The document outlines the schedule and activities for a staff professional development day focused on analyzing student writing across content areas using a common writing assessment rubric. The day will be divided into three parts: discussing writing expectations in different subjects, introducing the writing assessment, and calibrating scores by evaluating student essays. Teachers will learn strategies for close reading standards, analyzing sources, and using evidence from texts to support arguments. They will practice scoring sample essays using the rubric before scoring blind student essays in mixed grade levels to analyze writing skills and needs.

1. March 14th pd/ scoring day details
The staff will meet in same location – 6 per table. English, Social Studies, and Science CC committee members,
will run the training along with principal support.
The day will be divided into three parts:
• Writing across the content levels (7:45- 9:00)
• Introduce and read through the BV Writing Assessment (9:00- 11:00)
• Calibrate and Score BVSW Essays (12:30- 3:00)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE
SLIDES 1-3: Intro/ Learning Targets/ Chalk Talk
7:45-8:00
Facilitators Talking Points Handout/ Materials
Lisa Wilson
Scott Roberts
Chalk Talk (strategy)
What are we doing in writing already? What does it look like in the various contents?
Need construction paper on each table – you can color code the content areas to
review and maybe summarize for your building
On the piece of construction paper at your table, record your content area and what
writing looks like in your classroom. Each person can write in a space on the paper,
but there should be no talking. This gives all students a chance to comment or respond
to another student but keeps the noise level down and makes them process a little on
paper. After you give tables about 3 minutes to “talk” (write) have them share out
with just their table any ideas or take away. Expand on something someone wrote, ask
a question about a comment, etc. Process the activity.
Markers
Big Post-it Writing Pad

2. SLIDES 4 &5: CCR Writing Anchor Standards (Close Reading Strategy)
8:00-8:20
Facilitators Talking Points Materials Needed
Morgan
Scanlon
Kat Buchanan
• Close reading – read once just to familiarize yourself again/or for the first time
• Second read – mark those places (annotate) where what you are doing in writing fits or
supports the skill found in the standard
• Third Read – highlight the evidence pieces/products that common core students to produce
o talk through what this might look like in your building with ELA writing all 3
types, and the other content areas balancing out the three essays between each
other not to load students up and end up writing all 3 argument pieces at the same
time or in the same year.
o What types do elective classes already produce and at what grade level?
o What can we learn from them? – ex. debate and how they approach argument
• Partner Share – share aloud the evidence found in the building and how everyone can
work together vertically to make sure students get the skills they need to master each
writing piece by the end of each grade band, 9-10 and 11-12 – this is a shared effort
throughout the building.
College and Career
Readiness Anchor
Standards Handout
(just the first page)
Highlighters
SLIDE 6: WHST Standards
8:20-8:30
Facilitators Talking Points Materials Needed
Joel White
• Talk through each WHST standard and highlight the vocabulary that is new to you or your
content area
• Record vocabulary on the chart paper at your table
• Define words how they are used in content areas as a table
Rest of the CCR Writing
Standards

3. SLIDES 7-9: What is a DBQ?
8:30-8:45
Facilitators Talking Points Materials Needed
Mike Ortmann
Kathryn Pinto
Lindsey Hogan
You could share a sample DBQ here or share how you have used them in your classroom.
The point here is to share what students have been doing in SS that is so aligned with common
core, even before common core came about.
The next slide 9 shares a DBQ question – maybe talk them through what sources you might pull
to have students use in order to respond to this question.
You could walk through the steps you teach students to take when answering this type of
question.
This type of essay would fall under standard 2, informational or explanatory.
Can you think of what skills students would need in order to respond to this?
Could we change the wording slightly and create an argument type prompt?
YES – you could make it a statement and then have students find evidence for and evidence
against, then write the essay. This makes it more an argumentative piece. – common core focus
is around argument and how everything is an argument or can be an argument – different than
persuading people to go along with you – let’s look.
It supports the text based question – based on primary and secondary sources
Could lead into a possible performance writing task – using multiple texts or single texts
Connection to synthesizing text and what evidence they gather from the text
Sample DBQ (if
necessary)

