Wikipedia:School and university projects/Kentucky portfolio scoring

Overview
The educational reforms in Kentucky are based upon the principle that schools should be held accountable for the progress of their students. (KDE Testing and Reporting) Therefore, there are many ways the schools test student progress towards proficiency. The data reported from the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) is necessary in so that all stakeholders in Kentucky education have the data needed for making effective decisions concerning school policies, programs, and curricula. The goal of the accountability system is for all schools in Kentucky to reach Proficiency as defined by the Kentucky Board of Education.

In the state of Kentucky, high school students are required to complete a writing portfolio in grade 12 compiled of works written and chosen by the student to display their best writing. The writing portfolio is only 7% of the high school’s total score received from the CATS. Writing makes up 14% of the score, when the writing portfolio is combined with students On-demand Writing test scores.

In the 2006-07 school-year, the Kentucky Board of Education recommended changing to an analytic scoring rubric to align the state with national standards and to improve writing skills by giving more precise feedback to the writer. The analytic rubric offers several advantages over the holistic rubric, including the ability to identify the areas of strengths and weaknesses of the writer in content, structure, or conventions. Analytical scoring means readers will score three separate areas of writing in one piece at a time. Scores will then be added together to arrive at a raw composite score. This score will then be used to determine the student’s overall performance level based on scale scores and cut points.

Analytical Scoring
Analytical scoring is the process of evaluating different qualities of a single piece of writing. Each piece in a student’s Kentucky writing portfolio is scored separately, but there will be a composite score for the portfolio. This is calculated using subdomain scores for each piece in that portfolio. The Kentucky Writing Scoring Rubric establishes the following subdomains: content, structure, and conventions. These criteria are specified by purpose and audience; idea development and support; organization: unity and coherence; sentences: structure and length; language: grammar and usage, word choice; and correctness: spelling, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviate, and documentation. These criteria are the only ones by which writing portfolios are judged. Personal biases, such as poor handwriting or a particular student’s behavior cannot be considered in the evaluation of student writing. Scores from each separate piece will then be used to determine the student’s overall performance level.

Scoring Process
Each spring the portfolios will be graded by trained teachers and administrators. Trained scorers will use the Kentucky Writing Scoring Rubric to assess each portfolio and piece of writing. They will then record the score on the Score Report Form. Composite scores for the portfolio are calculated using a computer application. 

Double Blind
Beginning in the 2006-2007 years, all Kentucky schools must score the completed writing portfolios using a double-blind scoring method, in which all scorers and the scoring facilitator are present. In double-blind scoring, scorers do not know the identity of the previous scorer and are unaware of previous scores. Any record of previous scores should be removed from the portfolio by the facilitator. If discrepancies are found with the first two scores, the facilitator will determine the need for a third scorer. This would occur when a portfolio has a non-adjacent score in any subdomain. 

Performance Levels
After each piece has been separately scored, the student will be given an overall performance level. There are four levels determined by the state of Kentucky :

Novice
Novice writing demonstrates a lack of purpose or an attempt to establish a general purpose that lacks focus. The writing shows limited or lack of awareness of the needs of the audience for whom it is intended. The ideas, if any, are minimally developed with few or unrelated details. The writer may attempt to apply some of the characteristics of different genres. Novice writing is randomly organized or simply demonstrates weak organizational strategies. The writing demonstrates a lack of or limited/ineffective use of transitional elements.

Writing at the novice level generally includes incorrect and/or ineffective sentence structure and language use. Lack of control of grammar and usage plus errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviation or documentation may be disproportionate to the length and complexity of the pieces and interfere with communication.

Apprentice
Apprentice writing attempts to establish and maintain a narrowed purpose but has some lapses in focus. The writing demonstrates that the writer has some awareness of the audience’s needs in his/her attempt to communicate. Apprentice writing may demonstrate some voice and/or appropriate tone. The ideas expressed are generally unelaborated with details that may be repetitious and/or unelaborated. The writer may apply some of the characteristics of different genres. Apprentice writing demonstrates logical organization that includes some effective transitional elements but has lapses in coherence. The writing demonstrates some control of grammar and usage with some errors that do not interfere with communication. Writing at the apprentice level includes simplistic sentence structure and language use. In addition, sentences may, at times, be awkward and language may be imprecise. Errors in spelling, punctuation, and capitalization, abbreviation or documentation may occur, but they do not interfere with the apprentice writer’s ability to communicate.

Proficient
Proficient writing establishes and maintains an authentic focused purpose throughout. The writing indicates an awareness of the intended audience’s needs and communicates adequately with that audience. Evidence of suitable voice and/or tone supports the proficient writer’s demonstration of that awareness. Ideas are developed in depth and supported by elaborated and relevant details. The writer applies the characteristics of different genres. Proficient writing demonstrates logical and coherent organization with effective use of transitional elements throughout. Sentence structure is controlled and varied, and language is consistently acceptable and effective. Proficient writing demonstrates the writer’s control of grammar and usage and errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviation and documentation are few relative to the length and complexity of the proficient writer’s work. Proficient writing is the minimum goal that Kentucky has set for its students.

Distinguished
Distinguished writing establishes and maintains an authentic and insightful focused purpose throughout. There is evidence of a strong awareness of audience supported by a distinctive voice and/or appropriate tone. Idea development is insightful, reflective and/or analytical, supported by rich, engaging and/or pertinent details. The distinguished writer skillfully applies the characteristics of different genres. Distinguished writing demonstrates careful and/or subtle organizational strategies and use of transitional elements. There is variety in sentence structure that enhances the meaning of pieces, and language is precise and/or rich. Distinguished writers exhibit control over grammar, usage and correctness.

See Also:
School and university projects/Kentucky Writing Portfolio