K-5 Writing Norming Meeting Purpose

As we jump into 2019, we are already beginning to look ahead at the writing norming meetings that will be happening later this Spring.  We wanted to share with you the purpose and intent of the meetings.  As you may remember from the fall, these days are focused on professional development and growth in our writing practices.  Along the way you will get most of your writing pieces scored as well. The focus of the day is to learn together, share writing progress, and find a common understanding of proficiency in writing.  As a district we rarely get to come together as a full grade level across all schools, so it is crucial that these days are used to develop common knowledge and practices of proficiency when we are all together and can hold common discussions around content. Please remember these meetings will focus on proficiency in writing through the process of scoring and sharing the writing pieces with each other.  We will continue the practice of scoring some of your own papers as well as taking time to score pieces from across the the schools.  This practice allows staff from each school to see the differences and similarities among our writers and continue to build a common definition of what proficiency in writing looks like at your grade level. We are excited to continue the proficiency conversation this Spring and are eager to have you all share your student writing with each other.   A more detailed blog with directions for the meetings will come out closer to the date of the meetings.