Assessment Tool

Running head: ASSESSMENT TOOL

Assessment Tool
Michael A. DePolis
Grand Canyon University: TSL 540
April 24, 2013

Assessment Tool

Assessment Tool

Stage 2 of the Understanding by Design (UbD) matrix will be aligning assessments to the
stated goals and understandings of the lesson. For the expository writing; Traits of Good Writing
lesson from Module 6, enduring understandings will be assessed through the authentic
performance task of a Gallery Walk for students and parents to attend. This task, along with an
open ended short answer quiz, will provide valid assessment of the six traits of good writing. The
final published writing will be scored against an analytic rubric which will provide a score for each
trait. The rubric will align to each essential understanding, and a second rubric will provide insight
into the six facets of understanding (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).
The Gallery Walk will be a chance for the students to share as published authors their
illustrated stories. This real world assessment will allow for essential understandings to be
revealed.
Diagnostic assessment will come first in the form of a pretest, and ongoing formative
assessment will provide comprehension checks throughout the writing process, including selfassessment and peer review. Summative assessment will be the performance task of talking about
their published writing in the Gallery Walk, final papers scored against the analytic rubric, the six
facets of understanding rubric, and the open ended short answer quiz, to evaluate the knowledge
and skills needed for successful completion of the final published writings.
Alignment of Assessment with Understandings
1. Overarching Essential Understanding 1: Good writers use ideas from their lives and the
lives of others to make their topic truly memorable. Topical Essential Understanding 1:
Students can use their experiences to make good writing.
Assessment: Students will provide a short answer regarding generation of ideas for
writing from their personal experiences. Students will receive a rubric score on ideas on
final writing.
2. Overarching Essential Understanding 2: Good writers organize their writing in a way
that makes it easy to read. Topical Essential Understanding 2: I can learn to organize
my writing to make it understandable.

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Assessment: Students will provide a short answer about good ways to organize their
writing, based on practiced knowledge and skills. Students will receive a rubric score on
organization on final writing.
3. Overarching Essential Understanding 3: Good writers write in a voice that is unique to
the writer. Topical Essential Understanding 3: Students can find their voice in their
writing.
Assessment: Students will provide a short answer about how they can write in their own
voice. Students will receive a rubric score on voice on final writing.
4. Overarching Essential Understanding 4: Good writers use a variety of interesting
words. Topical Essential Understanding 4: I can use a variety of interesting words in my
writing to make it better.
Assessment: Students will provide a short answer about how they can choose interesting
and informative words. Students will receive a rubric score on word choice on final
writing.
5. Overarching Essential Understanding 5: Good writers make interesting sentences
which flow smoothly. Topical Essential Understanding 5: I can make my writing better
by making fluent sentences.
Assessment: Students will provide a short answer about how they can make their
sentences flow smoothly. Students will receive a rubric score on sentence fluency on
final writing.
6. Overarching Essential Understanding 6: Good writers avoid distracting mistakes.
Topical Essential Understanding: I can make my writing mistake free so that it is not
distracting, and more enjoyable.
Assessment: Students will provide a short answer on how they will find and correct all
mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Students will receive a rubric score on
conventions on final writing.
All students will receive scores on a rubric of the six facets of understanding,
holistically for each facet.

Short Answer Quiz of Knowledge and Skills (Writing Traits)

1. I can come up with ideas for my writing by
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

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2. I can organize my writing well by

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. I can add my own voice to my writing by
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. I can choose good words for my writing by
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. I can make my sentences flow smoothly by
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6. I can correct all of the mistakes in my writing by
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Analytic Rubric for Gallery Walk Expository Writing
The Importance of Friends
Ideas

6 The ideas

5 The essay 4 The

3 The ideas 2 The

1 The ideas

with details

has clear

ideas have

are unclear. focus of

are unclear

make the

ideas and

a clear

More

ideas

or off-topic.

essay hold

supporting

focus.

supporting

needs to

the readers

details.

More

details are

be

supporting

needed.

narrower

attention.

details are

or broader.

needed.

