Teacher Concerns with the Implementation of Holistic Scoring

A study examined the concerns of five third-grade teachers over the first year of implementation of a district mandate to evaluate narrative writing using holistic scoring. Each teacher collected writing samples from six representative students. Teachers reported their responses throughout the year on two self-report instruments, and they were interviewed at the end of the year. Teacher concerns focused on the process of holistic scoring, the rubric itself, and communication with students and parents. Frustrations expressed by the teachers, however, revealed misunderstanding of the district mandate, inadequate inservice training, and confusion about writing assessment and the characteristics of "good" narrative writing. This hindered teachers from using holistic assessment effectively. Results suggest essential components of training if holistic scoring is to be efficiently, reliably, and validly applied in elementary school settings. (One figure is included.) (Author/SR)