In 1998, the University of Charleston implemented an academic transformation, moving to an outcomes-based learning environment in which the university awards academic credit based on competences mastered rather than courses completed. That fall, for the first time, students no longer took introductory courses in composition, speech, and computing.…

In this article, the authors argue that evaluation courses grounded in assessment theory and situated within a cultural context of actual workplace practices enhances student learning. Giving students the tools that assessors, both formal and informal, use helps them learn to anticipate and generate those tools for writing situations they will…

The process approach to writing instruction emphasizes a cycle of revision during which students draft, edit, revise, and redraft their work. In this approach, feedback from teachers or peers and the opportunity to revise written work based on this feedback are considered to be keys to students' development as writers, and the role of instruction…

Assistive technology (AT) has the potential to support the literacy skills of students with disabilities as they participate in the general education curriculum. Empirical evidence is presented to support the use of AT, at least for some students. A case study interwoven within the article illustrates team decision-making regarding software and…

This article describes how music in the language classroom setting can be a catalyst for developing reading, writing, and understanding skills. Studies suggest that pairing music and linguistic intelligences in the college classroom improves students' grades and abilities to compose theses statements for research papers in courses that emphasize…

In this article, the author relates how an experience in 4th grade impacted his future career and aspirations. He emphasizes the relevance of learning, at an early age, good writing and speaking skills, the ability to ask the right questions, and the importance of learning from each other. He contends that learning from each other is a very…

Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk of academic difficulties and special education placement (Barkley, 1998). One academic area, written expression, has received little research attention. This study assessed the effectiveness of a validated strategy instruction model--Self-Regulated Strategy…

What C-tests actually measure has been an issue of debate for many years. In the present research, the authors examined the hypothesis that C-tests measure general language proficiency. A total of 843 participants from four independent samples took a German C-test along with the TestDaF (Test of German as a Foreign Language). Rasch measurement…

The concept of student voice has become a powerful metaphor in college-level writing class. In this article, the author enthusiastically invites her students to activate their "voices." But like healthy self-concept or freedom or individuality, voice only comes from within. It cannot be given, imposed, and "taught." Too many students seem hesitant…

Focused freewriting, broadly defined as writing without stopping and editing about a specific topic, has been viewed and used as a powerful tool for developing student writing in a wide spectrum of educational contexts. This study aimed to further explore the use of focused freewriting in the context of promoting students' academic skills…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of DISCOVER, a performance-based assessment, in identifying gifted students in Lebanon. DISCOVER is grounded in Gardner's MI theory and consists of tasks involving problem-solving and creative abilities. The sample consisted of 49 middle-class 5-th graders, with a mean age of 10.2…

To provide the first interstate quasi-experimental assessment on the power of content integration in building reading skills, the authors studied the effects on reading comprehension of GeoLiteracy--a K-8 package of 85 lessons that teaches geography in the context of practicing reading and writing skills. Ninety-six third through eighth grade…

The effects of a writing-across-the-curriculum program on graduates 2 to 9 years after program completion at Saint Mary's College (Indiana) were studied. A survey of 656 graduates (over one-third of the sample) from 8 graduating classes gathered data regarding the types of writing being utilized by the graduates, and the effectiveness of their…

Using Jeanne Chall's widely applied model of reading development, this book examines the strengths and weaknesses in the reading, writing, and language development of children from low-income families to help identify the onset of their difficulties. The book shows how, in the transition from learning the medium to understanding the message, the…

Developed as part of the ABCs of Construction National Workplace Literacy Project, these instructional modules are designed to help low-level readers develop paragraph composition skills. The first module is a list of 10 topics about which students are daily to write several paragraphs related to their craft. The second module consists of 10…