Our Story
Writing is a life skill that is quickly being replaced with text jargon and poorly constructed thoughts.
Nineteen years ago, Lisa Collum was frustrated by this reality while working as a teacher in a Title I school. She became frustrated watching countless students fail or struggle with writing, and their scores on standardized tests indicated a path that needed corrective action. There was no curriculum available to help teachers focus on real writing skills and to help students develop this critical life skill.
Lisa took this challenge as her own. She studied the common areas where students struggled and developed a curriculum to support students and teachers alike. In less than a year, she turned her entire class around from nearly failing to achieve a 100% pass rate. This is where Top Score Writing was born.
With such impactful results, word quickly spread the power of Lisa’s curriculum. Top Score Writing has since grown to include full teacher curriculums for 2nd through 12th grade, and now includes student workbooks, a digital curriculum, animated lessons, PowerPoint lessons, scoring, and professional development training.
Today, Top Score Writing remains the only proven system that makes teaching writing easier, helps students learn more effectively, and is proven to achieve a 70% increase in writing test scores, on average.
Top Score Writing is building the future writers of tomorrow and impacting the lives of every student who earns this foundation after completing the curriculum successfully.



















How it all began...
Top Score Writing author Lisa Collum

What Teachers Are Saying
Here’s what they love about Top Score Writing!
As principal of a Title I school, I can say this is the best program we have in our building. It is so simple and easy for teachers to follow. They have everything they need for daily lessons and all of the resources are included in the teacher kits.
My teachers have the tools they need to feel confident in their teaching. Our ELA scores continue to soar because of this program. Highly effective!

Annemarie Dilbert
My students have used Top Score for years. It is great to see their faces light up when they finally "get it"! I remember one student who struggled with expressing herself but with the structure of the program, she was able to write with confidence.
The program covers it all!

Christina Daigie Spita
Top Score is the BEST writing program around! My kids love the animated lessons and having everything you need to teach writing in one place is what every teacher needs!
I've had the most success with this program and wouldn't use anything else!

Jennifer Marie
Top Score is the best writing program to use for students who have to take the Florida Standards Assessment. The lessons go step by step to help the children learn the proper format. The script is all there for teachers to use.
The emails with videos and support are super helpful to teachers. I highly recommend using this program, not just for FSA but also to help the kids learn to write a cohesive essay!

Angela P.
My students and I love this program!! I'm a 4th grade teacher and my students are writing great pieces. This program has helped my students understand what an opinion and informative essay is. I am completely grateful and so appreciative of this program because I feel that my students are enjoying writing and I can see how much they have progressed since the beginning of the year.
This is an excellent writing curriculum that will get any and every student to love writing!!!

Sasha L.
Easy teacher guides and lessons to follow, engaging student videos, a 5 paragraph essay using IRC, lots of prompts and passages to practice each type of essay, fun games to play to review skills learned and prepare for the state test, and so much more!!

Kim Amann
I have been using Top Score since 2016 and have had high success rates. I know I can contribute my writing scores to this curriculum. Top Score breaks down the writing process into manageable steps and it consistently repeats and reviews things they’ve learned in previous lessons. So if a student is struggling the first time around, you can count on it going back over that part again and again. Without a doubt, Top Score prepares students for state testing and helps them tremendously.

Katelyn Scarboro King
In my title one school- with a 4th grade class consisting of 12/19 Esol- ( English as a second language ) Of those 12 ESol students 5 passed with a 7 or 8. And the rest all scored above a 3 going from unscroreable at the beginning of school year That’s a huge success in my books!!

Erica Segal
This is my fourth year using the Top Score writing program in my 4th grade classroom. I love the program with the detailed lessons and materials. I have seen an improvement in my FSA writing scores since using the program and that is why I fight to get funds each year for my school to purchase it

Stephanie Jacobs Godfrey
I teach at a title 1 school. We've used Top Score for a few years now. Last year my students scored the highest Writing scores we've had. Most of my students scored an 8. My struggling writers even improved greatly in their scores. I'm excited to see how this year's group does. I'm already seeing great improvement (I have two classes of the struggling writers this year.)!

Megan Brookhart
Our writing scores has soared using Top Score!

Jane Davis
I love using top score with my ESE students. It breaks it down into manageable pieces and my students are doing much better with writing

Tina Shearon
I am a new teacher. Top-Score gives me a program of consistency and repetition which my students need and I don’t have to reinvent the wheel to prepare for class daily, because all materials I need are there! Top-Score gives my students the framework needed to become good writers. Although we continue to struggle with adding our own thoughts to quotes, it’s the tiny moments of victory, such as being able to create the 5 paragraph skeleton where all paragraphs are indented and start with a hook, proper transition phrases and a conclusion statement!

Fauna Bushong
Top score writing helps my students organize their writing using evidence from text passages and that is a HUGE win for our students!

Beth Mercurio Macaluso
I’ve used Top Score as a 2nd grade and now 3rd grade teacher. I love the material, lessons, examples, articles. I’m even using it to teach Writing in Spanish.

