Scenario Response 5

Jin Wu’s experience highlights an important distinction between progress in structured, scaffolded classroom tasks and the demands of an on-demand assessment. In class, differentiated writing activities allowed him to draw from background knowledge and build fluency in a supportive environment. However, when faced with the timed exam, he struggled to interpret the writing prompt itself showing that the barrier was not motivation or effort, but a gap in academic language comprehension and test-taking readiness.

From this event, I can draw two key pieces of information:

1. Language of assessments matters – Jin may have the content knowledge and emerging writing skills, but unfamiliar academic vocabulary in the prompt prevented him from accessing the task.

2. Test-taking strategies need explicit instruction – Simply giving more time may not help if students cannot unpack the question itself.

To better prepare Jin for future on-demand writing tasks, I would:

• Pre-teach academic language structures often found in prompts (e.g., “compare and contrast,” “explain,” “describe”). Building a bank of key directive verbs would give him anchors for interpreting questions.

• Use modeled practice with sample prompts where we walk through “What is this question really asking?” together, highlighting how to break it down.

• Provide gradual release practice by starting with guided group analysis of prompts, then moving to individual practice with feedback before an actual timed test.

• Incorporate sentence starters and graphic organizers into practice sessions so he has a familiar entry point into writing under time pressure.

• Simulate timed writing conditions in low-stakes practice, so Jin can build confidence with both pacing and independent interpretation of prompts.

In short, Jin’s difficulty was not a lack of ability but a lack of access to the prompt. By scaffolding his understanding of test language and giving him structured practice with academic directives, I can ensure that his growing writing skills are more accurately reflected in future assessments.