ESL Student and Program Assessment

How do I assess (grade) student writing?

The short answer is primarily for meaning, and less for grammar and spelling. If the grammar and spelling errors are so pronounced and repeated that they impede the meaning, then they should have a greater weight in grading.

Provide students with a checklist and an example or other tangible understanding of what is expected in the writing assignment and how it will be graded before they begin.

Emphasize the lesson points that correspond with the writing assignment as having the most weight for the grade.

Try as much as possible to give specific feedback such as, “You use the past tense verbs well in this writing.” Don't just say, “Good job.”

Circle student errors in meaning and/or grammar and have the students fix their mistakes. Don't write in corrections on the paper for them unless they include sentence structures well beyond the student's current familiarity. Add questions related to writing that needs clarification in the margins. For example, how does this detail relate to the topic sentence? How is this (topic sentence idea) true? What are some examples?

How do I respond to student writing that has A LOT of errors?

Always find something positive to say or to agree with the writer, in addition to constructive feedback.

Circle mistakes on student papers, and have the student correct them. Don't correct them for them. Focus primarily on the writing and/or grammar point being taught when circling mistakes, especially if there is an excessive amount of mistakes. Don't circle everything.

Try to get this student reading more. Seeing and reading the structure of the English language more translates into better writing. Assign a book (preferably about something of interest to the student) for him/her to read and keep a journal about. As he/she finishes a chapter, have him/her copy 5-8 sentences in one part of the chapter, cite the page, and then write 5-8 sentences about his/her response, opinion, etc about the passage.

Start with short, targeted writing assignments – lists, paragraphs – where the focus is on one (two at the most) grammar and meaning issue to express.