When a “sloppy copy” is good enough: Results of a state writing assessment

Students in grades 5 and 8 completed a state writing assessment, and their first and final drafts on the extended writing portion of the test were copied and scored using the state writing rubric. The rubric consisted of three primary traits: Content and Organization, Style and Fluency, and Language Use. Scorers were blind to the study purpose and scored either a student's first or final draft. No significant difference was found between the first and final drafts written by students in special education at both grade levels. Likewise, no significant difference was found for the writing of general education students in grade 8. A significant difference was found, however, between first and final drafts written by fifth-grade students in general education. Cross tabulations conducted at grades 5 and 8 revealed that over 50% of the first drafts received the same score or a better score than what was earned on the final draft.