Inside this issue are: (1) Questions Tool; (2) NAEP Support; (3) NAEP Writing Assessment; (4) Grade 12 Results; (5) Background Questions: (6) NAEP Scale Scores and Achievement Levels; and (7) Grade 8 Math Comparisons by Ethnic Group. This publication notes several points of interest. 170,000 students at each grade and subject will be selected to…

Instructors of Composition I at Lansing Community College (LCC) in Lansing, Michigan, are required by the Department of Communication to grade a paper in four areas: content, structure, style, and mechanics. The policy, in effect in its present form since 1982, places heavy emphasis upon the conventions or "mechanics" of writing Edited…

A case study investigated the writing strategies use by high ability seventh graders (n=4) responding to explanatory tasks from the Maryland Writing Test (MWT), a state-mandated writing assessment. Central questions were: (1) what are the writing strategies elicited by the MWT?; (2) what evidence is revealed of participants' self-monitoring…

Presented as a conversation rather than as a single-voiced academic paper, this paper describes the three people's experiences with experimental academic writing as students and as teachers. It describes such writing (or autobiographical scholarship) as a hybrid blend of autobiographical bits and scholarship, writing and reading, public and…

Designed to be a practical, comprehensive, and illuminating guide for both new and experienced teachers, this book confronts the challenges of the writing workshop head-on, with chapters on all aspects of the writing workshop, including: day-to-day instruction, classroom management, the development of writing identities, and the tone of workshop…

In 1999, Rhode Island students in grades 3, 7, and 10 took a performance assessment in writing as part of the Rhode Island State Assessment Program. These two documents, a guide for educators and a guide for parents, describe the test and its scoring. The test is called a performance assessment because it requires the students to demonstrate their…

In this book, teachers, students, administrators, and assessors all show that a carefully rendered portfolio becomes an increasingly internalized standard against which learners can assess their own growth. Essays in the book share diverse portfolio projects from across the United States and reflect the spirit and enthusiasm the authors shared as…

The writing performance standard descriptors in this paper support the sections of the English/Language Arts Content Standards adopted by the Alaska State Board of Education. It begins with listing competencies associated with speaking and writing well for a variety of purposes and audiences; and thinking logically and reflectively. It then…

This research provides information for improving organizational skills in writing through the use of graphic organizers. The targeted population consisted of second, third and fifth grade students in a suburban community. Evidence for the existence of this problem included anecdotal records, teacher observations, student surveys, and assessments…

This book addresses issues in the inclusion of students with dyslexia in programs of higher education in the United Kingdom. Chapter 1 examines debates around assessing students with dyslexia and urges a "modular" approach. Chapter 2 looks at assessment of areas of impairment traditionally considered to be dyslexic. Chapter 3 considers…

This book offers detailed and complex guidance, and the necessary techniques, for grading college students' writing. It examines why it is important to integrate grading into the writing process; the need for effective writing assignments; ensuring fair professorial judgments; promoting student learning; helping students learn how to respond…

The paper describes the system of rater comments used in an American College Testing (ACT) Program English language test designed for use with Japanese secondary school students learning English as a foreign language. The writing portion of the test consists of two short essays, each scored by two native speakers of North American English, using a…

Arguing that writing assessment and instruction should inform and influence one another, should evolve together, and should be developed locally, this book presents essays that analyze the development of the writing assessment and instruction program at Washington State University. The essays in the book directly challenge the use of national…

A study examined the developmental epistemologies of first-year university students at a comprehensive university, based on the idea that students often come to the university in intellectual transition which may affect their epistemological stances toward writing. The students' comments as reported from a survey fall into seven categories: topic,…

Designed to provide an experience as close as possible to the actual assessment, this paper presents the revised model of assessment in writing for the Michigan High School Test (HST). The revisions incorporated into the paper reflect the testing transition from the High School Proficiency Test to the HST. Session 1 looks at how well students can…