Analysis of Student Revisions on a State Writing Test

Abstract

Type and quality of revisions made by students between first and final drafts of a state writing test were scored using a revision taxonomy. Scorers categorized revisions first by unit (e.g., word, phrase, sentence), and then by type (e.g., addition, substitution, spelling). They then evaluated the impact of each revision on the readability of the final draft as “improved,” “decreased,” or “neutral.” Descriptive analyses revealed three major findings. First, in terms of unit changes, word revisions were the most prevalent (approximately 40%) across students in Grades 5 and 8. Second, when coding for type of revision, substitutions accounted for approximately 45% of all revisions, while revisions classified as “additions” had the most positive impact on students' final drafts (i.e., positively impacting readability 66% to 76% of the time). An interesting third finding was the relationship between rate of writing and score on the writing test: Students in special education with Individualized Education Programs goals in writing made approximately the same number of revisions per 100 words as students in the general population but wrote 100 words less, on average.