The Hartford Jt. #1 School District uses the 6 +1 Trait Model to assess student writing.  The 6 Traits are ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions.  The +1 Trait is presentation. 

The Ideas are the main message, the content of the piece, the main theme, together with all the supporting details that enrich and develop that theme. The ideas are strong when the message is clear, not garbled.

Organization is the internal structure of a piece of writing, the thread of central meaning, the pattern and sequence, so long as it fits the central idea. Organizational structure can be based on comparison-contrast, deductive logic, point-by-point analysis, development of a central theme, chronological history of an event, or any of a dozen other identifiable patterns. When the organization is strong, the piece begins meaningfully and creates in the writer a sense of anticipation that is, ultimately, systematically fulfilled.

Voice is the writer coming through the words, the sense that a real person is speaking to us and cares about the message. It is the heart and soul of the writing, the magic, the wit, the feeling, the life and breath.

Word Choice is the use of rich, colorful, precise language that communicates not just in a functional way, but in a way that moves and enlightens the reader. In descriptive writing, strong word choice resulting in imagery, especially sensory, show-me writing, clarifies and expands ideas.

Sentence Fluency is the rhythm and flow of the language, the sound of word patterns, the way in which the writing plays to the ear, not just to the eye. How does it sound when read aloud?

The Conventions Trait is the mechanical correctness of the piece and includes five elements: spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar/usage, and paragraphing. Writing that is strong in Conventions has been proofread and edited with care.

During the school year, each grade level assesses many pieces of student writing in all subject areas; some informally and some formally. 

There are links at the right for you to explore a more detailed explanation of the 6 +1 Model.  The information above was taken from the NWREL 6 +1 Traits web page which is linked at the right.

To view district writing assessment data, navigate to the HAPA Writing Assessment using the left side bar.