MI Write Has Got You Covered!

Summer is quickly coming to an end and you are undoubtedly thinking about the upcoming school year. Whether you’ll be teaching online or in person, you may be dealing with new standards in your state. Florida and Colorado are two states that are revamping their standards for student learning. Fear not! MI Write works with any standards. 

No matter what your new standards are, MI Write covers them all. Most states require students in each grade to practice writing in each of the three genres (narrative, explanatory/informational, and argumentative/opinion) with standards that emphasize the process of drafting, editing, revising, and publishing. In MI Write, teachers can assign prompts in any of the three major genres of writing on a multitude of topics to fit their curriculum.

Narrative writing standards across states also add focus on narrative elements such as dialogue, characters, plot, and descriptive language. Argumentative/opinion standards look for claims, evidence, sources, and conclusions. Similarly, explanatory/informational standards focus on clear topic statements, organized ideas, relevant facts, and strong details. 

Within the six traits on which the PEG engine scores student writing, each of these elements, and more, are found: 

• Development of Ideas: look for strong details, valid information, and well-developed events.
• Organization: structure, smooth transitions, purpose, and a logical progression of ideas make up this trait.
• Style: is there a strong connection with the audience?
• Word Choice: created by precise and subject-specific vocabulary and descriptive language.
• Sentence Fluency: in all types of writing, rhythm, flow, and variety of sentence length make for more interesting reading.
• Conventions: look for proper use of grammar and mechanics.

As students draft and revise their essays in MI Write, the automated scoring engine picks up on these elements and gives students specific feedback that will help them improve in these areas. Rubrics show a breakdown of how the scoring engine looks for each trait within the different writing genres. The key elements looked for in the state standards are also found in the language of the scoring engine feedback and the rubrics.

MI Write is your partner in formative writing assessments that meet the needs of your state standards. With the features and tools available, students have what they need to improve their writing skills and increase scores. The robust reports available allow individual teachers as well as administrators to keep track of data throughout the year to celebrate successes, create learning groups, and inform further instruction. If you’d like more information on how MI Write can serve your specific standard needs, reach out to us today.