Write for Vermont
“Writing today is not a frill for the few, but an essential skill for the many.”
National Commission on Writing,The Neglected "R"

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Staff and Contact Information
Assessment
Resources and Links
Rubrics
Teaching the Dimensions of Writing Conventions
Portfolios
Learning to Write, Writing to Learn

45 College St., Montpelier, VT 05602


Write for Vermont presents

THE READING/WRITING CONNECTION: Guided Writing Instruction Course

Click on grade level choice (K-4 or 5-12) for details and to register online now!

also

Knowledge-based Writing Instruction Course

Click here for details and to register now for K-4 Level

In our knowledge-driven society, writing is the key to thinking in all academic areas. The goal of Write for Vermont is to significantly improve the writing performance and academic achievement of every Vermont student in all content areas.

Our work with schools is guided by the following principles:

  • Professional development needs to be embedded in a multi-year strategic action plan.
  • Effective changes in practice require the active involvement of administrators as well as teachers with student learning needs.
  • Internal structures must be created to sustain and build upon change.
  • Resources, including time and money, must match intended goals.
  • Measurable goals and periodic evaluations are essential to monitor progress.

VI writing staff is able to provide core services to schools in:

  • The Vermont Framework writing standards, rubrics, and benchmarks
  • Construction and implementations of quality writing assignments and assessment prompts
  • Creation of local standards-based performance assessments in all content areas
  • The qualities of effective writing in all content areas
  • Collaborative assessment of student writing
  • Alignment of Grade Level Expectations and local curriculum
  • Practical strategies to help struggling writers
  • Integration of writing in content areas
  • Best practices

Write for Vermont provides a new vision for professional development. Write for Vermont will arrange innovative, high-quality, hands-on workshops in your district. These sustained, systemic one or multi-year professional development programs are planned in collaboration with a school team. The program is customized to meet your local educational goals.

SAMPLE MULTI-YEAR PROGRAM:

YEAR 1 – 14 days

• (4 days) Alignment of GLEs with curriculum
• (5 days) Developing a Local Assessment plan- Learning how to write assessments with reliability and validity
• (1 day) Full staff workshop -Writing Across the Curriculum How does writing enhance mastery of content? What are the qualities of good writing?
• (2 days) Researched based instructional classroom sequence of instruction and techniques of writing – How to make a good writing assignment (Language arts teachers, special needs professionals, and other teaches of writing)
• (2 days) Assessing writing to inform instruction

YEAR 2 – 10 days

Implementing the writing portfolio and writing assessments by:
• Monthly visits working with groups of teachers for 2 months. Teachers construct a writing assignment that assesses content standards as well as writing standards. Teachers implement the assessment/ assignment, return the following month with student work to be assessed to inform instruction.
• Informal Observations of teachers
• Modeling in classrooms by VI writing specialist

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