The Effects of Analytic Corrections and Revisions on College Composition Students in a Portfolio Assessment Setting.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of analytic corrections and revisions on college composition students working in a portfolio assessment setting. Subjects were 19 community college students enrolled in a transfer-level class in composition. Three of these students were from the English as a Second Language/immigrant/refugee population. Students were assigned in-class and at-home essays and mid-term and final portfolio assessments. Data were the in-class essay grades, the at-home essay grades, the final portfolio assessment, and a survey students completed at the end of the quarter. Seventeen of the 19 students passed the final portfolio evaluation and the class. Many students noted that the constant analytic grading helped them become better writers, but others wrote about their concerns in not understanding all of their errors, of finding some instructor inconsistency in grading, and of not liking the grading system. Results indicate that the analytic corrections helped students prepare for the mid-term and final evaluations by unknown instructors, even though some students did not understand the corrections fully. An attachment contains the student survey responses. (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. The Effects of Analytic Corrections and Revisions on College Composition Students in a Portfolio Assessment Setting Teresa Boyden-Knudsen PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY T. Boyden-Knudsen TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Of e of Educational Research and Improvement ED CATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. O Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. This paper is prepared for the: Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Seattle, WA April 2001 2 Iss) EST COPY AVAILABLE The Effects of Analytic Correction and Revision on Student College Compositions Analytic Corrections 1 Teresa Knudsen Spokane Community College 1810 N. Greene St. Spokane, WA 99217 The Effects of Analytic Corrections and Revisions on College Composition Students in a Portfolio Assessment Setting Ob’ective The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of analytic corrections and revisions on college composition students working in a portfolio assessment setting. Theoretical Framework Current researchers in writing assessment have explored the use of the holistic grading method versus the analytic method to assess student essays. Some researchers report that the analytic method, which notes every error, can be discouraging to students and time-consuming for teachers (Hairston, 1986; Larson, 1986; Madsen, 1983). Other researchers are concerned that the holistic scoring method presents its own set of difficulties (Hout, 1996). Haswell and Wyche-Smith (1994) discuss evidence that holistic grading can be harsher in placing students than analytic methods. White (1990) concludes that holistic scoring should not be the only measure of writing. Murray (1968) offers writing teachers a range of advice, from not correcting every error so that students are not overwhelmed, to correcting every error so that students are not careless. In addition, researchers are exploring the use of portfolio assessment of student writing. Using holistic scoring, some instructors may fail a student’s portfolio because of lack of grammatical and semantic control, lack of thoughtful development, and lack of sufficient detail (Roemer, 1991). Haswell and Wyche-Smith (1994) are concerned that holistic scoring is productcentered, comparing a student’s writing to an ideal performance outlined in a rubric. White (1990) makes the point that holistic scoring is a blending of norm-referenced and criterionreferenced testing, both ranking student essays and using a rubric for criteria. In order to explore the above research findings and concerns, the analytic scoring method was used by an instructor in a community college just beginning a new portfolio assessment project. The instructor selected the analytic method, along with a scoring rubric, as a way to quickly adjust the students to the high expectations of the portfolio committee. The focus was on organization, development, and mechanics. Method Subjects. The subjects were nineteen community college students enrolled in English 101, a transfer-level class in writing college-level compositions. Three of the students were from the ESL immigrant/refugee population: one from South America, and the other two from Ukraine. They all had the shared goal of wanting to pass English 101 in one quarter. Procedure. At the beginning of the quarter, the students were given a grade sheet which outlined the number of essays due and grading procedures for the quarter. The instructor then reviewed the difference between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced testing and grading, and explained that the grading would follow criterion-referenced testing. In addition, the students received a sample scoring rubric and an analytic error inventory which would be used to grade their essays. Finally, the students were informed that they were part of a department-wide experiment in portfolio assessment being piloted that quarter. All English 101 students were to read H.G. Wells’ novel The Time Machine, which would form the basis for their mid-term and final portfolio assessment. This portfolio would be graded by other instructors in the English Department.