Teachers' knowledge impacts their practices in classrooms. While considerable research has sought to understand teachers' broad emergent literacy knowledge, less is known about the specific knowledge teachers hold regarding early writing. The present study engaged 66 diverse early childhood teachers in five Head Start programs across two states to…

After defining key terms, the article discusses options for the written language assessment of handicapped children in the areas of composition evaluation, and transcription evaluation. Types of evaluating include indirect measures, direct measures, process evaluation, product evaluation, holistic evaluation, and analytic evaluation. (DB)

This bulletin reports on studies dealing with the major role of composition and the supporting roles of discussing, dictating, illustrating, spelling, and handwriting in improving the language skills of elementary school students. Chapters include "Composition in Primary Grades," which stresses the importance of teaching children to express…

A study of children's progress through the first 3 years of school followed 32 students in 10 schools in the Wellington, New Zealand area. Data were collected through interviews with children, teachers, and parents; school records; and video recordings of children in the classroom. Sections of this report of the study discuss: (1) assistant…

This guide provides practical and specific step-by-step methods for developing and using curriculum-based assessment (CBA) in an educational setting. It is organized into six basic skills chapters. Chapter 1, "Assessment: An Overview" (Carroll J. Jones), includes the basic reasons for assessment and types of special education assessment, as well…

This article describes measures for process assessment of handwriting fluency, spelling, and composition of students with learning or behavioral disabilities. It then discusses common writing problems for these students, and specific process and strategy interventions. (DB)

ALTHOUGH CHILDREN'S NEEDS FOR WRITTEN EXPRESSION PROBABLY PARALLEL THOSE OF ADULTS, THE REASON BEHIND CHILDREN'S CHOICE OF WRITING OVER SPEAKING IN GIVEN INSTANCES IS OPEN TO CONJECTURE. MOREOVER, THE COMMON ASSUMPTION BY TEACHERS THAT CHILDREN CAN AND SHOULD WRITE ABOUT PERSONAL INTERESTS OUGHT TO BE TEMPERED BY THE IDEA THAT MANY INTERESTS ARE…

The 59 readings in this collection are grouped into eight chapters: (1) introduction, (2) language learning and linguistics, (3) listening and speaking, (4) literature and creative writing, (5) words and their use, (6) spelling and handwriting, (7) curriculum topics and resources, and (8) evaluation of language learnings. Final readings were…