Q: Before you can assess a person's writing skills, you must take their background into account. For example, you would not evaluate an ESL student's writing the same way you would if they were a native English speaker. Consider such factors as: The writer's age and developmental level. Their educational background and experience. Their familiarity with the language in which they will be writing. You will need to adjust your expectations depending on the writer's background. Keeping in mind their age, experience level, and language proficiency, design a test that is appropriate for the individual. For example, if you're evaluating an ESL writer's skills, you may wish to focus mainly on linguistic accuracy (e.g., correct use of grammar, syntax, word forms, and vocabulary). If you are evaluating the writing of children, keep their age and grade level in mind. For example, you should expect an 8th grader to have a more complex understanding of verb moods and tenses than a 4th grader. Use a chart like this one to determine what skills are appropriate for the child's grade level: https://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/coreadingwriting/documents/rwc_gle_at_a_glance.pdf. For professional and academic writing, basic technical proficiency may be less of a concern than style, content, organization, and proper citation techniques. However, you should still evaluate technical proficiency, as it's an important part of the writer's skills. Think of your evaluation as having a broader approach as the writer's educational background advances. Writing a formal academic paper requires a very different skillset from writing a letter or a screenplay. Before you create a test or assignment, consider whether it reflects the types of writing skills you want to evaluate. For example, if you are testing the writer's ability to use descriptive language, you might ask them to describe a piece of art in a few paragraphs, or to describe a photo of the countryside. If you want to assess their ability to convey information concisely, you could have them complete an assignment in a specific number of words or paragraphs. You may not be addressing the writer's immediate needs, especially if they're in a class you're teaching. However, you should be helping them work on a specific skill. There are many different types of writing skills, so you will need to select a few to focus on. Decide exactly which skills you want to evaluate, since this will determine the nature of the assignment and how you evaluate it. For example, you might focus on: The use of proper writing conventions, such as good spelling, grammar, syntax, capitalization, and punctuation. The writer's mastery of written vocabulary. The clarity and fluency with which the writer presents their arguments. The use of clear and logical structure within the text. . A rubric is a way of quantifying whatever it is you are trying to evaluate. This might involve assigning a letter grade based on your overall impression of the work (a holistic rubric) or giving points based on the degree to which the work meets specific criteria (an analytic rubric). Rubrics allow you to score students with different needs and backgrounds using a different scale. Consider the writer's background and current skill level when creating your rubric so you can differentiate your evaluation process. For example, an ESL student will have a different rubric than a native speaker who is also an honor student. If you're not sure where to start, do an online search for example writing rubrics. This site offers a variety of rubric templates: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php. A holistic rubric might assign a letter grade based on the overall clarity, organization, and technical proficiency of the writing. For example, you might say, "An 'A' paper will present the main argument clearly and support it with specific facts. It will also be free of grammatical and spelling errors." In an analytic rubric, you will need to develop a numerical scoring system for the different criteria you will be looking at. For example, you might subtract 1 point for every grammatical error, or assign a range of points (0-10) for organization, fluency, or the degree to which the writing addresses the assignment topic. The writer will need to know exactly what is expected of them as they are completing their assignment. Tell them what you will be looking for in as much detail as possible, and invite them to ask questions if they have trouble understanding the assignment. Provide both written and verbal instructions to accommodate different learning styles. Give them information such as: How much time they have to complete the assignment. Approximately how long the text should be (e.g., 5 paragraphs, 10 pages, or 300-500 words). The purpose of the assignment (e.g., to assess their ability to present a persuasive argument). The topic (or range of topics) you would like them to write about. Building writing skills is a process, and so is evaluating those skills. You will get a better idea of the writer's abilities if you check in and provide feedback at multiple points during the writing process and assess how their writing improves and develops over time. For example, you might offer to provide feedback on drafts, and then look at how well they incorporate your suggestions into the final product. If you can, offer multiple assignments over a period of time, and provide feedback that encourages improvement and development.
A: Assess the writer's background. Target your evaluation to the writer's experience level. Keep your assignments relevant to the writer's needs or the skills you're improving. Determine your assessment criteria. Create a scoring rubric Set clear parameters for your assignment. Keep re-evaluating throughout the writing process.

Q: Bands like Shellac, Glassjaw, and At The Drive-In cross lines between metal, hardcore, and noise music, often incorporating extremely harsh sounds and extremely fast technical playing into the sound with sudden pretty moments of melody. In the mid-2000s, this style of music became extremely popularized with bands like My Chemical Romance, Thursday, and Thrice breaking into the mainstream. Sometimes this kind of music is also known as screamo and will even have someone in the band specifically known as the "screamer." Often, the look was accompanied by v-neck black shirts, tight jeans, gauges, and the famous swooped bangs haircut. " The hardcore thug look is related to bands like Madball, Skarhead, and E-Town Concrete, bands that incorporate elements of gangster style and culture into their music. The music is often positive, despite its tough-looking image. Madball writes inspirational lyrics. Sometimes, this is referred to as "posicore." If you're into that style, bands of the genre include Youth of Today, Bane, Comeback Kid, Verse, and pretty much any band on Bridge Nine or Rivalry Records. Camouflage shorts are very popular in that genre, also. Long work shirts or tank tops paired with a pair of baggy jeans, and some Nike Cortez's (Chuck Taylors, basketball shoes, or black low-top Vans) along with a fitted New Era cap with the sticker on. Band shirts work as well, but only for local indie or underground bands. By incorporating the breakbeats and abrupt changes from hardcore music, some bands with a more metal sound and style are now referred to as "metalcore." Deathcore and grindcore bands are also similar, with subtle differences in the sound. Stylistically, the look is similar to tough guy hardcore style. While some of the imagery in the videos of these bands looks very gothic or metal-like, the members of the bands themselves dress in pretty standard hardcore style. Often, talking about various kinds of hardcore music will make hardcore fans say "That's not real hardcore," but it can be difficult to know what "real hardcore" even is. Avoid these kinds of arguments. Hardcore fans are defensive about their culture and want to preserve it against outside influences. Learn about the history of the genre and the culture and you'll be safe. At least give new hardcore styles a listen before deciding what you think. New and strangely popular subgenres like crunkcore and electronicore mesh hardcore sounds with EDM and pop-rap culture and are especially controversial, sometimes seen as marketing schemes more than actual music. If you don't like it, throw on an old Minor Threat record and move on.
A:
Give post-hardcore a listen. Try out thugcore or "toughguy hardcore. Explore metalcore. Keep an open mind.