Holistic scoring enables the evaluation of writing skills based on general impressions of content and style. An experiment in an accounting class shows how it can be applied successfully with a high degree of reliability. (SK)

Describes the "correction process" developed by one writing teacher by which students are asked to address comments to graded written assignments. Advocates allowing students to enter into a useful dialog with their instructor over the content and quality of their written work. (HB)

Discusses various aspects of collaborative writing and advocates its use in college journalism courses. (SR)

The ways that portfolio evidence of student competence in the writing processes is created and interpreted were studied in four classrooms during the preliminary trials of the California Learning Assessment System portfolios. Data from interviews with six students and two elementary school teachers are used to explore student portfolios and…

Elaborates on explorations and arguments prompted by the effort undertaken by the Department of Education through the National Center for Education Statistics to begin developing the National Assessment of College Student Learning (NACSL), which focuses on, among other things, "advanced ability to communicate effectively," as specified…

Provides a technical analysis of the factors involved in the ability of latent semantic analysis to assess student knowledge (grading essays and matching students with appropriate instructional texts). Addresses the role of technical vocabulary, how long the student essays should be, and how one deals with the directionality of knowledge in the…

Explores how a portfolio assessment project in the University of Cape Town's Chemistry Department developed (within staff) new understandings of the role of writing as a vehicle for learning, which resulted in a reexamination of the relationship of the written assignments to the existing curriculum. Discusses challenges of designing assessment…

Examines one aspect of elaboration in student writing as a product of the encounter between writers and readers. Studies a stratified random sample of student placement tests. Finds patterns that correlate significantly with readers' evaluations of texts. Concludes these patterns are two strategies for managing discursive conflict in this…

Applies to the reading of student texts in a college composition portfolio assessment the notion that evaluations of text vary because readings take place in specific contexts and are shaped by cultural and historical exigencies. Concludes that in every reading of a text, readers posit an "implied author" that can strongly influence the reader's…

Suggests that educators need to find ways to meet the demands of the assessment arena in which they find themselves without withdrawing from their students the wonders of the journeys educators and students take that are inspired by texts, films, and performances--journeys that must be taken to enrich the lives of students now and in the future.…

Data presented in figure three of the article cited may be misleading in that the automatic scaling procedure used by the computer program that generated the histogram highlighted spikes that would look different with different histogram methods. (SLD)

Examines the location and status of poetry writing within an assessment-driven curriculum. Argues for the development of an assessment model that could remove the mystique surrounding poetry and establish it on an equal footing with prose text types in the National Curriculum for English. (SG)

The variety of factors contributing to the quality of handwriting or print provides an opportunity to determine the extent to which teachers are influenced by the interaction between different bias elements during evaluation of examinations. Fifty-three teachers evaluated compositions that had been awarded grades of 80% by impartial experts. A…

Adding a strong conclusion can alter a cookbook lab into an inquiry lab by challenging the student to defend relevant data and clearly communicate his or her findings. A well-organized scoring guide makes it easier for students to understand what is involved in writing a strong conclusion. Examples of student writing that are accompanied with the…

Essay tests are widely used to assess ESL/EFL learners' writing abilities for instructional, administrative, and research purposes. Relevant literature was searched to identify 70 empirical studies on ESL/EFL essay tests. The majority of these studies examined task, essay, and rater effects on essay rating and scores. Less attention has been given…