4. SLIDES 10-11: Argument v. Persuasive Text/ Reading for Meaning
8:45-9:00
Facilitators Talking Points Materials Needed
Tyson
Ostroski
Morgan
Scanlon
Don’t share the definitions – make them think first!!
What is the difference between persuasive text and an argumentative text? Turn to your neighbor
and share.
How close were you? How often are we asking students to share their opinion or even better to state
a claim and then support the claim with valid and sufficient evidence? We have had lots of work
around persuasion in the past. We have spent time on propaganda techniques used to persuade our
readers or viewers, but with common core we are stepping it up a notch, making them think beyond
just persuasion. Finding the logical support and backing up your argument is a much richer type of
writing task.
What is the difference? How does this change what we have done in HS for so long?
• Instructional shift to evidence – supports this shift
• Use the reading for meaning one page handout – share what the strategy is and how easy
it is to use
• MODEL strategy with sample article written in persuasive format and then again in
argument format – animal testing article
• Have ELA share how they have used it since training in PLC – replaces answering questions
after chapters, used for AFL, replace final test over reading or chapter reading
ELA share how finding evidence is one of the shifts with common core so, how do we get students
to find evidence?
“Reading for Meaning”
page 1 handout
9:00-9:15 Break
ALL staff should now have assessment packet of directions and texts for the rest of training

5. Writing Assessment Performance Read-Through
9:15-10:15
9:15-9:30
Facilitators Talking Points Materials Needed
Tyson Give time for teachers to read the given WHITE directions for the students. You will walk
them through the texts along with providing some more strategies, but let them see entire
process students were asked to follow. (8 minutes)
Explain that we chose to keep same in all levels to see where we are at now and what we can learn
from students’ performance, not only on their writing, but processing the text, note-taking, citing
evidence, etc.
• Watch video clip – share discussion question (6 min video and 3 min discuss)
Link the video to the
PowerPoint
Synthesis Essay
Prompt
9:30- 9:40 Analyzing Visual Sources
Facilitators Talking Points Materials Needed
Kat • Read Source A – quick read to review timeline
• Look at source C – how would students interact with this? What evidence does it provide? –
partner share what students would pull from this type of text piece
Synthesis Essay Source
A and C
9:40- 10:15 Reading the Sources/ Annotating and Using the Textual Evidence Box Strategy
Facilitators Talking Points Materials Needed
Morgan • Reading for Meaning strategy – use for source B, E, and F –
o statement: Daylight Savings Time should continue in the United States
• Table talk - what evidence did you find for keeping or removing daylight savings time so far
in the texts you have read?
• NEW STRATEGY – Train Marking the Text – handout on strategy
o Read source D – apply Marking the Text (avid) strategy
o How are teachers using this strategy now or could use the strategy?
• Collaboration - Table talk around texts and all gathered evidence – supports the speaking
and listening skills necessary for college readiness
Textual Evidence will
be written on the back
of the PowerPoint
Synthesis Essay
Sources B, E, and F

6. *** All materials up to this point should be put away – only keep colored rubric, highlighter, pen or pencil
Rubric Review
10:15-10:30
Facilitators Talking Points Materials Needed
Tyson Review Rubric for assessment – what is it our students need to be able to do? (20 minutes)
• Share the 3 categories of rubric – notice how each one is really looking at TWO areas
• How to read conventions area – only out of 2 points due to supports on computer
• Key vocabulary of rubric – identify – highlight key phrases – read through together and
highlight all the same key words – this is based on our discussion in meeting
Review scoring process and protocol for score sheet
Rubric
Scoring Sheet
PRACTICE SCORING WITH SAMPLE ESSAY
10:30-11:00
Facilitators Talking Points Materials Needed
Tyson
Morgan
Kat
Use rubric with sample essay – examples provided – (25 minutes)
• practice scoring and talking through details and reasons for score – table talk – then
share out with large group
High
Middle
Low
 LUNCH must be an hour and half

7. Calibrate scoring with actual essay from table packets – trade and second read to compare score
(20 minutes)
Score papers - mix all levels together among tables so no one knows what level they are scoring – better data collection – only one
read!!! As each packet is completely graded, hand off to someone to record scores on excel sheet.
 Move to another set of papers as each table finishes – a runner should make sure packets are placed at tables so
grading can continue without too much delay
 Score until all complete – make sure all scores are saved in excel sheet!!
 Ideally all scoring would be completed by 2:30, 3:00 at the latest - 
***ALL EXCEL SCORES DUE TO SHELLI DUPREE BY NOON FRIDAY***
PLC or building follow-up ideas
Discuss findings within essays – citing evidence? Organization of piece? Grammar needs? What differences were found within
grade-level and between grade levels?
Review text packets - look for note-taking, annotations, etc. to see needs for next school year
What do you notice about each text provided and what student did to engage in the text?
What skills do we need to work on in content areas and/or as a building to help students have the tools to take notes and process
multiple pieces of text?