By Dr. Cheryl Sandora
It can be helpful when students understand that writing for a standardized test is a specific type of writing and not the only type of writing we expect of them. Previously we shared ideas related to teaching test writing as a genre and this article explores a critical and often neglected first step in that process – supporting students in understanding both the prompt and the text it is related to.
It’s that time of year, again. No, not Opening Day, but standardized testing day. For weeks, teachers have been preparing students for the challenges of standardized testing. Black and brown students, students living in poverty, and emergent multilingual students are more likely than their white peers to receive a steady diet of low-level instruction meant to singularly prepare them for taking the state exam (Booher-Jennings, 2005; Davis & Vehabovic, 2017; Dooley & Assaf, 2009; Valenzuela, 2000). Research has been clear that instruction rooted in low-level, test-centric practices does not help students build the reading and writing skills they need to be successful outside of our classrooms (Santelises & Dabrowski, 2015; Matsumura et al., 2006). However, we can still prepare our students to be successful on exams, especially the writing porton of the test, while engaging them in high-level thinking and reasoning work.
In a previous article, we talked about the importance of teaching test writing as a genre, as we want students to understand that writing for the standardized test is a specific type of writing and not the only type of writing we expect of them. To support students in this style of writing, typically, teachers introduce them to various strategies that target the writing portion of the standardized tests. These strategies and approaches often address the overall structure of the essay and provide a general idea of how to respond to the prompt. Although strategies that target the overall structure may be helpful once students begin responding to the prompt, supporting them in understanding both the prompt and the text is a critical first step, and it is this critical first step that is often neglected.How Can We Support Students with Understanding Both the Prompt and the Text?
For comprehension to occur, students must build an understanding of what they read. This process involves “figuring out what text information we need to pay attention to and connecting that to other information. . . a learner must actively deal with the information in a text in order to make sense of it” (Beck et al. 6). When considering this perspective in relation to preparing students for standardized tests, it’s important to consider how we can support students to actively deal with and make sense of the information in both the text and the prompt before moving to the structure of the essay. It’s useful for teachers to remind students of the habit of taking stock of what one knows about the major understandings in a text even if the test doesn’t ask about those specific ideas. Although it sounds simple, students often struggle with identifying big ideas in a text. Younger students, in particular, tend to gravitate toward interesting bits of information that are not relevant to the big ideas, so it’s important to work with students on differentiating between interesting and important. However, because students are not permitted to use pre-planned organizers, teachers should consider designing approaches that target the big ideas but are simple enough that students can transfer the support or scaffold when working individually. One approach is to share tips that support comprehension, model for students the process of using those tips to dissect a prompt and identify the big ideas in the text, and then provide students with opportunities to apply learning with a partner or small group before practicing independently
Example from the Field
One of our partner schools has implemented this approach and has had her students engaging in the process for several weeks. Earlier in the week, students were working in small groups, chunking, annotating, and working to identify the main idea.
As the teacher was circulating, she overheard a student mention what she thought was a big idea and another student responded, “Wait, is that a big idea, or just a fun fact?”
Although the teacher was excited that the student recognized the importance of knowing the difference between the two, she wanted to make sure the students understood, so she asked, “And why is it important for us to know the difference? How can we use that information when responding to the prompt?”
The student responded, “‘cause fun facts are details we like, but that doesn’t mean they’re big ideas.” The teacher asked again, “And how will that help when you’re responding to the prompt?” “‘cause we need big ideas for our claim, evidence, and explanation.”
How Might the Process Play Out in a Classroom?
There are various ways this method may be implemented, but below is one way that you might put the approach into practice.
STEP 1: Begin by introducing students to tips that support them to comprehend the prompt.
Carefully read the entire prompt twice. (Students tend to skim questions and often miss key information.)
Highlight the key words in the prompt that refer to what you are being asked to answer (e.g., main idea, theme, conflict, character traits). Then, think about the meaning of each of those words and the role they play in a text.
STEP 2: Move to tips that support students to comprehend the text.
Read, chunk, and annotate the text.
Identify the main idea in each chunk (Have students guide their thinking with questions such as: What did I
learn in this section? How does this information connect to what I have already learned? What are the big ideas in this section? How do those ideas fit with what I’ve already read? Was anything I read confusing?
If you can’t identify the main idea or were confused by any parts of the section, reread that section and revisit your questions. (Students often give up when confused, so it’s important to remind them that rereading sections is helpful.)
Highlight information in each chunk that reflects the “ask” of the prompt.
Think about
• how the informationhelps to develop a claim.
• provides evidence for your claim.
• allows you to develop an explanation for the connection between your evidence and your claim.
Pay attention to headings and labels. They may give clues to the main ideas.
STEP 3: Model the process for students.
Share the passage “Thursday is Market Day” and the prompt with the students.
