Describes a method of peer review in which peers read each other's papers while writing questions to inspire invention and elaboration in their partners. Describes a four-day sequence for introducing the peer-review method. (TB)

Investigates differences in the evaluation of text-responsible (TR) writing and non-text responsible writing by English-as-a-Second-Language instructors and instructors in other disciplines. TR writing requires students to demonstrate understanding of specific texts in their writing rather than writing from personal experience or using a source…

A study compared the Spontaneous Writing Quotient (SWQ) of the Test of Writing Language-3 to teacher progress ratings of 147 students (grades 3-5) in the local writing curriculum. Corrected coefficients ranged from .39 to .48, offering only low to moderate support for the criterion-related validity relative to the local curriculum. (Contains…

Presents current thinking and practices in Queensland, Australia, about how to do critical assessment in the English classroom. Proposes and discusses a framework that brings together interest in text analysis and social practices. Applies the framework showing how it can be used to generate writing tasks and assessment criteria that are…

Answers questions about how a performance-based assessment of critical thinking skills would correlate with a multiple-choice measure of students' critical thinking skills. Determines whether students' critical thinking abilities would improve after completing a general education course focused on critical thinking and after completing a core…

Explores academic writing from the students' side of the desk, examining how different tasks and writing situations influence students' approaches. Finds that responses to assignments depend upon what the students were actually rewarded for producing. (MG)

Discusses the implications of considering different writing components (lexical, syntactic, and rhetorical) separately, in an effort to avoid problems of writing evaluation. Proposes that instead of "balancing" these components, teachers should separate them in working to establish curricula for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students. (MM)

This article presents an overview of several written language assessment techniques, as well as a rationale and method for assessing the written expression of hearing-impaired individuals. Fluency, syntactic maturity, vocabulary, content, and conventions of notation are discussed; direct and indirect measures are compared; and a sample composition…

Describes a system to evaluate writing in which students use extensive marginal notes to comment on their own writing processes. Provides sample notes from a variety of student papers to illustrate the effectiveness of this system in increasing student knowledge and involvement. (KEH)

Argues that writing students can be their own best critics, if teachers allow them to be. Describes a class in which students were assigned to write and discuss commentaries of their work. Explains that the procedure helps student and teacher alike to identify writing problems. (SG)

Describes a strategy designed to encourage critical thinking by assigning students to research and write about complex topics. Argues that the instructor's inclusion of both supporting and challenging end comments can encourage critical thinking. Provides examples of both types of comments. (SG)

Explores different modes of responding to student papers in two sections of an Introduction to Writing Process class for native and non-native speakers. Finds no significant differences in performance of the two sections, although students who received only positive comments frequently initiated their own corrections and seemed to gain greater…

Describes the use of tape recorders to give feedback about the English-as-a-Second-Language writing process. Tape-recorded feedback emphasizes natural responses to the writing as a whole unit of discourse between the teacher and the writer, and takes the focus away from sentence, clause-level, and surface-level structural errors. (CB)

Describes how portfolios (collections of students' work) can be used successfully in the writing classroom to evaluate student writing and encourage students to write more. Details how to adapt the portfolio method for grading, type of student (introductory or advanced), and type of writing. Discusses the benefits of using portfolios. (MM)

Outlines a team-grading program for freshman composition in which instructors collaborate to evaluate student writing holistically. Argues that while students may be the major beneficiaries of team grading, the writing program benefits by addressing problems of grade inflation and grade inconsistency, building departmental morale, and contributing…