Writing Center - Middle School Home

The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is that you really want to say. 
Mark Twain

 Curriculum, Instructional Resources, and Assessment

TTMS Strategy Guide - Steve Peha's extensive guide to reading, writing, and content area instructional strategies - Over 50 easy-to-use teaching strategies from "Teaching That Makes Sense" www.ttms.org

Middle School Required Writing Curriculum - This chart illustrates the Oklahoma state PASS and Edmond district requirements for modes of writing by grade level. 

OCCT Analytic Scoring Guide - This rubric is used on the Oklahoma Core Curriculum Writing Test to score each of the five analytic traits.

Assessing Writing, Assessing Writers - Steve Peha's guide to writing assessment raises questions, offers suggestions, and generates thought about how parents, teachers, and students judge writing.  From www.ttms.org (Teaching That Makes Sense)

The Write Source Website - Student writing models, MLA electronic documentation style, student writing publication site. 

Write Source Writing Skills Correlation with PASS - This document matches grammar, usage, mechanics and writing skills at each grade level with Oklahoma Priority Academic Student Skills.

McDougal-Littell Literature ClassZone.com Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8 - Students: Access the literature textbook ONLINE here! Students and teachers: Access the following resources: literature and reading, writing and grammar, vocabulary, assessment, research, media, teacher's toolkit.


 Oklahoma State Department of Education 

OCCT Testing Dates - OSTP (Oklahoma School Testing Program) dates for OCCT (Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests) and EOI (End of Instruction) tests

OCCT Reading Blueprints Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8 - These blueprints reflect the degree to which the PASS standards and objectives are reflected on the test.

OCCT Reading and Writing Parent, Student, and Teacher Guides Grades 6, 7, 8 - These guides offer practice questions, the objectives covered on the test, sample writing prompts, and test-taking tips.

OCCT Reading/Writing Item Specifications and Sample Items Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8; Grade 8 Writing - This document lists all of the PASS objectives covered on the test with multiple sample test questions written exactly like the ones that will appear on the test.

OCCT Reading/Writing Performance Level Descriptors Grade 6 Reading, Grade 7 Reading, Grade 8 Reading, Grade 8 Writing - Details of the characteristics of the four performance level descriptors: Advanced, Proficient, Limited Knowledge, Unsatisfactory

Scoring Procedures - OCCT Writing Assessment - This link details scoring procedures for the OCCT writing test. 

OCCT Analytic Scoring Guide - This rubric is used on the Oklahoma Core Curriculum Writing Test to score each of the five analytic traits.

OCCT Analytic Rubric Long Form - This is the original Oklahoma State Department of Education format for the five-trait OCCT writing rubric.

Released 8th Grade Reading OCCT - Previously administered reading assessment is now released to the public for classroom practice.

Sample Set of 20 Student Papers - This link provides actual student responses to a previous year's prompt. There are ten scored papers per analytic topic, ranging from score points 1-4.

PASS (Priority Academic Student Skills) - Oklahoma's Required Curriculum

 Writing Across the Curriculum

NWP (National Writing Project) Writing Across the Curriculum Resources - A comprehensive, almost unbelievable collection of links to articles exploding with exciting ideas and discussions about writing across the curriculum - everything from the philosophy to the "nuts and bolts"

ELL (English Language Learners) Links

ELL Writing, Grammar, and Teaching Links pdf

Patty Foster
Language Arts Curriculum Content Specialist 
Edmond Public Schools
1001 W. Danforth, Edmond, OK 73003
(405) 340-2208
patty.foster@edmondschools.net