The Common Core has propelled what the National Commission on Writing has been trying to do for years: move writing instruction to the forefront.  Way back in 2003, the National Commission on Writing released “The Neglected R: The Need for a Writing Revolution.  It prescribed sweeping changes to the way we do writing, suggesting it should be a centerpiece to the curriculum. Flash forward to 2010; Common Core State Standards are the biggest buzz, and they feature writing, front and center.  Because these standards are rooted in College & Career Readiness, they sound the alarm for high quality writing instruction.

Why sound the writing alarm?

• More than 50% of first year college students are unable to produce papers relatively free from errors.
• On the National Assessment for Education Progress (NAEP)—more than 70% of students in grades 8-12 cannot write at a proficient level.
• Half the responding companies report that they take writing into consideration when hiring professional employees.
• Two-thirds of salaried employees in large American companies have some writing responsibility.
• Writing tests during hiring are becoming more commonplace (80% in some job areas).
• Half of all companies take writing into account when making promotion decisions.

 How should writing instruction change?

• Teach writing for an hour (or more) a day. In Common Core, writing receives equal billing with reading. That means we as teachers need to spend a lot more time on writing instruction than we have in the past.  Long ago, when we used a “balanced literacy” model for instruction and administered performance based assessments to our students, they could write.  We wrote all the time, and it showed in their products.  When No Child Left Behind came along, we abandoned writing (because it was no longer on the state assessment).  In fact, students could receive a proficient score without ever writing a single word.  Today, our students’ writing skills reflect that [lack of] instruction. In order for students to be college and career ready, they must be strong writers.
• Model, think aloud, & guide.  In Pathways to the Common Core, Lucy Calkins reiterated the sentiment from the National Commission on Writing:  We all must own teaching writing.  Every teacher must show students how to write, using think-alouds as we create our own (perhaps not so perfect) pieces and mentor texts of real authors whose style we want to emulate. We must guide young writers through specific, diagnostic mini-lessons and positive feedback.
• Writing offers the biggest “bang for your buck.” It is the single best thing you can do to move students and teachers toward meeting CCSS. Because new assessments will include a huge amount of writing, improving student’s writing skills will have a reciprocal effect.  Reading will be assessed in part through writing. In addition to that, here’s a sneaky thing that teachers have discovered: teaching writing actually helps improve writing. Through reading and rereading their own and peers’ writing as well as closely reading mentor texts, students are becoming more analytical in their reading.  Sound familiar, like Common Core Anchor Standard 1?
• Take advantage of the reciprocal nature of reading & writing. Here is a sneaky fact that teachers who have boosted the time commitment for writing have discovered: students’ reading has also improved.  Three key methods were identified by the Writing to Read report. These include 1) have students write about what they read; 2) explicitly teach skills and craft moves of good writers; and 3) have students write a lot.
• Write across the content areas.  Students have to write all day if they want to improve.  However, don’t mistake the writing done in Science and Social Studies for writing instruction.  Instruction must include explicit modeling and guidance in techniques and methods.  If you are simply assigning writing in the content areas, that isn’t the same.

For the research nerds like me, here is more information:

The Neglected R: The Need for a Writing Revolution
Writing: A Ticket to Work…or a Ticket Out
Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading