Writing is an essential skill for participating in modern American society. Although it is crucial to careers and civic engagement, student writing falls far short of national expectations (College Board, 2004; NCES, 2012; Persky, Daane, & Jin, 2003). The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) seek to increase the rigor of writing instruction…

Procedures are outlined for teaching writing as a step-by-step process. (MJL)

Advocates the use of a cassette tape as a permanent and more enlightening record of students' efforts and errors on technical writing assignments. Provides procedures for the use of this grading technique. (HTH)

Offers writing assignments and exercises for students in grades one through eight. (HOD)

Describes a contract grading system for classes in freshman composition that is designed to encourage a great deal of revision. (FL)

Points out the disadvantages and limitations of grading all student writing. Offers alternative methods of giving students meaningful feedback about their writing. (RL)

Shows how a teacher developed a pattern of responding to student writing. Lists 15 of her standard comments. (RL)

Argues that peer review is a necessary prelude to teaching students how to revise their own writing. Outlines a peer review procedure and provides a copy of an assignment sheet used by students in evaluating each other's compositions. (FL)

Describes a correction system that supplements and visually reinforces teacher responses to student papers by utilizing examples from those papers and emphasizing the positive aspects of the assignments. (HOD)

Emphasizing the writing product rather than process, this paper presents two writing samples each for three students and evaluates them using five questions: (1) What are the strengths of the paper? (2) What are the weaknesses? (3) What are the apparent differences between the two writing samples? (4) What other information do you need about this…

Discusses the problems that teachers face in dealing with developmental writers, including (1) why they are academically disadvantaged, (2) where to begin instruction, (3) how to determine assignments, and (4) how to evaluate their progress. (JD)

Notes that the ways in which feature stories "go wrong" tend to cluster into patterns, and presents a classroom developed list of tag-words and one-line definitions for marking feature assignments and use in group critiques. (HTH)

Reviews the ERIC documents that examine teachers experiencing the writing process and that describe the format of workshop and inservice programs that seek to involve teachers in writing. (JL)

This column examines issues associated with measuring assistive technology outcomes in writing. Following an introduction to assistive technology and writing, it looks specifically at design, measurement, analysis, and decision making factors in the process of creating an outcomes system for measuring the impact of assistive technology on writing.…

Offering information to help parents understand how writing is taught in classrooms that use the 6-Trait Model for writing assessment and writing instruction, this handbook describes the model and how parents can provide the kind of support at home that would make classroom instruction even more effective. Sections of the handbook are: "A…