An increased emphasis on writing standards has recently led many U.S. states to incorporate text-based writing assessments into their test-based accountability system. This creates political and pedagogical tensions that teachers must navigate in their classroom use of writing rubrics. While prior research has focused on rubric design and/or the…

Elaborating three major dimensions of our profession, the authors argue the need for critically literate citizens and the urgent need for English teacher educators to prepare teachers who envision that as their key professional responsibility. The authors contextualize this task within the current political and social climate in which distortion…