Here's How I Write (HHIW) is a different kind of assessment tool in which the student assesses his/her own handwriting and becomes an active participant in setting goals for improvement. HHIW targets children in second through fifth grade who are in need of Response to Intervention Tier 2 and Tier 3 intervention, or those referred for occupational therapy assessment for consideration of a related service as a result of handwriting difficulties.
Ages: 2nd through 5th Grade Test Type: Criterion-referenced with standardized administration procedures Testing Time: 15-20 minutes
Description: HHIW consists of a picture-card interview in which a child is presented with 24 cards, one at a time, sampling various aspects of handwriting. Nineteen of the twenty-four items relate to specific performance features of handwriting, including:
Staying on the lines
Letter formation
Letter and word spacing
Size of letters
Use of correct case
Use of page margins
Ability to accurately copy
Automaticity
Two items involve the child's feelings about writing (affective items), including :
"I like to write,"
“I feel that I write well”
Three items relate to physical factors contributing to writing. including:
Body posture
Stabilizing the page with the nonwriting hand
The Manual itself is packed full of helpful information; the research that substantiates the validity of the self-assessment approach, the relationship to the educational requirements of Public Law and Response to Intervention, Case Studies involving school children and, most important, many intervention strategies directly related to the specific handwriting problems revealed by the student's self-assessment.
