Effective writing assessment involves judging how well a writer is encouraged by the classroom's social context to pull together ideas and to bring experience to bear on abstractions. Four main points can be made to justify this view. First, assessment by standardized test determines a teach-and-test model of instruction. But a curriculum that…

The result of a review of 160 documents, including research reports, theoretical essays, position papers, and journal articles, this report provides a synthesis of literature concerning composition in kindergarten through grade 12. The report presents theoretical, conceptual, organizational, and implemental materials concerning the concrete and…

Articles in this yearbook cover a variety of topics in the field of language arts instruction, such as applying recent metacognition theory in reading instruction; using of journals, videotapes, and humor in the classroom; training reading teachers; and improving students' speaking and listening skills. Articles and their authors are as follows:…