Imagine this scenario: A story is written by an English Language Learner (ELL) or by a student with a learning disability. It is a well-constructed, moving story that paints a vivid picture with its choice of descriptive words. However, the grammar and spelling errors make it very difficult to read. When only a letter grade is given for the paper, and points are deducted for spelling and grammar errors, the student will end up with a failing grade for writing. The grade, then, is not assessing the student’s talent as a writer, but rather his/her knowledge of English grammar and spelling rules.
The 6-Traits of Writing Assessment, developed by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, is an analytic scoring guide (rubric) that provides separate scores for six different aspects (traits) of the writing:
The benefits of having separate scores are:
- The student is able to get credit for his/her strengths.
- The separate scores provide more valid information about the students’ strengths and weaknesses in writing (i.e. Strong in Content and Word Choice, needs to work on Organization…).
- The rubrics (one for each of the 6 traits) are empowering for the students as they learn to assess their own writing using the rubrics – and thus learn how to have more control over their writing scores.
- When reading literature, students begin to notice word choice, sentence fluency, voice, etc. (Picture Books become a way of teaching writing with a focus on one trait at a time).
To evaluate the quality of one of the 6 traits in a piece of writing (perhaps your own story for purposes of revision), read the piece with only one trait in mind – don’t think about any of the other traits. While reading, think about how well the writing fits the description in the box below for the trait you are considering. (Source for below: Juneau School District, Juneau, AK, 2000.)
IDEAS and CONTENT
- Interesting
- Well-focused
- Clear
- Detailed, complete, rich
- Precise information
ORGANIZATION
- Good introduction
- Good placement of details
- Strong transitions
- Smooth, easy pace
- Reader doesn’t have to think about organization
- Strong conclusion
- Starts somewhere (clear beginning, middle, and end)
- Builds in tension, creates interest
WORD CHOICE
- Precise language
- Strong verbs
- Specific, concrete nouns
- Natural
- Words used in new way
- Strong imagery
VOICE
- Individual
- Honest
- Natural
- Expressive
- Unusual, unexpected
- Appealing
- Written to be read and enjoyed
SENTENCE FLUENCY
- Fluid
- Easy to read aloud
- Interesting word patterns
- Musical, poetic in sound
- Good phrasing
- Varied sentence structure
- Varied sentence beginning
- Fragments used well
CONVENTIONS
- Correct spelling
- Punctuation works with sentence structure
- Some sophisticated punctuation attempted
- Correct grammar
- Paragraphing enhances organization
PRESENTATION
- Attention to details (i.e. dotted i’s, crossed t’s)
- Effective title
- Good margins
- Paragraphs indented
- Neatest handwriting or typed
- Easy to read
