Writing items
There are several items that present a writing performance demand for the student (copy, trace, or write). These items are likely to require direct QA support for administration given their functionality and complexity. The clockwise refresh button at the top repeats the prompt without deleting what the student has already written, allowing the student to write at his/her own pace. The +/- buttons again slow down or speed up the audio. The “Drawing/Typing” buttons allow for students to record responses with their fingers or a writing instrument recognized by the tablet (Drawing) or via a tablet-based or virtual keyboard (Typing). There is a pencil icon to the right-hand side (see red arrow) that is used to select the writing instrument, a compass icon that allows for QAs/students to move the words presented around in the viewing screen, and an “X” button which is connected to an eraser function if a student wants to erase a specific portion of a response. When the student completes the writing assignment, they select the checkmark button to demonstrate that they want to submit their writing as final. If they want to completely start over at any point, they select the counter-clockwise Refresh button toward the bottom of the screen.
If the student uses an augmentative or alternative communication device (AACD) to generate written products, use the tablet to present the item. However, item scoring will need to be completed based upon the student’s AACD output rather than what is stored in the testing application (see Scoring the Writing Items on the ORExt Testing Application below).
Writing Items can also be administered paper/pencil. Downloadable packets of ELA writing items can be found on the or.k12test.com site in the materials section. After administering writing items paper/pencil - QAs need to score the paper/pencil items using the 'Data Entry' tab on the electronic test app, or through the 'Monitoring' tab on the or.k12test.com site.
All writing items are manually scored by the assessor, whether administered electronically or paper/pencil. See 'Manual Grading' and 'Data Entry' sections for more information.
Example Writing Item:
