This section describes the writing tasks used in the study. Each of the three Tier C writing tasks was administered across two different testing years, 2010-11 and 2011-12, and then retired from operational use as part of the test refreshment cycle. I selected these tasks from a small pool
of retired test tasks because of the WIDA Standards they address (Language of Math and
Language of Science). I selected MS as the focal task type for this study because these tasks have rich input and, compared with the other two tasks on the WIDA writing test, are relatively
constrained in the types of responses they elicit. For example, other types of task may rely more on background experience or opinions. My expectation was that responses to MS tasks would adhere closely to the task input and this would best be able to show patterns of how students use language from the task input in their responses.
Table 7 provides an overview of the three test tasks used in the study, including a description of the content, the grade-level, the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) levels targeted by the task, and the WIDA Standards that the tasks are aligned to.
Table 7. Summary of writing tasks included in the study
Task title Grade-level
cluster Content ELD levels WIDA Standards Electrical Circuits
3-5 Using lightbulbs and
batteries to examine the flow of electricity through circuits
3-5 Language of Math and
Language of Science (MS) Using Scientific Instruments 6-8 Using scientific instruments to grow tomatoes for a science project
3-5 Language of Math and
Language of Science (MS
Conservation of Energy
9-12 Applying the law of
conservation of energy to an
experiment using toy cars
3-5 Language of Math and
Language of Science (MS)
As shown in Table 7, all three tasks targeted WIDA ELD levels three through five. Levels 3-5 are at the higher end of the six-point proficiency scale. At level five, student writing is expected to be comparable to fully English-proficient peers at the same grade level.
Each of the three tasks is based on two WIDA Standards: Language of Math and
Language of Science, abbreviated as MS. MS tasks are designed to elicit grade-level appropriate language related to these content areas, as described in the WIDA Standards. Task input is aligned to these standards, and tasks are designed to reflect academic content similar to what students may encounter in math or science courses. The content of the tasks should be familiar to most students within the grade-level cluster. However, because the construct of the assessment is academic language proficiency and not content knowledge, the task input is intended to provide students with all the information needed to formulate a response.
Task input provided to students includes a task title, orientation text, a task graphic with text labels and captions, and a task prompt, which is defined here as the task question or directive to which the student responds. Table 8 describes key features of the task input for the three tasks included in the study including the total number of words and the exact text of the test prompt to which the student responds.
Table 8. Task characteristics and prompt wording
Task Total input words Prompt wording
Grade 3:
Electrical Circuits
107 Explain how solving the problem with lightbulb
B changes the flow of electricity in these circuits. Write a paragraph of 6 to 8 sentences explaining your answer.
Grade 6: Using Scientific Instruments
103 Look at the information about growing tomatoes.
Write at least 8 sentences explaining how Alex will use the tools to help him grow healthy tomato plants.
Grade 9:
Conservation of Energy
188 Describe what happens to the toy car’s energy
and explain the steps Omri used to calculate the kinetic energy of the toy car at Point B. Write a paragraph of 8 to 10 sentences.
When calculating the number of words in the input, I included all text, titles, section headers, task-specific directions, and graphic labels in the calculation. Text related to general test information was not included. For example, page numbers and copyright information that
appeared on each test page were not included in the word counts.
The task prompts explicitly state the length of responses students are expected to
produce. In grades 3-5, students are instructed to write six to eight sentences. Grades 6-8 students are instructed to write “at least 8 sentences,” and students in grades 9-12 are instructed to write, “a paragraph of 8 to 10 sentences.” These instructions are designed to support students in understanding task expectations. However, students do not have to write a particular number of sentences in order to achieve a certain score, and raters did not calculate the total number of sentences students produced when scoring.
The test tasks are designed to allow students to demonstrate their English language ability rather than content knowledge. This means that all information students need to respond
appropriately is provided in the task input. However, in each task, students do need to understand, synthesize and apply the input in order to formulate a response. For example, in response to the Grades 3-5 Electrical Circuits task, students read a short explanation of how electricity travels through wires and then must apply this to explain why a lightbulb depicted in the graphic is not working. In responding to the Grades 6-8 Using Scientific Instruments task, students must synthesize information about growing healthy tomatoes with a list of tools. In responding to the Grades 9-12 Conservation of Energy task, students are presented with a short description of the law of conservation of energy and with a formula for calculating energy use. Students must then apply this information in an explanation of how a toy car moves down a ramp. Thus, while each task provides students with information to respond, each task does
include an element of application or critical thinking so that responses are not simply recounting task input.
Task graphics are a fundamental component of task input. Table 9 describes the type of graphic input provided for each task included in the study. All task graphics are full color and presented on a single page in the testing booklet.
Table 9. Summary of task graphics
Task Graphic support and presentation
Grade 3: Electrical Circuits
The illustration shows a parallel circuit connected to a battery. Arrows indicate the flow of electricity through the circuit. One lightbulb (A) is connected to the circuit and is working. A second lightbulb (B), is not connected to the circuit because the path is broken. Text boxes and arrows provide students with an explanation of what is happening in the graphic.
Grade 6: Using Scientific Instruments
A text box labeled “How to Grow Healthy Tomatoes” shows a bulleted list of information about growing tomatoes with an illustration of tomatoes. Below this, a chart lists, “Tools for growing tomatoes” and includes a thermometer, rain gauge, and yardstick along with an illustration of each tool. The chart also indicates what each tool measures.
Grade 9: Conservation of Energy
The task graphic shows a toy car going down a ramp. Graphic text includes the equation for calculating total energy, and calculations for potential, kinetic, and total energy at three different points (A, B, and C) in the car’s progress down the ramp. The graphic includes math calculations for determining the kinetic energy of the toy car at Point B.
As Table 9 indicates, task graphics also include text such as labels or short explanations of what is being shown. These graphics do not merely support the concepts presented in the task input. Rather, they are central to responding to the prompt appropriately, and students must understand what the graphic depicts and the text included in the graphic.