? • Is the writing organized? • Is the topic maintained throughout the text?

Coherence and Cohesion

Case Study: Learning Plan Emily, Grade 5 Sequential Paragraph

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

•Practice with letters that require a bridge when joined (b, o, v, w) •Review correct letter formation below the line (y, g) •Remind Emily to leave a space after sentences. •Individualized spelling list •Use of dictionary •Elkonin boxes – match letters to sounds •Build words with plastic letters , scramble, and build from memory •Teach how to pronounce words slowly and sequence letters in order •Use CBM to monitor correct letter sequences •Teach a variety of sentence patterns and encourage different sentence starters •Instruction in verb tense throughout a paragraph •Daily writing •Modified cloze procedure to expand sentences •Teach how to write a topic sentence and simple cohesive ties •Teach different ways to expand on topic sentence to maintain topic

Case Study Darrell, Grade 4 Social Studies Essay

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Case Study: Learning Plan Darrell, Grade 4 Social Studies Essay

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Discuss recommendations for Darrell’s Learning Plan.

• Student Profiles

•Accommodations

• Instruction

Individualized Learning Plan

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Student Profiles

Assets Weaknesses

Linking Handwriting Data to Accommodations and Instruction

Handwriting Accommodations •Pencil grip •Tape paper down/use a clipboard •Raised lines for proper spacing •Paper slant reminders •Uppercase and lowercase alphabet strip •Template of heading •Do not penalize for neatness or spelling •Word processor •Speech-to-Text software •Word Prediction software •Extra time •Reduce board copying/note-taking •Break writing into stages •Use of primary paper with a middle line •Choice of manuscript or cursive •Handwriting apps

Handwriting Instruction •Occupational therapy •Cutting, tracing, coloring, copying •Instruction in pencil grasp, posture, paper positioning •Multisensory handwriting approach •Direct instruction in letter formations •Dotted representations •Sequential groupings of letters •Daily timed writings •Self-evaluation checklist •Opportunities to practice •Teacher modeling of correct handwriting

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Linking Handwriting Data to Accommodations and Instruction

Linking Spelling Data to Accommodations and Instruction

Spelling Accommodations •Rubric for qualitative evaluation of errors •Personalized Spelling Dictionary/Dictionary •Word processor: Spell Check •Grade written work on content •Speech-to-Text software •Text-to-Speech software •Provide proofreading assistance •Frequently misspelled word list •Pocket spellchecker •Word-prediction software

Spelling Instruction •Direct, systematic instruction •Teach spelling patterns in order of frequency •Provide instruction in basic spelling rules •Practice spelling in writing •Teach word structure, origin, and meaning •Individualized spelling lists •Irregular words list •Spelling Flow Chart •Segmentation with colored chips •Elkonin Boxes •Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping •Making words with alphabet letters •Word study strategies

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Linking Spelling Data to Accommodations and Instruction

0 = Not all sounds represented 1= All sounds marked, but 1-3 letters aren’t reasonable representations 2= All sounds marked with reasonable representations 3=The spelling is almost conventional 4=Correct spelling

c a t b ir d

f i sh h o p e

m oo n h e l p

f igh t sh i p

Linking Usage Data to Accommodations and Instruction

Usage Accommodations •Word processor •Thesaurus •Dictionary •Revising/Editing checklist •Editing symbols chart •Word-prediction software •Common rules chart •Writing process chart/checklist

Usage Instruction •Teach most common rules first •Provide time to apply to student writing •Use mentor texts for usage models •Teach capitalization/punctuation rules in order of frequency •Sentence guides •Sentence expansion charts •Teach editing strategies (COPS) •Peer conferences •Teacher conferences •Model revising and editing process

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

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Linking Usage Data to Accommodations and Instruction

Who? Did what? To whom?

Article Noun Verb Conjunction Article Noun Verb

Linking Vocabulary Data to Accommodations and Instruction

Vocabulary Accommodations •Dictionary •Thesaurus •Electronic text: animation cues •Software: word pronunciation/definition •Personalized vocabulary dictionary •Affix Chart

Vocabulary Instruction •Numerous exposures to words •Connections with similar word meanings •Opportunities for meaningful use of words •Classification •Cuing strategies •Morphology instruction •Structural analysis maps •Semantic feature analysis •Synonyms and antonyms

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Linking Vocabulary Data to Accommodations and Instruction

Prefix

Dis-

obey

respect

please

trust

Transportation Wheels Engine Speed Cost

Horses - - - -

Bicycle + - - -

Car + + + +

Linking Text Structure Data to Accommodations and Instruction

Text Structure Accommodations •Word processor •Check-list of self-monitoring questions •Graphic organizers •Examples of text structures •Mentor texts •Online Encyclopedia •Writing process reference

Text Structure Instruction •Direct, explicit instruction •Teach different text structures •Teach and model the writing process •Teach cohesive ties •Narrative Grammar •Story maps •Character description •Shared writing •KWL procedure •Graphic organizers •Teach outlines and prewriting strategies •Rubrics with performance standards

Mather, Wendling, & Roberts, 2009

Linking Text Structure Data to Accommodations and Instruction

1.

2.

3.

4.

Case Study

Analyze Writing Pieces

Determine Assets

Determine Weaknesses

Develop Learning Plan

Ben, Grade 1

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Case Study: Learning Plan Ben, Grade 1

Discuss recommendations for Ben’s Learning Plan.

1.

2.

References Berninger, V. & Wolf, B. (2009). Teaching Students with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia: Lessons from Teaching and Science. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Crawford, L., & Tindal, G. (2004). Effects of a read-aloud modification on a standardized reading test. Exceptionality, 12(2), 89-106. Feifer, S. (2013). The Neuropsychology of Written Language. Middletown, MD: School Neuropsych Press, LLC. Fletcher, J. M., Francis, D. J., Boudousquie, A., Copeland, K., Young, V., Kalinowski, S., Ovalley,Young, Copeland, Mehta, & Vaugn. (2006). Effects of accommodations on high-stakes testing for students with reading disabilities. Exceptional Children, 72,136–150. International Dyslexia Association. (2008). Dyslexia Basics Fact Sheet Mather, N., Wenddling, B., & Roberts, R. (2009). Writing Assessment and Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Pohlman, C. (2008). Revealing Minds: Assessing to Understand and Support Struggling Learners. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Rief, S. & Stern, J. (2010). The Dyslexia Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents and Teachers. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Pub. L. No. 93-112, 87 Stat. 394 (Sept. 26, 1973). Texas Education Agency. (Revised 2007, Updated 2010) The dyslexia handbook: Procedures concerning dyslexia and related disorders. Austin, Texas.