The American public's interests are well-served by a strong, effective postsecondary education system. And yet the industry's predominant learning and service paradigm, one that credentials learning by measuring student's time on task and that treats all learners largely the same from a pacing and a requirements perspective is inconsistent with…

Describes the design and evaluation of a formal writing assessment program within a technical writing course. Attempts to evaluate student writing at the conclusion of such a course. Addresses fundamental issues of sound assessment, including reliability and validity. Presents assessment guidelines for technical writing teachers. (HB)

To validate the quality of a college degree, administrators must make certain that learning credited is at college level, fits into degree requirements congruent with the instructional goals of the institution, and is assessed by technically adequate procedures and properly trained assessors. (Author/MLW)