Why It Works
Data/Research
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE FROM LITERATURE REVIEW
EXAMPLE OF HOW TOP SCORE WRITING APPLIES THIS PRACTICE
Elementary Writing Instruction
Provide students with daily time to write
Teach students to use the writing process for a
variety of purposes
Top Score Writing elementary school curricula teach expository,
informative, opinion, and narrative writing. Lessons for each writing
type scaffold students in developing procedural strategies to draft a
complete text that fulfills the outlined purpose and prompt.
Teach students to become fluent with handwriting, spelling, sentence construction, typing, and word processing
Top Score Writing regularly breaks instruction down to the most basic
building blocks of written composition, in addition to addressing the
broader purposes of writing.
Create an engaged community of writers
Each Top Score Writing lesson sequence models critical aspects of the writing process to teach effective writing strategies and provides students with opportunities to practice in groups. Individual reflection, teacher-student conferences, and peer editing are all embedded in the curriculum.
Secondary Writing Instruction
Explicitly teach appropriate writing strategies using a model-practice-reflect instructional cycle
Each Top Score Writing lesson sequence models critical aspects of the writing process, teaches effective writing strategies, and provides students with opportunities to practice in groups. Individual reflection, teacher-student conferences, and peer editing are all embedded in the curriculum.
Integrate writing and reading to emphasize key writing features
Use assessments of student writing to inform instruction and feedback
Assessments are an explicit part of Top Score Writing curricula. In addition to allowing teachers to monitor students’ daily practice work, each curriculum deploys tests as part of the instructional sequence.
These tests are typically followed by opportunities for students to review and revise their work independently or in concert with peers or their teacher
Elementary School Writing Data
GALENA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Marshall County, Mississippi
5th Grade Data
Before
After
Timber Trace ELEMENTARY
STUDENTS SCORING 7 or HIGHER
4th Grade Data
WELLTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Elementary School Writing Data
GALENA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Marshall County, Mississippi
5th Grade Data
After
Timber Trace ELEMENTARY
STUDENTS SCORING 7 or HIGHER
4th Grade Data
WELLTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Middle School Writing Data
GALENA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
YUMA, ARIZONA
8th Grade Data
After
SLAM! OSCEOLA
OSCEOLA
7th Grade Data
After
CORAL SPRINGS CHARTER SCHOOL
After
"These are the best writing scores we have ever had!"
“I just wanted to thank all of you. We received our writing scores from the state assessments. I am amazed. It's been a tough year. Some teachers arrived in October (school started in late July.) A teacher left and we had to move teachers to different teaching assignments. And yet - we have the best writing results we have ever had at Wellton Elementary School!”
“Lisa Jameson
Superintendent Wellton Elementary School District
Middle School Writing Data
GALENA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
YUMA, ARIZONA
8th Grade Data
After
SLAM! OSCEOLA
OSCEOLA
7th Grade Data
After
CORAL SPRINGS CHARTER SCHOOL
After
“These are the best writing scores we have ever had!”
“I just wanted to thank all of you. We received our writing scores from the state assessments. I am amazed. It's been a tough year. Some teachers arrived in October (school started in late July.) A teacher left and we had to move teachers to different teaching assignments. And yet - we have the best writing results we have ever had at Wellton Elementary School!”
“Lisa Jameson
Superintendent Wellton Elementary School District
