The purpose of the study was to explore whether a writing assessment rubric could be used as an effective teaching strategy with children who are deaf. From September through June, the teacher evaluated the students' compositions using a writing assessment rubric. From fall to spring the fifth and seventh graders showed significant improvement in four writing qualities and no significant improvement in five qualities. All of the compositions reflected the students' ability to use language functionally both interpersonally and intrapersonally. As an instructional strategy, teachers can individualize rubrics by student, class, age level, genre, or assignment to target the developmental needs of students who are deaf and other students with special needs.
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