More Than a Checklist

It's Friday and the students are sitting at their desks, using a checklist to quietly revise their narrative writing. For some students, the areas they check as "needing improvement" remain consistent throughout the year. Other students simply mark off a skill as "mastered," with scarcely a glance at the piece of writing in front of them.

Although analyzing student work has become an increasingly popular way for teachers to improve student learning,¹  teaching students how to analyze their own work has received less attention. This important strategy entails teaching students how to make careful observations of their writing, set goals, and monitor their own progress—skills that are the backbone of college and career readiness.