Writing Needs Assessment + Parent Strategy Call | Gr 5-12
You Know Your Child Needs Help with their Writing...
But Do You Know What They Actually Need Help With?
Your child may be writing regularly, getting feedback from teachers or coaches, or practicing at home—and you still may not know what they actually need to become a stronger writer, whether they’re already doing well or need additional support.
Is it organization?
Are their ideas underdeveloped?
Do they struggle to explain their reasoning?
Is grammar really the problem—or is something happening before they ever get to grammar?
Before you spend more time practicing the wrong thing—or spend more money on another curriculum, program, or course that addresses the wrong issue—let’s figure out what your child actually needs to strengthen their writing skills.
Writing Needs Assessment + Parent Strategy Call
For students in Grades 5-12 | $97
Send me a recent sample of your child’s writing. I’ll review it before we meet and identify the areas that need the most attention—not just for this assignment, but the underlying skills that can strengthen their writing across future assignments.
Then we’ll meet privately for a 30-minute parent strategy call where I’ll walk you through exactly what I’m seeing and what I recommend doing next.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of our call, you’ll understand:
- What your child is already doing well
- What is currently limiting their writing
- The 2–3 highest-priority skills they should strengthen
- Why those skills are affecting the rest of their writing
- What I recommend working on first
- What your next steps could look like
You won’t leave with another vague instruction to “practice writing more.”
You’ll leave knowing what to work on and why.
How It Works
After checkout, you'll receive instructions for submitting your child's writing sample and scheduling your 30-minute parent strategy call. I'll review the writing before we meet.
1. Send Me a Writing Sample
After booking, you’ll submit a recent piece of your child’s writing.
Whenever possible, choose a complete piece that reflects how they typically write rather than something that has already been heavily corrected by an adult or AI.
2. I Review the Writing
I’ll look beyond spelling and grammar to identify what is happening underneath the writing.
Depending on the sample, I may look at areas such as:
- Organization and structure
- Development of ideas
- Reasoning and explanation
- Clarity
- Use of evidence
- Sentence construction
- Grammar and mechanics
- Overall communication of ideas
3. We Meet for 30 Minutes
This is a parent strategy call, so your child does not need to attend.
I’ll explain what I found in plain language, answer your questions, and help you understand which skills should be prioritized first.
4. You Leave With a Direction
You can use the recommendations on your own, bring them to your child’s teacher or tutor, or decide whether additional writing support makes sense.
There is no requirement to purchase another service.
More Writing Practice Is Not Always the Answer.
If a student keeps practicing without understanding which skill is actually breaking down, they can spend a lot of time repeating the same problems.
Sometimes the issue parents notice isn’t even the real issue.
A paper filled with grammar mistakes may also contain weak organization.
A student who “doesn’t add enough detail” may actually struggle with explaining the details they already have.
A child who knows exactly what they want to say out loud may not yet know how to organize those ideas on paper.
Sometimes parents do notice what the real issue is, BUT they don't know what type of writing support will actually fix it.
You may already know your child’s writing is disorganized ,for example—but having them complete more outlines may not be the answer. They may actually understand structure and struggle to decide which ideas belong in the paper in the first place and which details support their main point.
The goal of this assessment is to pinpoint what’s happening so you know where to focus next.
This May Be a Good Fit If...
Your child:
- Struggles with writing assignments even after repeated practice
- Has good ideas but has trouble getting them onto the page
- Writes paragraphs that feel unclear, disorganized, or underdeveloped
- Receives writing feedback but you’re still unsure what the larger problem is
- Gets stuck when asked to explain their reasoning
- Seems capable of stronger writing than what currently appears on the page
- Needs help, but you aren’t sure what kind of help would actually be useful
This May ALSO Be a Good Fit If...
Your child is already a capable writer—but you want to understand what could take their writing further.
This assessment isn't only for students who are struggling. It may also be a good fit if:
- Your child is already a strong writer, but you want to identify where they still have room to grow
- Their current writing work seems too easy, repetitive, or no longer challenging them
- You know they're capable of more and want to understand what stronger, more advanced writing development could look like
- You're homeschooling or choosing a new writing curriculum and want to understand your child's actual needs before investing in another program or resource
- You're transitioning between schools, programs, or curricula and want a clearer picture of where your child currently stands
- You're considering tutoring, coaching, or another writing program and want to know what kind of support would actually benefit your child
- You'd rather make your next decision based on your child's individual writing than purchase another catch-all solution and hope it addresses the right skills
Sometimes the question isn't “What's wrong with my child's writing?”
It's “What does this particular writer need next?”
This Is NOT a Good Fit If...
This assessment is probably not the right fit if:
- Your child is not currently in grades 5–12
- You're looking for proofreading, editing, or a corrected version of your child's paper
- You're looking for a grade, standardized score, or comparison of your child to other students
- You want a general writing curriculum recommendation without first looking closely at your child's actual writing
- You're primarily looking for help completing an immediate homework assignment
- You're looking for a tutoring session with your child rather than an assessment and strategy conversation with you
- You're not open to individualized feedback that may differ from the writing advice, curriculum, or approach your child has previously received
The purpose of this assessment is not to fit your child into a predetermined writing program.
It's to look at the writer in front of us, identify what their writing shows they need, and give you a clearer direction for what comes next.
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Hi, I'm Jahci Joy.
