Using Quill in the Classroom

Quill is a nonprofit organization that provides web-based, open-source literacy instruction and practice for students in grades 3-12 (Quill, n.d.-a). The platform offers over 800 interactive learning activities that cover grammar, writing, and revision skills aligned to the Common Core standards. Teachers can assign specific activities, assign diagnostics, view reports on student performance, and share instructional resources with students. When students work on the interactive lessons and practice activities, they receive real-time feedback and support to improve their understanding of writing conventions. With the free plan, teachers can access independent practice activities, diagnostic assessments, full class lessons, and some of the data reporting and rostering functions (Quill, n.d.-b). The teacher premium plan offers additional data reporting features, while the school and district premium plan provides large-scale data analysis resources, training, and technical support. Manchester School District does not subscribe to the premium plan, so these recommendations are based on the free version of Quill.

Audience

Quill is designed for English language arts (ELA) students in grades 3-12, but the writing skills practiced on the platform will help improve students’ writing across subject areas. Students can be assigned lessons targeted at any grade level, and the teacher will select activities for students’ current level of knowledge. ELA teachers are, therefore, the primary target audience, but other teachers may choose to use the platform, too.

Advantages and Disadvantages

A major advantage of using Quill to enhance writing instruction is that the platform provides a wide variety of interactive, self-paced lessons that build key writing skills through engaging practice. Quill provides ample opportunities for differentiating instruction to meet students’ needs, and diagnostic testing allows teachers to gauge progress toward mastery of standards-aligned skills. Potential downsides include that students will be required to use a computer device with a consistent Internet connection, and the exercises are decontextualized from the full writing process.

Budget

All lessons, activities, and diagnostic assessments are completely free for individual teachers. However, the Teacher Premium plan costs $80 per teacher per year, and the School and District Premium plan costs $1800 per school per year (Quill, n.d.-b). No additional purchases are required.

Training and Rollout

Quill provides free videos and articles to help teachers get started with the platform (Quill Staff, 2021). In addition, when users create a new account, they are walked through a demo including importing students and selecting activities for assessment. ELA teachers will likely be introduced to the program first, followed by other interested teachers from different subject areas. The technology integrator should provide teachers with the videos and resources created by Quill with an introductory email to all staff members. In addition to this measure, optional webinars and/or workshops can be scheduled for teachers who want real-time live support while they are using the website. More advanced topics can also be covered during these sessions to support teachers in using the Quill diagnostic assessments and the data analysis platforms.

Equipment Needed

No additional hardware equipment will need to be purchased to introduce Quill to teachers and students because the district already has a 1:1 device program. However, teachers and students alike will use their district-provided Google accounts to log into Quill and access the resources there. For the whole-class lessons, teachers may also want to use their classroom projectors, such as a ClearTouch, which have previously been purchased by the district.

FAQ

Q: How do I open my Quill account and get my students set up with Quill accounts?

A: You will log into your Quill account by going to quill.org and logging in using your district Google account. Quill has rostering tools that allow you to easily transfer your existing class roster data from Google Classroom or another LMS platform. Once you are logged into the platform, go to the My Classes tab, and select "Import from Google Classroom."

You can then select which classes from Google Classroom to import into Quill. When you create an assignment and send students the link through Google Classroom, they will automatically be able to log into their Quill account with their Google account as well.

Q: How does Quill differentiate instruction?

A: Teachers can flexibly assign activities targeting specific skills for individual students or groups of students. Students then work through assignments at their own pace and receive real-time feedback about their work to make improvements. Additionally, the teacher can assign diagnostic assessments to gauge the students' needs and assign activities based on the results from the assessment.

Q: Why should I use Quill?

A: Quill supports both writing instruction aligned with the Common Core standards and technology skill acquisition according to the ISTE standards. View this video for more information on the subject.

Q: What if I have issues using Quill? How can I find help?

A: Use the Quill FAQ page or contact your building technology integrator to troubleshoot!

All FAQ answers are paraphrased from the Quill FAQ page and personal experience, tailored to meet the needs of teachers in Manchester School District. Access additional support by contacting administration or your building technology integrator if you can't find the information you need here or in the Quill FAQ page.

References

Graham, S. & Perin, D. (2007). Writing next: Effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high schools. Carnegie Corporation of New York. https://www.carnegie.org/publications/writing-next-effective-strategies-to-improve-writing-of-adolescents-in-middle-and-high-schools/

Quill. (n.d.-a). About us. Retrieved on April 26, 2024 from https://www.quill.org/about

Quill. (n.d.-b). Premium: Choose the plan that’s right for you. Retrieved on April 26, 2024 from https://www.quill.org/premium

Quill Staff. (2021, July 23). Collection: Getting started with Quill. Quill. https://www.quill.org/teacher-center/quills-backtoschool-resources