How can you differentiate academic writing assessment for students of different levels?

1 Understand your students

Before you create any writing assignment, you need to understand your students' profiles, goals, and expectations. You can use various methods to gather information about your students, such as surveys, interviews, portfolios, or diagnostic tests. Based on the data you collect, you can identify your students' strengths, weaknesses, interests, and preferences in academic writing. You can also group your students according to their levels of proficiency, such as beginner, intermediate, or advanced.

2 Align your assessment with your objectives

Next, you need to align your assessment tasks with your course objectives and learning outcomes. You should clearly define what you want your students to learn and demonstrate through their writing, and how you will measure their progress and performance. You should also communicate your assessment criteria and expectations to your students, and provide them with rubrics, samples, or feedback. You can use different types of assessment, such as formative, summative, or alternative, depending on your purpose and context.

3 Vary your assessment formats and options

Another way to differentiate your writing assessment is to vary the formats and options of your tasks. You can use different genres, modes, and media for your writing assignments, such as essays, reports, blogs, podcasts, or videos. You can also allow your students to choose their own topics, audiences, or formats, or to work individually or collaboratively. By providing your students with multiple ways to express their ideas and knowledge, you can increase their engagement, motivation, and creativity.

4 Scaffold your assessment tasks

Scaffolding is a technique that involves breaking down a complex task into smaller and manageable steps, and providing guidance and support along the way. You can scaffold your writing assessment tasks by providing your students with clear instructions, examples, models, or templates. You can also offer your students feedback, coaching, or mentoring at different stages of the writing process, such as planning, drafting, revising, or editing. You can adjust the level and amount of scaffolding according to your students' needs and levels.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?