There are
not
enough
supporting

5 The essay 4 The

details.
3 The ideas 2 The

1 Poor

is well

has a clear

essay has

should be

essay runs

organization

organized

beginning,

some

separated

together.

makes the

Organization 6 The essay

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Voice

and

middle, and

transitions, into

pleasurable

ending, and

and a

paragraphs, need to

to read.

transition

beginning,

with more

separate

words are

middle,

transitions.

ideas.

used.

and

6 The

5 The

ending.
4 The

3 The

2 The

1 The

writers

writers

writers

writers

writers

writers

voice comes voice is

voice

voice is

voice is

voice is not

through

confident

comes

somewhat

unclear

evident.

with

and

through

unclear.

and is not

enthusiasm

matches the most of

aware of

and

audience.

the time.

the

5 Specific

4 Some

3 Too

audience.
2 Poor

1 The writer

Interesting,

words help

interesting

many

word

needs

informative,

to make the word

common

choice

strategies to

and varied

writing

choices

words are

makes the

find

words are

interesting.

are made,

chosen.

essay

interesting

but more

difficult to

words.

variety is

read and

confidence.
Word Choice 6

chosen.

Paragraphs essays ideas

confusing.

Sentence

6 The

needed.
5 The essay 4 The

Fluency

sentences

has

essay has

sentences

sentences

is difficult to

have a nice

sentences

sentences

should be

should be

read

flow which

which flow

which flow rewritten

rewritten

because the

enhances

smoothly.

smoothly

for a

to flow

sentences

the readers

The essay

most of

smoother

smoothly.

lack fluency.

experience

has a good

the time.

flow.

with the

sound

essay.

when read

6 All

orally.
5 Most

4 Some

3 Several

2 Many

1 A large

Conventions

3 Many

enjoy.
2 Most

1 The essay

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conventions

grammar,

errors are

errors are

errors

number of

are correct

spelling,

present

distracting

cause the

errors need

adding to

and

which do

to the

essay to be to be

enjoyment

punctuation not detract

reader.

confusing

of the essay. are correct

from the

and

making the

meaning of

difficult to

essay easy

the essay.

read.

corrected.

to read.
(Kemper, Sebranek, & Meyer, 2006).
Rubric for Six Facets of Understanding
Facet 1:

Facet 2:

Facet 3:

Facet 4:

Facet 5:

Facet 6:

Explanation

Interpretation

Application

Perspective

Empathy

Self-

2 The student

2 The student

2 The student

2 The student

2 The

knowledge
2 The student

is able to

shows

effectively

reveals

student

is reflective

accurately

meaningful

applies the six credible,

displays

and self-

justify and

insight of the

traits.

personal

empathy

adjusting

explain

writing process

perspective

openly for

with her own

understandings

using the six

of the writing

the

writing

of the six

traits.

process using

challenges

process and

the six traits.

facing other

the six traits.

1 The student

writing traits.
1 The student

1 The student

1 The student

1 The student

writers.
1 The

is not able to

does not show

does not

does not

student does

is not

justify or

meaningful

effectively

reveal

not display

reflective and

explain

insight.

apply the six

credible,

empathy

self-

traits.

personal

openly.

adjusting.

understandings.

perspective.
(Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).
As I self-assess the Gallery Walk with the following two questions, I feel more confident with
my assessments, and the criteria chosen, as evidence of enduring understandings.

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1. Can a student do well on this performance task without really demonstrating the
understandings that I want?
2. Could a student do poorly on this performance task and still have significant
understandings?
I would answer no to these questions, especially considering the extended practice, rewriting,
and the short answer quiz of knowledge and skills. It is considered that this performance task of
the Gallery Walk will provide valid evidence of understandings. Reliability will need to be
demonstrated over time with similar groups of students (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).

References
Kemper, D., Sebranek, P. & Meyer, V. (2006). Write source: A book for writing, thinking, and
learning. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd ed.). Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development. Alexandria, Virginia USA.