Standards for success in L2 academic English collaborative writing assessment: Development and validity study

While rubrics are commonly employed to evaluate performance assessments in ESL classrooms, there is a notable gap in research on designing assessments tailored to Filipino ESL learners who are transitioning to English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes.This study aims to bridge this gap by developing an analytic rubric designed from the synthesis of the current literature on written performance assessment.The test was first administered in a pilot group of three teachers before it was administered to ten other teachers as the actual respondents.The study examined 78 analytical rubrics used to evaluate collaborative writing tasks for Grade 12 students enrolled in English for Academic Purposes (EAP).The study utilized Many-Facet Rasch Measurement analysis to investigate rater severity and leniency, as well as test-taker performance, across multiple rubric categories.The findings reveal significant differences in raters' leniency and severity in awarding scores and variation in student performance.Implications are discussed in terms of validation of assessment rubrics in collaborative writing projects.