The average writing score of Christ Church School students is 90%. The writing assessment requires students to produce three essays within established guidelines and specific parameters and is administered three times during the school year - in the fall, winter and spring. Portfolios that include student essays and rubric scores are kept for each student throughout their time at CCS. Each student receives a writing folder upon entrance to the School. Emergent writing samples and anecedotal entries are kept for preprimary students.
Elementary students are given one writing topic and asked to produce a written response. Students are given 45 minutes to read the prompts independently, plan their responses, and write their responses. Students may plan out their writing utilizing the skills taught (e.g., outlining, clustering, mapping, and jotting down ideas).
The student responses are scored utilizing a 20 point scoring rubric that evaluates a piece of writing in five areas. The teacher evaluates student expository and narrative work for topic development, organization, sentence formation, clarification and conventions and skills. In this type of scoring, readers make a judgment about the entire response and do not focus on any one aspect of writing.
Topic development
This refers to the quality of details used to explain, clarify, or define. The quality of support depends on word choice, specificity, depth, and thoroughness. Papers representing the higher end of the point scale provide examples and illustrations in which the relationship between the supporting ideas and the topic is clear.
Organization
This refers to the structure or plan of development (beginning, middle, and end) and whether the points logically relate to one another. Organization also refers to the use of transitional devices and the evidence of a connection between sentences. Papers representing the higher end of the point scale use transitions to signal the plan of development or text structure and end with summary or concluding statements.
Sentence formation
This includes spacing, word order, complete thought and use of proper tense. In the same way it considers compound and complex sentence. Use of similes, metaphors and analogies are sought. Papers representing the higher end of the point scale show sentence formation that includes the above.
Clarification
This refers to how clearly the paper presents and maintains a main idea, theme, or unifying point. Papers representing the higher end of the point scale demonstrate a consistent awareness of the topic and do not contain extraneous information.
Conventions and Skills
This refers to punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and variation in sentence structure. Papers representing the higher end of the point scale follow, with few exceptions, the conventions of punctuation, capitalization, and spelling and use a variety of sentence structures to present ideas.
