10/13/2026
Sometimes a student's response tells us more about what they misunderstood than what they don’t know.
A weak response doesn’t always mean a student can’t write.
Sometimes they misunderstood the prompt.
Sometimes they chose evidence that didn’t actually fit.
Sometimes they knew what they wanted to say—but couldn’t explain their thinking clearly.
And sometimes, if we slow down and really look at the response, it tells us exactly where instruction needs to go next.
That’s one of the reasons I think student writing is so valuable.
It isn’t just something to score.
It’s information.
Teachers, when you look at a weak student response, what do you usually notice first?
The evidence? The explanation? The organization? Or something else?
