Texas Assessment of Basic Skills tests are criterion-referenced measures administered to students in grades 3, 5, and 9. Written compositions are part of the test battery and are scored holistically. The Texas approach to measuring written composition consists of elements including magnitude, scoring system, and effect on instruction. (DWH)

A process called focused holistic scoring has been developed for use in the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills to assess student performance on writing samples. This process is "holistic" because it evaluates a total piece of writing, and it is "focused" because it evaluates the writing in terms of two specific objectives…

The Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS) helps to improve basic skills mastery by assessing student achievement and district performance levels in reading, writing and mathematics. TABS was designed to provide information for instructional planning in the state-funded compensatory education service. Minimum competency objectives are to be…