Advances in Automated Scoring of Writing for Performance Assessment

The ability to convey information through writing is a central component of real-world skills. However, assessing writing can be time consuming, limiting the timeliness of feedback. Automated scoring of writing has been shown to be effective across a number of applications. This chapter focuses on how automated scoring of writing has been extended to assessing and training of real-world skills in a range of content domains. It illustrates examples of how the technology is used and considerations for its implementation. The examples include 1) Formative feedback on writing quality, 2) scoring of content in student writing. 3) improving reading comprehension through summary writing, and 4) assessment of writing integrated in higher-level performance tasks in professional domains. WRITING FOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS Writing is the ability to create meaning through symbols (e.g., Kellogg, 1999) and to communicate that meaning to others. Communicating information through writing is considered one of the key 21st Century skills and has been incorporated as a critical component in many national standards (e.g., Ananiadou & Claro, 2009; OECD, 2013). For example, the U.S. Common Core State Standards require students to develop more rigorous writing skills with a stronger emphasis on the ability to synthesize and summarize informational text, formulate arguments, as well as respond appropriately to source documents. This puts greater emphasis on writing for a purpose, with students linking ideas to texts and argumentation and writing across the curriculum. With the advent of information technologies, writing also plays a more central role in everyday communication. Information can be readily published on the web and communication via writing has become more ubiquitous through email, chat, and other collaborative tools. Thus, within an information economy, writing is not just an academic pursuit, it is the primary conduit for Peter W. Foltz Pearson, USA & University of Colorado – Boulder, USA