Discusses the problems of readers' different responses to essay test passages and the implications for the subsequent writing assignment. Describes a model of the writing assessment episode and discusses four generalizations about writing task interpretation. (HTH)

Describes a study of the influence of wording changes in essay questions on test performance. Results did not support the hypothesis that such changes would affect writer performance. (HTH)

Examines some of the cultural and pedagogical forces that shaped nineteenth century rhetorical history and resulted in the obsession with mechanical correctness that for so many years defined the college course in written rhetoric. (HTH)

Discusses a study of the reliability of a categorical instrument for evaluating compositions written by upper intermediate university English as a second language students. The instrument tests organization, logical development of ideas, grammar, mechanics, and style. Results indicate that the scoring instrument is moderately reliable. (SED)

Describes a cloze test designed to measure writing flexibility, then examines its effectiveness in distinguishing experienced college-level writers from the inexperienced ones. Concludes that the measure is effective and that responsiveness to style features is a significant component of experienced writing. (FL)

Describes a composition course that uses stylistic and rhetorical analysis to help students become sensitive to the surface structure of their own prose. (MM)

Reports on a study of the influence of format, criteria, and the passage of time on teacher evaluations of student writing; found that a rating scale influenced stability of grades over time and higher grades generally. (AEA)

Reports on the steps undertaken and the discoveries made by the English department of Illinois State University in its development of a valid, reliable measure of student competency in freshman composition. (HOD)

Attitudinal data from questionnaires and student written products were used to investigate how students' attitudes relate to their performance on typical test writing tasks. (HOD)

Examines the questions: (1) What criteria do raters use when making holistic judgments of brief, impromptu essays? and (2) Do raters judge such essays in the same way they think they do? (FL)

Suggests slyly that, while word processors may have increased writing speed, they cannot ensure improved writing quality. (MM)

Discusses how writing instruction can help students move from the expressive writing typical of first drafts to writing that can be presented to discriminating audiences. (MM)

Describes a computer program developed to take the tedium out of writing comments on student essays. (AEA)

There is a special three-way balance in responding to student writing: one must be compassionate, have a vision for improvement, and be capable of confronting and cajoling students to help them maximize the possibilities of revision. This book presents some of the best examples of how writing teachers approach the delicate equilibrium of student…

This study examines the relation between essay length and holistic scores assigned to Test of English as a Foreign Language[TM] (TOEFL[R]) essays by e-rater[R], the automated essay scoring system developed by ETS. Results show that an early version of the system, e-rater99, accounted for little variance in human reader scores beyond that which…