Writing & Communications Coach | B.A. in English | Master’s in Public Health
I help students become stronger, more independent writers by focusing on something that is often overlooked: the thinking behind the writing.
Stronger writing isn't simply about fixing grammar or putting more words on the page. It's about learning how to organize ideas, develop reasoning, and communicate clearly.
That's also how I approach this assessment. I'm not simply looking for mistakes to correct.
I'm looking at your child's writing as a whole to understand what they're already doing well, what's getting in the way, and what they need to strengthen next.
My goal is to help you understand the writer in front of you—so you can make informed decisions about what kind of support, curriculum, or next step will actually help them grow.
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Stop Guessing at What Your Child Needs.
Get a professional review of their actual writing and a clear direction for what to work on next.
Writing Needs Assessment + Parent Strategy Call - $97
Includes:- Review of one recent writing sample
- Identification of key strengths and writing needs
- 2–3 priority areas for improvement
- 30-minute private parent strategy call
- Personalized recommendations for next steps
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my child attend the call?
No. This assessment includes a private call with the parent or guardian. I’ll review your child’s writing beforehand and use our time together to explain what I found and answer your questions.
What kind of writing should I submit?
A recent school, homeschool, or other formal writing assignment is ideal, especially if you have concerns about academic writing. Creative writing is also welcome if that is the type of writing you would like assessed.
Choose something that represents your child’s typical writing and has not been substantially rewritten or corrected by someone else.
Can I submit creative writing?
Yes. Creative writing can be submitted, but the best sample depends on what you want to understand about your child’s writing.
If your primary concerns involve academic or essay writing—such as organization, reasoning, developing ideas, or using evidence—I recommend submitting a recent academic assignment when possible.
If you want feedback on your child’s creative writing skills, a creative piece is appropriate.
Is this tutoring?
No. This service is designed to identify your child’s writing needs and give you a clear direction for what should be addressed next. It does not include an instructional session with the student.
Will you only look at grammar?
No. Grammar may be part of the assessment, but strong writing involves much more than grammar. I’ll look at the larger skills affecting how clearly and effectively your child communicates their ideas.
Will I have to purchase coaching afterward?
No. You are welcome to use the recommendations however you choose. If I believe one of my other services could be helpful, I may explain that option, but there is no obligation to continue.
How much does it cost?
The Writing Needs Assessment + Parent Strategy Call is $97.
Sometimes the Problem You See Isn't the Skill That Needs the Most Attention
A student can write complete sentences, find strong evidence, and understand what they've read—and still struggle to produce strong analytical writing.
That's why looking closely at what a student is actually doing on the page matters.
Take O., for example.
O. could find relevant evidence from a text. The problem wasn't that he needed more practice finding evidence. What was holding his writing back was what happened after he found it: his reasoning often repeated or summarized the evidence instead of explaining why it mattered and how it supported his claim.
Once we identified that specific skill, we could work on it directly.
Without identifying the underlying issue, a student like O. could spend more time practicing paragraphs, finding evidence, sounding "less repetitive", or completing writing assignments without ever directly strengthening the skill that's limiting the writing.
That's the purpose of this assessment: not simply to find what's “wrong,” but to identify what your child actually needs so their time, effort, and support can be focused where it will make the greatest difference for their writing journey.
THE PROBLEM
O. could locate evidence from a text, but his reasoning often repeated what happened instead of explaining why the evidence supported his claim.
THE GOAL
Strengthen analytical writing by helping him move beyond summarizing the text and begin explaining the significance of his evidence.
WORK COMPLETED
Over multiple sessions, we focused on:
✅ Distinguishing between claims, evidence, and reasoning
✅ Identifying the difference between repeating evidence and explaining evidence
✅ Developing stronger analytical thinking
✅ Elaborating on ideas without adding unsupported information
✅ Connecting evidence back to the original claim
✅ Revising responses for clarity and deeper explanation
BEFORE
Students were given the claim and evidence. Their task was to write the reasoning.
Claim: Harriet Tubman showed intelligence and courage.
Evidence: Tubman used disguises, escape plans, and safe houses.
O’s Original Reasoning:
This shows that she used multiple ways to assist people in escaping from the slave owners, while making sure not to get caught by them, or else she would have been punished.
AFTER
After instruction and revision, O expanded his explanation instead of simply repeating the evidence.
O’s Revised Reasoning:
This shows she was determined because she used multiple ways to assist people in escaping instead of escaping herself without anyone else's help. She used other people's help because if she didn't communicate with other people, she wouldn't have known what to do. By planning this carefully, she made sure not to get caught, or else she would have been punished.
THE OUTCOME
O. began moving beyond simply restating information from the text and started explaining why the evidence supported the claim. His writing became more analytical as he learned to connect actions, character traits, and consequences through clearer reasoning.
Know What Your Child Needs Before Deciding What Comes Next.
Whether your child is struggling with writing or already doing well and ready to grow, the first step is understanding what their writing is actually showing us.
I'll help you identify the skills that deserve the most attention now, explain what I'm seeing and why it matters, and give you a clear direction for what to focus on next.
Writing Needs Assessment + Parent Strategy Call
Grades 5–12 | $97
Includes:
- Review of one recent writing sample
- Identification of writing strengths and areas for growth
- 2–3 priority skills to focus on
- 30-minute private parent strategy call
- Personalized recommendations for next steps
After checkout, you'll receive instructions for submitting your child's writing sample and scheduling your parent strategy call.