Organic Writing Assessment: Dynamic Criteria Mapping in Action
- writing assessment, culture, Teaching strategies
By Bob Broad, Linda Adler-Kassner, Barry Alford, Jane Detweiler, Heidi Estrem, Susanmarie Harrington, Maureen McBride, Eric Stalions, and Scott Weeden
Educators appropriately strive to create "assessment cultures" (Huot 2002) in which they integrate evaluation into teaching and learning and match assessment methods with best instructional practice. But how do teachers and administrators establish the values that underlie their evaluations? Bob Broad's 2003 volume, What We Really Value, introduced dynamic criteria mapping (DCM) as a method for eliciting locally-informed, context-sensitive criteria for writing assessments. The impact of DCM on writing assessment practice is just beginning to emerge as more and more writing departments and programs adopt, adapt, or experiment with DCM approaches. For the authors of Organic Writing Assessment, the DCM experience provided not only an authentic assessment of their own programs, but a nuanced language through which they can converse in the always vexing, potentially divisive realm of assessment theory and practice. Of equal interest are the adaptations that these writers invented for Broad's original process, to make DCM even more responsive to local needs and exigencies. Organic Writing Assessment represents an important step in the evolution of writing assessment in higher education. This volume documents the second generation in an assessment model that is regarded as scrupulously consistent with current theory; it shows the range of DCM's flexibility, and presents an informed discussion of its limits and its potentials.
Table of Contents
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Chapter 1. Organic Matters: In Praise of Locally Grown Writing Assessment, Bob Broad
Chapter 2. The Journey is the Destination: The Place of Assessment in an Activist Writing Program—Eastern Michigan University, Linda Adler-Kassner and Heidi Estrem
Chapter 3. DCM as the Assessment Program: Mid Michigan Community College, Barry Alford
Chapter 4. Designs on Assessment at UNR: University of Nevada, Reno, Jane Detweiler and Maureen McBride
Chapter 5. Assessment Changes for the Long Haul: Dynamic Criteria Mapping at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Susanmarie Harrington and Scott Weeden
Chapter 6. Putting Placement on the Map: Bowling Green State University, Eric Stalions
Chapter 7. Bookend, Bob Broad
Publication Information: Broad, Bob, Linda, Adler-Kassner, Barry, Alford, Jane, Detweiler, Heidi, Estrem, Susanmarie, Harrington, Maureen, McBride, Eric, Stalions, & Scott, Weeden. (2009). Organic Writing Assessment: Dynamic Criteria Mapping in Action. Utah State University Press. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/usupress_pubs/165
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