With changes to placement testing and many students being able to self-place into college-level courses, first-year community college students are often entering English composition classes without a strong academic skillset. Tutoring can be a way to support students, but many do not attend tutoring. At a rural community college, students in two…

In this program profile, we describe the stretch/studio program recently implemented at the University of New Mexico. This program responds both to an institutional move away from remediation and to the large number of linguistically and racially diverse students at our institution. In this profile, we describe the new program's curriculum, which…

Studies the immediate effects of the Summer Institute of the National Writing Project upon the classroom practices of English teachers. Utilizes multiple sources of data for evaluation. Considers how teachers implemented the concept of writing process in their classrooms. Concludes with implications and questions for further study. (HB)

This article presents findings from research in a school district using handhelds to support writing across the curriculum. The authors report that handheld devices can be useful to foster classroom note-taking activities, assist students who have handwriting difficulties, and provide inspiration to teachers who want to create collaborative and…

This resource book contains 10 articles on specific aspects of writing assessment. Article one addresses several key issues, among them (1) whether writing should be taught from a traditional analytic approach or from the "writing-as-a-process" perspective, (2) whether writing ability can be judged indirectly or only by actual performance, and (3)…

A case study examined the implementation of a schoolwide writing program established in a California middle school through a district sponsored school improvement program (SIP). Conducted at an urban sprawl southern California school of approximately 900 students in grades seven and eight, the program was directed and implemented by the English…

In summer 1990, the English Department of the Metropolitan Community College District (MCCD) in Missouri conducted a self-study to determine whether the English program's subject matter, academic standards, and methods of instruction were consistent with objectives. An Evaluation Committee, consisting of three English instructors representing each…

To evaluate the effectiveness of a developmental composition course for students without adequate basic skills, a comparative analysis was conducted of the course grades of students (1) taking the developmental course, (2) repeating the developmental course, (3) taking the required composition course, and (4) taking the required course after…

This manual provides guidelines for implementing the instructional program in English/writing prescribed for the Basic Skills Project of the Phoenix, Arizona, Union High School District. The project supplements instructional efforts for students whose basic skills in reading, English/writing, and mathematics are in greatest need of improvement.…

A study was conducted focusing on three aspects of a developmental English program in which underprepared freshmen were able to earn regular composition credit while receiving additional help in both reading and writing. An examination of the scores on the Iowa Silent Reading Test compared to scores on two writing tests was made and some…

An instructional management system, called Response System with Variable Prescriptions (RSVP), is described in this report as it is used at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC). Following introductory material, the relevance of such a system to current educational issues is explored and the use of computer technology in education is discussed. The…

The American Library Association's Carroll Preston Baber Research Award supported this project on the use, impact and feasibility of a computer assisted writing facility located in the library of Stetson Middle School in Philadelphia, an inner city school with a population of minority, "at risk" students. The writing facility consisted…

A program designed to improve the reading, writing, and thinking skills of low achieving poverty level high school juniors was developed for use in a Pennsylvania high school. The program uses the Pennsylvania Reading Comprehension Plan's four critical experiences of (1) responding to literature, (2) self-selected and sustained silent reading, (3)…

Intended as a resource for incorporating computer assisted instruction into existing English curricula, this guide reviews current work with computers in grammar, writing, and literature. Divided into 10 sections, the guide first presents a statement of purpose and then provides an overview of the relationship between English and computers.…

A four-day workshop designed to acquaint faculty members with teaching strategies for combining basic reading skills in English composition was evaluated as very effective by the seven workshop participants. The evaluation results indicated that interdisciplinary staff development seminars can be beneficial to faculty from varied content areas.…