Writing

Assignments  support mastering the California Language Arts standards relating to writing skills.

All classrooms in Evergreen School District adhere to the California Academic Content Standards of Instruction. Details may be referenced online at http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/. We strive for Proficient (80%) mastery of the standards by all students by the end of the school year. Remedial and alternative assignments will be given as needed.
o    Writing (8:45 – 9:30 AM daily)
Writing proficiency is measured regularly on several types of writing. Sixth grade standards call for the ability to write from 500 to 800 word compositions that are well organized with effective spelling, grammar, usage, and mechanics. The Evergreen School District Writing Standards call for an essay (or sometimes a story) to be a Quick-Write, On-Demand writing project in one session. It must include the planning, first draft, revisions, and edits all within a couple of hours. The scoring rubric is 4, 3, 2, 1, with 4 being the best. It is a Pass/Fail with 4 or 3 score being a passing score. Usually, one error is allowed grammatically, or in spelling, or word usage. The Writing Proficiency is usually the first Wednesday in March, which may be on be March 3, 2010.

Writing grades are based on daily, weekly, and periodic writing assignments and assessments, for 75% of the writing grade. The Writing Dossier is required; it is a compilation of all writing lesson notes on one side, and all writing samples on the other. The current writing assignment is to be posted on the Writing Tree, including all notes, planning documents, drafts, revisions, and edits, and when appropriate and assigned, the published, finished, and polished Final copy.