Suggests that in addition to self-evaluation of individual papers, assessment of one's overall ability to write effectively also plays an important role in the writing process. Includes the results of a study indicating a strong relationship between writers' evaluations of their own general writing skills and the quality of their written products.…

Presents results of an informal study indicating that (1) external contingencies that force writing productivity regardless of mood seem to facilitate rather than impede the appearance of creative ideas for writing, and (2) productivity precedes creativity. (HTH)

Work of students identified as basic writers was studied and analyzed to determine students' perceptions about composition. Results suggest that progress is linked to the ability to develop and elaborate ideas while writing, to the ability to generate acceptable English automatically, and to the ability to rewrite, edit, and revise. (Author/LMO)

Uses the form of a Socratic dialogue to discuss the advantages of writers' workshops for students. Suggests classroom strategies and grading procedures. (EL)

Two common strategies for assessing writing techniques and objective techniques are compared in a study of third-grade students. Student performance on selected response and constructed response test items, measuring the identification and construction of complete sentences, is compared. Results suggest that selected response items may lack…

Illustrates a method that has students receive corrected papers, then rewrite problem sentences to review errors and incorporate corrections. (CRH)

Describes a successful college composition program that reduces writing anxiety and increases individual attention to students by pairing an advanced student writer with a faculty member as team teachers. (MM)

Nebraska's approach to standards, assessment, and accountability: School-based Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System (STARS) is firmly grounded in the belief that decisions about student learning should be standards-based and should be based upon classroom knowledge of the student. This process relies upon the professional expertise of…

This book describes the essential components of any teacher-researcher group. Part I describes an experience, a process, that aids teacher-researchers in completing a study. Part II reexamines the issues and questions surrounding teacher research, as they have both shifted and steadied over the years. Part III consists of research articles written…

The purpose of this report is to increase understanding of the achievement levels for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), what they are, and what they are not. NAEP is a survey of American students' knowledge and skills in different subjects at grades 4, 8, and 12. NAEP combines the samples of performances to provide…

The purpose of this guide is to assist teachers in preparing their students to write effectively in all contexts, including the Georgia Grade Five Writing Assessment. Teachers are encouraged to make optimal instructional use of the information in this guide by creating transparencies and handouts for students. The guide includes a revising/editing…

The purpose of this guide is to improve high school writing and writing instruction. Teachers are encouraged to make transparencies and handouts of the information in this guide in order to make the information accessible to students. Using the scoring rubrics and model papers, students can be taught to recognize both strong and weak areas in…

In the hope that students would develop authority in their writing, they were instructed to write a personal essay about themselves. Most of the essays, however, were mediocre and formulaic. While one student's experience of the painful loss of his mother to cancer was tragic, his essay was cliched. Supporters of the use of personal essay in…

This booklet is designed to assist schools or school systems in analyzing and evaluating student writing, writing instruction, and the writing program. The basic assumption is that improving the writing program needs to be a school-wide effort coordinated across K-12 grade levels, not an individual or isolated effort. After an overview and advice…

Continuing to respond to the increasing demand for the assessment of authentic language use, this book emphasizes that portfolios must first be useful and successful as part of instruction before they can be used effectively for assessment. Portfolios are presented as "working," not "show" portfolios, to promote the student's involvement in…