Reports on an undergraduate geography course that attempted to improve students' essay writing skills. A prepatory workshop familiarized students with essay writing, developed trust in their writing ability, generated criteria for writing and assessment, and explored good/bad essay techniques. Later assignments utilized peer and self-assessment.…

Describes an English college geography course where students work in teams to design a field trail and produce promotional guides. Emphasizes field-based activity, student-led participation, and the development of a target audience. Recommends reiterating the relationship between theoretical considerations and the field-based activity. (MJP)

Describes and evaluates an unusual and innovative assessment procedure used in an undergraduate hydrology and oceanography class. Working in teams, English students produce research articles published by an in-house, though refereed, academic journal. Professors and students agree that the process stimulates students to perform at their highest…

English-as-a-Second-Language university students in a multiple-draft composition setting were found to pay more attention to teachers' comments on preliminary drafts than on final drafts; pay most attention to comments on grammar; and consider teachers' comments helpful overall. Problems with teacher comments and implications of the study are…

The articles contained in this volume on second language writing evaluation focus on the evaluation of academic English learned as a second language (ESL). Essays include: "Assessment by Misconception: Cultural Influences and Intellectual Traditions" (Brigid Ballard, John Clanchy); "Reading the World Differently: A Cross-Cultural Approach to…

The New Standards Project (NSP) is an effort to create a state- and district-based assessment and professional development system to serve as a catalyst for major educational reform. As part of a professional development strategy tied to assessment, 114 teachers, curriculum supervisors, and assessment directors, representing 23 states and…

A collection of essays on first and second language proficiency from the fields of psychology and linguistics includes the following: "Modeling and Assessing Language Proficiency" (John H. A. L. de Jong, Ludo Verhoeven); "The Construct of Grammar in Early Language Development" (Folkert Kuiken); "Dimensions in Grammatical Proficiency" (Wim H. J.…

Intended to provide language arts teachers with practical ideas to help students become better writers, this focused journal issue addresses writing instruction at all levels, from elementary school through college. The titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "Intuitive Writing" (J. Hise); (2) "Tutoring the…

To gain insight into why students frequently misunderstand their teachers' written responses to compositions, this paper looks in depth at one promising ninth grade student's processing of teacher written comments in a response-rich classroom, considering the larger learning contexts that impinge on the student's interpretations. The various…

The Flind Middle Schools Writing Inservice Project grew out of the conviction that improving students' writing was a matter not of increased emphasis on sentence structure, grammar, or form, but rather of a change in the thinking about how writing should be taught. The project grew from a brief conference to a two-year commitment on the part of…

Intended as an introduction to the literature on the reading/writing relationship, this annotated bibliography covers the areas of theory, research, and pedagogy. The citations include journal articles, conference proceedings, conference papers, books, dissertations, and monographs. (SRT)

One hundred and three students from the 1985 graduating class of Hightstown (New Jersey) High School took New Jersey's College Basic Skills Placement Test (CBSPT) after entering two-year and four-year colleges in New Jersey. The 103, who represented the entire distribution of class ranks, rated themselves fairly accurately on their abilities in…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 19 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the effectiveness of English placement examinations used at five junior colleges in California; (2) the direction and distance of context required by college…

A study examined peer response groups in two ninth grade English classes. The study specifically investigated research considerations including: (1) the teachers' use of response groups; (2) the kinds of response the students give themselves in response groups; and (3) the connection between student response and the teachers' directions to the…

Contributions from researchers and practitioners involved in self, peer and group assessment in an online or e-learning environment investigate how assessment practices can be used to assist and improve the learning process. The book describes the principal characteristics of self, peer and group assessment; presents guidelines for effective…