Schools
'Writing Coach' Debuts at Hopatcong Middle School
Teachers became students on Sept. 30 to familiarize themselves with a new tool to enhance students' writing skills and raise test scores.
Teachers at Hopatcong Middle School are hoping a new educational tool will help students become better writers.
The tool is a writing coach—not a human one, but a piece of software from Pearson Education called "Writing Coach." Superintendent of Schools Cynthia Randina in a statement said the software is designed to enhance the quality of students’ writing through skills analysis and practice.
To assist teachers in using Writing Coach, the district gave them a professional development day on Sept. 30 that turned them back into students. The teachers attended a webinar designed to acquaint them with the program, which stresses not only the mechanics of writing, but also its process.
Randina said the program, which is aligned with the state's new Common Core Standards, will be used across grades 6, 7 and 8. She said the district's hope is that Writing Coach will help boost students' language arts standardized test scores.
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