Dissecting the Prompt
Begin by reading the prompt: In the passage, a mother and daughter travel a long way to visit a market. Write an essay analyzing why the market is important to Elena and her family. Use evidence from the passage to support your response.
Next, Think Aloud for Students
Okay, so let me reread the prompt to make sure I didn’t miss any important words the first time I read it. (reread prompt). Now, I need to highlight the key words that let me know what I’m supposed to do and then think about these key words in relation to a text. The first sentence seems to give a brief overview of what the story is about – the mother and daughter going to a market. In the second sentence, I’m going to highlight the word analyze because that’s what I’m being asked to do. I know the word analyze means to examine something closely, so that’s what I’ll be doing. Now, let me see what I’m being asked to analyze. Okay, I have to analyze why the market is important to Elena and her family. So, when I’m reading, I have to understand the big ideas around the importance of this market. Because the last sentence asks me to find evidence from the passage, I’m thinking some of those big ideas may serve as evidence.
Understanding the Text
Okay, now that I understand the prompt, I’m going to begin reading the text, and I will stop and annotate when I’ve come across main ideas and supporting details, paying special attention to the information needed to answer the prompt. I need to remember that supporting details are not just some interesting pieces of information. They have to reflect the big ideas in the section I’m reading.
- (Read paragraphs 1-3 and stop.) So, I stopped here because we are introduced to the main characters and the setting. I’m going to list the characters and what I’ve learned about them at the side (Elena – 10, Rosita – family llama, Elena’s parents and brother.) I also learned where the story takes place, so I’m going to add “Setting – Peru in South America” at the side with my characters. I’m also remembering the prompt that asks about the importance of the market, and in the 2nd paragraph I learn that it’s Thursday, so the family is getting ready to go to the market, so that’s an important detail. There are other details included in these first three paragraphs, like that the llama has a fluffy neck. Although I like fluffy animals, those kinds of details aren’t important, so I’m not going to include that one.
- (Read paragraph 4-6 and stop.) I stopped after the next 3 paragraphs because there was a lot of important information that connected to what I already learned. I learned that most people grew potatoes and herded llamas, and I learned more about the market. I learned that it’s in another town (Chupaca), and that people go there to sell their potatoes and blankets to make money. They use this money to buy what they need. This information is important because it connects to the prompt about the importance of the market, so we know one of the reasons the market is important is because it’s where families make money to get what they need. The last sentence mentions that Elena likes to see her friends at the market, so that’s also information that connects to the prompt. The market kind of serves as a social setting for her. Both of these details can serve as evidence when I respond to the prompt, so I’m going to underline them.
- (Read paragraphs 7-10 and stop) I stopped here because I have more information about the family as they get ready to go to the market and the trip itself. The big idea seems to be that they are carrying quite a load of potatoes and blankets and that the market is pretty far away. Although I was able to pull out the big idea, I don’t think any of that information will be helpful in responding to the prompt. (This is an example of why it’s important to identify big ideas, even if they are not helpful in responding to the prompt. In analyzing sample essays for a partner district, one pattern that emerged was that students included as evidence big ideas that were not relevant to the ask of the prompt.)
STEP 4: Have students continue the process in small groups.
Divide students into groups of 3-4 and have them continue to read the passage, chunk, and annotate. If students are new to the process, provide stopping points and questions for them. More experienced students will be able to identify stopping points, ask unprompted questions, and work together to identify big ideas.
STEP 5: Transfer learning to independent writing.
After working with students in small groups on several sample texts and prompts, engage students in the same process independently.
Because standardized tests are an integral part of our education system, it’s important for teachers to provide students with approaches that support them to successfully engage in these tests. Although there are many strategies in place that target the structure of the response, supporting students in understanding the prompt and the text is often overlooked. Designing approaches that address comprehension of both are critical to the work.
REFERENCES
- Booher-Jennings, J. (2005). Below the bubble: “Educational triage” and the Texas accountability system.American Educational Research Journal, 42(2), 231–268. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312042002231
- Davis, D. S., & Vehabovic, N. (2017). The dangers of test preparation: What students learn (and don’t learn) about reading comprehension from test‐centric literacy instruction. The Reading Teacher, 71(5), 579-588.
- Dooley, C.M., & Assaf, L.C. (2009). Contexts matter: Two teachers’ language arts instruction in this high-stakes era. Journal of Literacy Research,41(3), 354–391. https://doi.org/10.1080/10862960903133743
- Matsumura et al. (2006). Measuring reading comprehension and mathematics instruction in urban middle schools: A pilot study of the instructional quality assessment. CSE Technical Report 681. National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST).
- Santelises, S. B., & Dabrowski, J. (2015). Checking in: Do classroom assignments reflect today’s higher standards? K-12 practice. Equity in motion series. Education Trust.
- Valenzuela, A. (2000). The significance of the TAAS test for Mexican immigrant and Mexican American adolescents: A case study.Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 22(4), 524–539. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986300224009