Develop a Middle School Writing Policy
with the support of the
National Council of Teachers of English

The Value of a District Writing Policy
Recent research provides information on successful features of writing instruction and achievement, and indeed, one feature is clear: students experienced with writing more than one draft of a paper, and students whose writing was saved in folders or portfolios, achieved higher average scores than their peers who did not write multiple drafts or save their writing. (1998 NAEP Report Card; see http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ writing.) Yet despite such findings, recent studies of the status of writing in the school curriculum also show that too often students are asked to write infrequently and within a narrow range of genres and for limited purposes. Clearly refining your district or school practices can insure that teachers are incorporating key writing experiences that contribute to the development of skilled student writers.

Characteristics of Effective Writing Policies

• Allocate time and resources to develop teacher knowledge.
• Recognize that ability in writing is a function of quality writing experiences; those experiences are defined and provided.
• Recognize that all students possess knowledge about written language and build from that knowledge and effort.
• Outline a flexible range of experiences and assignments that provide teachers with instructional guidelines and students with multiple opportunities and purposes for writing.
• Recognize the multiple functions that writing serves, both informal and formal.
• Incorporate technology in supporting student writing and the presentation of learning.
• Recognize that the responsibility for developing writing ability is shared across grade levels and content areas.

NCTE Provides Valuable Resources
In February 2003, NCTE embarked on a national campaign to advance the practice and teaching of writing at all levels of education. We are committed to facilitating the work of middle schools in the development or refinement of writing policies that result in increased student achievement. We offer leadership, research syntheses, teaching strategies, and ongoing professional development programs that can help your district and teachers.

Further, we provide a forum for schools like yours to both share and benefit from the work of others as this work is accomplished. Specifically, we can provide your school or district with:

• Protocols to help shape a writing policy, and consultants to facilitate that process.
• Collections of journal articles, book chapters, and policy statements on the teaching of writing.
• Participation within a network of educational institutions for the purpose of sharing information about writing policies and writing support resources.
• Access to professional development opportunities to facilitate ongoing learning.