Writing Assessment

This is the first year our state has required our fifth graders to be assessed on the three different types of writing: narrative, persuasion and informational. I am personally terrified on many different levels. First, getting them to sit still for over 120 minutes. They're not built for that. Not even Brown Bear is built for sitting still for over 2 hours. Second, just getting them to read the topic and understanding what is being asked and doing the pre-writing. That is key to a good essay. We've written and written and written and ..... some of them still don't get it. They think that pre-writing is looking in the air for their rough draft (which some of them will try to re-write in their best handwriting as their final copy.) Third. See parentheses. Fourth, bubbling. Our assistant principal is our testing coordinator. She wasn't at school today. I was going to do my bubbling (don't ask. If you have to ask, you're not a teacher.) this afternoon, but was informed that we couldn't until after the students finished the test. And I'll be where after the test? All together now... the beach!!!! And you wonder why I am short of breath?