What's Next for Writing Assessment Services

Here's a little teaser for my clients and other friends:

In July I will begin setting up some exciting new offerings for Writing Assessment Services for 2015-16 - live classrooms for one-time and ongoing writing workshops, and a version of "office hours" and one-on-one tutoring.

I want to make the most of the traditional text-based evaluations I have used for decades and the online classroom/meeting structure I have used the last five years. I can't wait to share these opportunities with you!

Order now with confidence that you can change your order as you desire, or wait to order later as the offerings begin to appear - I can serve many students this year.

www.writingassessment.com

Now Entering My 20th Year Online!

Happy New Year!

Many things have kept me from this blog for months, but we can all use something new for the New Year. Sometimes that can be a little something to freshen up our academic pursuits, and to encourage that I want to offer a bonus.

It begins with a reward--all existing clients will have 1000 words added to their current evaluation accounts, and those enrolled in courses with Writing Assessment Services can use the bonus for additional exercises within the course or for another kind of writing of their choice. For new clients it's a little incentive to go ahead and sign up for that new evaluation account or a Progymnasmata Tutorial to freshen up your school year.

I am happy to announce that I now have, courtesy of the good folks at the Association of Classical and Christian Schools, a permanent home for a great article written by Amy Kim, "Pro-gym-nas-what?!..." In this piece she details how we worked on the Progymnasmata together in my consulting relationship with The Oaks, a classical Christian school in Spokane, Washington, and how she's implemented these great writing exercises in her classroom over the years. Please find this article on my home page, at Writing Assessment Services.

"The Writing Revolution"

In this article by Peg Tyre in The Atlantic, we see the experience of a failing school as adults start investigating what's going wrong for the students. They learn that it's a lack of writing skills, so they implement a program that teaches the real nuts and bolts of writing, and with those tools students are able to build arguments and succeed.  How satisfying!

I'm interested in the debate linked here, too.  How about you?

PS  Thanks to my friend Jami for this corollary piece:  "Teaching Reading for Writing." 

Fees Changing August 1: Up, Down, and Steady

I am currently working on adjustments to my fees for the new school year, effective August 1. Some fees are staying the same, some are increasing, and a couple are even going down!


If you order by August 1 you can be sure to get the best rates, and I will issue a refund for any fee that goes down after that date.

Staying the same: Resource Membership for Apprenticeship Writing Workshop, Resource Membership for Progymnasmata, and 4-assignment and 10-assignment enrollments for Great Books Writing Workshop.

Going down: Resource Membership for Great Books Writing Workshop (from $100 to $50!), One-Time Evaluation (from $60 to $50).

Going up 3% to 10%: Apprenticeship Writing Workshop, Progymnasmata Tutorials, and Evaluation Packages -- and the larger package will have more flexibility, with more submissions.

Going up 20%: The first hours of Consultation, which include free Resources or Resource Membership. I recognize the limited resources of small private schools and home schools, and it is my desire to work with clients to offer the most efficient and economical version of my services to meet their needs. Sometimes that means using existing curricula or materials developed for previous clients, or even charging only part of my time to develop materials I can use for other clients.

As an example, for an initial consultation of under $200 I have had email correspondence and an hour-long phone meeting with staff members of Samuel Fuller School, researched a curriculum they were interested in, and created for them a long-term plan for a solid writing program as the school grows, with a Resource Membership and site license in perpetuity for all my Progymnasmata materials. They desired more guidance for the year, and teacher training, and when they determined a budget for these services I came up with a plan that prioritizes their needs: full customized syllabi for two grade levels of Progymnasmata instruction for this year, evaluation of early assignments from the two classes, and phone/online coaching of the teachers on these assignments and at least two later ones as the year progresses.

May I do the same for you? Order an initial Consultation by August 1 and enjoy the lower rate throughout your project!

"Assessment That Blesses" Available Until August 3

While there's still time, listen to this talk from Andrew Kern of the CiRCE Institute: "Assessment That Blesses." And then watch for an upcoming post from me about how to apply these ideas.

• Andrew's main message is that everybody has anxiety related to education (the student, the teacher, the parents), and that anxiety gets its power in assessment, or judgment.  On what basis will work be judged--how should we measure it?
• To be effective, assessment must be based on the nature of the student, the nature of the subject, and the relationship between them.
• Judgment is based on right thinking (based on accuracy, based on wisdom, based on grace), and the feedback we give students should be this measure:  what is the goal, and how far have you come along the path toward that goal?
• We must give honor where it is due.  When a student is talented, we should praise God for that.  When the student shows virtue by working hard, we can praise the student for that.
• When truth enters the soul, it always brings joy.

Those are the kernels of wisdom I gleaned from this talk, and I've been thinking over them for the last week or two. Stay tuned for where that thinking is going . . .

I chose this illustration photo of a really engaged teacher, Lorien Foote. It's no surprise she was given a Teaching Excellence Award by the University of Central Arkansas!