Background: Automated writing evaluation (AWE) systems, used as formative assessment tools in writing classrooms, are promising for enhancing instruction and improving student performance. Although meta-analytic evidence supports AWE's effectiveness in various contexts, research on its effectiveness in the U.S. K-12 setting has lagged behind its…

Background/purpose: Writing is an essential skill for EFL learners, and the development of flawless writing proficiency in English is the intended learner outcome of every writing course in an EFL program. Development of flawless writing skills involves perfection in orthography (spelling, punctuation, capitalization), grammaticality and syntax,…

In 2016, with mounting pressure from parents, educators, and other stakeholders around the state pushing back against the volume of standardized tests students are required to take, the Texas Education Agency introduced the Texas Writing Pilot. This pilot was designed to study the feasibility of creating an alternative writing assessment that…

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) Exact and Adjacent Inter-rater Agreement Associated with Peer Review of Teaching (Robert Koslow); (2) Examine Assessment of Student Learning outcomes as an Organizational Routine (Antigoni Papadimitriou); (3) Developing a Reliable and Valid Assessment Tool for Online…

Examines the implications of computerized scoring of placement essays on the theory and practice of writing assessment and writing instruction. Argues that the very feature that makes computerized scoring inexpensive--its universality--undermines its validity. (SR)

Discusses the gap between the perspectives and practices of (1) teachers in classrooms where writing and reading are being learned and put to good use and (2) those who test students' language competence. Considers ways to narrow this gap, including the notion of teachers acting as tester-researchers. (JD)