Assessment in the Second Language Writing Classroom

Introduction

1 Introduction 1 Why This Book? Assessment in the Second Language Writing Classroom is a teacher-friendly and prospective teacher–friendly book, uncomplicated by the language of statistics . The book was written for those who teach and assess second language writing in several different contexts: the IEP, the developmental writing classroom, and the sheltered composition classroom. Teachers who experience a mixed population or teach cross-cultural composition will also find the book a valuable resource. Assessment is one of the most important of the many tasks for which teachers are responsible. Learning to do good, honest , and criteria-based assessment is crucial for all teachers, especially writing teachers. Although several books thoroughly cover the theoretical aspects of writing assessment (Huot, 2002; Weigle, 2002; White, 1998, 2007), none concentrate as heavily on the practical classroom aspects of writing assessment as this book does. Further, no book has as yet included an in-depth examination of the machine scoring of writing and its effects on second language writers. This book also reflects my interest in the assessment of second language (L2) writing, which began very early in my teaching career at a small community college in western Pennsylvania. It was then that I faced the stark realization of the consequences of assessment when, as a brand new (and powerless) adjunct, my students questioned me about why Introduction 2 they had been placed in the developmental English class I was teaching. I promised these students that I would find out why they had been placed in my class rather than in the for-credit class they thought they should be taking. When I was told that their placement was based on their scores on a multiple choice grammar test rather than actual writing, I attempted to dispute what I perceived an injustice with the powers that be. I quickly realized that I did not know enough about the placement and assessment system to function as an effective advocate for my students. From that point on, I became a selfappointed crusader for fairness in assessment in general and writing assessment in particular. I was inspired to write this book because I was moved by the plight of my students who were/are marginalized by assessment procedures and wanted to share my understanding of this increasingly complicated and politicized field. One thing I have learned is that it is very important to understand why we do what we do (Johnson, 1999). When we profoundly reflect on our practices, we often realize why we do what we do and how to change if change is warranted. We can and should improve our practices. Embedded in every chapter of this book is the notion of teacher reflection and improvement of pedagogy. I also wanted to write this book because I believe that many teachers are unprepared to systematically establish and use criteria to assess writing. Teachers are responsible for assessment as well as ethics in assessment and are certainly stakeholders in assessment (Hamp-Lyons, 2000). However, many seem unprepared to accept this responsibility, which is certainly troubling (Crusan, 2006). In my experience, many new teachers of writing are naïve about assessment, and I include myself. I remember how unprepared I was the first time I taught writing. My first assignment established no criteria by which I would fairly assess what my students had written. Worse yet, I was not sure where I might find help. I quickly realized that while I had my degree and understood different pedagogical approaches, I had little expertise in the teaching of writing and still less in writing assessment. My teacher preparation courses had failed me, especially the Assessment in the L2 Writing Classroom 3 testing and measurements course in which the professor had spent nearly the entire semester teaching us to write multiple choice questions. I remembered my feelings of helplessness and a little shame, and when I was given the responsibility of preparing teachers for the classroom, I vowed that they would not be as naïve, helpless, or ashamed as I had been. I believe that teachers need a strong historical and theoretical background in writing assessment and a familiarity with the seminal publications in the field. They need to know the politics involved in assessment, to be familiar with the purposes for writing assessment—admission, placement, in class, and exit. They should be comfortable with the tools of writing assessment (rubrics, scoring guides, criteria)—among...