Defends the CUNY-WAT against the charges made by Fishman (CS 731 865). Offers suggestions for those wishing to undertake research into the choice of topics for writing assessment tests. (FL)

Describes a program of the Graduate College at Iowa State University that features an "English examiner" who screens incoming students for writing ability. (FL)

Describes the efforts of the basic writing program at the University of Louisville (Kentucky) to develop portfolio evaluation procedures to replace exit examinations. As a result, collaboration has come to play a more important role in relationships between administrator and teacher, as well as between teacher and student. (JK)

Argues that the writing program serving second-language writers requires the following: a program and courses that provide and use social context for writing and language development; teachers who know about both writing and language; and assessment that takes into account principles of language acquisition and literacy development. (JK)

Examines data from a survey of the kinds of writing students are required to do in a university, revealing that essay tests, research papers, and reports are the most common writing tasks. Discusses the curricular implications of the findings. (FL)