We aren't. The reason being, we don't feel a need to recreate the wheel. We both use the Developing Writer's Assessment (DWA) with our students. We love this assessment because it evaluates students in 11 skill areas, making it easy to analyze their writing strengths as well as weaknesses. Though it takes a bit of time to score student writing samples, we find the results to be completely worth the investment. We are able to make informed decisions based on our students needs, preparing for intentional instruction in whole group, small group, or individual conferring sessions. Individual results are placed on a continuum, making it easy to goal set with students, monitor progress, and share detailed and specific information with parents. It is these 11 skill areas that become the Writing Targets that you see on the wall of our classrooms.

Developing Writer's Assessment