Barbara Allegro
I have taught fourth grade writing for over 5 years, and this will be my third year using Top Score Writing, Inc. I was thrilled when my school adopted Top Score as their writing curriculum. Students enjoyed the lessons, and I was impressed with how easily they followed the steps of the writing process. The first year I used Top Score, I had a 100% pass rate! I can’t describe how wonderful it felt to tell my entire class that they all passed the writing test we had been working so hard to prepare for all year. I am excited for more amazing results, and I am looking forward to sharing Top Score Writing with students this year. 4th grade teacher- Crabtree Elementary

Kelly Tuttle
Top Score is the most simple and effective program I have ever used! It is not only teacher friendly, but it teaches students writing in a simple way and all of the lessons build upon one another. My students are writing more than they ever had and they are enjoying writing. This is truly a one of a kind program. 4th grade teacher – Timber Trace Elementary

Terri Barnett
I have used the Top Score Writing program in my schools for over 10 years. As a principal I can tell you this program is comprehensive and effective. It gets results! I used this program in Title I schools as well as “A” rated schools and it works with all students. My teachers love it and the students are learning how to become effective writers. The simplicity of the program for teachers and students is what makes it unique. We love this program! Principal – The Weiss School

Tammy Ferguson
The best writing program I have ever used! I have been implementing the Top Score Writing program in various schools for over eight years. My current school is Title I and 94% of my students receive free and reduced lunch. We are seeing results and my teachers love it. This comprehensive program is easy to follow and includes everything the teachers need to teach writing and more! Principal – Pioneer Park Elementary

Pamela Buckman
As principal of a Title I school, I can say this is the best program we have in our building. It is so simple and easy for teachers to follow. They have everything they need for daily lessons and all of the resources are included in the teacher kits. My teachers have the tools they need to feel confident in their teaching. Our ELA scores continue to soar because of this program. Highly effective! Principal – Crosspointe Elementary

Annemarie Dilbert
I was so impressed with the improvement in my third graders writing using last year's Top Score Writing curriculum that I can't wait to see the changes in the revised program that is on its way to me now!

Barbara Pfeiffer
I teach fourth grade at Stanton Weirsdale Elementary. We used Top Score Writing this past year, and it was fabulous! The program is well written and easy to follow. Students were able to understand and apply the strategies and skills presented throughout the program. I really liked the scaffolding that was used so that students were not overwhelmed at the beginning. We are having our training at SWES tomorrow, and I can't wait to see the updates Lisa has made to the program! Looking forward to another great year using Top Score Writing!

Karen Bennett Strong
I loved using Top Score last year! I think my students grew by leaps and bounds. Your beginning of the year training was excellent as well! My favorite part has been your email communication. You are very helpful throughout the entire school year, and provide great updates to teachers!

Jessica Lynn Harden
Loved your training! You're like an instant dose of "Let's do this!"

Threasa Devine
Amazing presentation today! Thank you!

Jamie Bevan
85%
Northboro Elementary
from 2018-2019
85% OF STUDENTS MAINTAINED OR
INCREASED WRITING SCORES
78%
In 2019
78% OF STUDENTS SCORED 7 OR HIGHER
African American: 42%
Hispanic: 45%
White: 6% Other: 7%
Free & Reduced Lunch: 74%
Student/Teacher Ratio: 13.82

Writing is the Fastest & Easiest Way to Increase Test Scores & Overall School Grades!
Schools that implement Top Score Writing call us their "secret weapon" because Top Score Writing’s curriculum quickly and easily raises test scores on the ELA and across the board. After years of analyzing data, we can directly correlate the improvement in writing scores to higher overall grades.
Why Teachers Choose TSW
Teachers are busy.
Top Score Writing does the work for teachers.
Teachers love the impact Top Score Writing delivers most of all.
Meet The TSW Team

Lisa Collum
Founder
& CEO

Mike Ficara
Chief Operating Officer

Jen Jones
Chief Academic Officer

Jennifer Lewanda
Vice President of
Customer Service

Katie Jackson
Vice President of Curriculum

Megan Lee
Middle School co-author
and trainer

Melissa Presto
Content
Editor
Meet The TSW Team

Lisa Collum
Founder
& CEO

Mike Ficara
Executive
Vice President

Jen Jones
Director
Curriculum and Training

Ryan Griffiths
Director
Client Services

Katie Jackson
Middle School co-author
and trainer

Megan Lee
Middle School co-author
and trainer

Melissa Presto
Support
Manager

Our Community (Teacher Community)
When you become a customer of Top Score Writing, you become a member of our community. We love to keep you informed!
As a customer, you will receive free tips, webinars, resources, and exclusive access to the Top Score Writing VIP group.
Plus, as a member of our community, you will get many chances to win amazing prizes!
Top Score Writing Sample Curriculum
At Top Score Writing, we pride ourselves on providing the best writing system that is backed by years of research, data, and expertise from various experts in the teaching field.
Following Top Score’s day-to-day writing guide is proven to raise your state's writing assesment scores over 70% with nearly all students scoring a 7 or higher.
Partnered with Lexile and MetaMetrics to provide students, teachers, and school districts custom-made and innovative lessons. Our writing program has original passages tailored to help teachers accommodate varying reading levels.
Once you download our sample curriculum, you will see why Top Score Writing is different from every other system on the market today.
Download Sample Curriculum
Please select a grade to instantly download the corresponding sample lessons with passages.