Evaluation of letters written by four mildly mentally handicapped eighth grade males either by hand or by word processor indicated: longer letters and more revisions when the word processor was used; higher mean number of words written per unit time when handwritten; and no difference in holistic evaluation of letter quality. (Author/DB)

Distinguishes between monitoring and evaluating student writing, discusses the rationale for monitoring, demonstrates monitoring procedures, and summarizes major considerations to remember when monitoring writing. (JAD)

Describes a strategy whereby teachers allow students to determine the standards by which their writing will be judged, and, in doing so, convince students to share their beliefs about good writing. (ARH)

Presents a systematic strategy for examining topic-related knowledge prior to writing. Discusses a theory-based rationale for the measure, a formalized method for analyzing topic knowledge, and a guide for using the instrument. (JD)

Explores the concept of peer writing groups by reviewing research and offering a plan for preparing, training, monitoring, and evaluating the peer writing group. (SD)

Offers suggestions for teaching writing as a process, running a workshop classroom, teaching sentence combining, and evaluating student papers. (SRT)

Suggests the teacher-written essay as a useful way for writing teachers to respond to student writing and at the same time become people who write. (EL)

This study examined the reliability of holistic scoring for a sample of essays written during the Spring 1985 MCAT administration. Analysis of variance techniques was used to estimate the reliability of scoring and to partition score variance into that due to level differences between papers and to context-specific factors. (Author/LMO)

Defining a web as a diagrammatic representation of any logical train of thought, this article describes how to use the web as a tool for teaching and evaluating essays. Provides several web diagrams. (JDH)

This article describes using a computer as a literary learning device and study aid to analyze prose. (JDH)

Describes the approach and computer programs used to analyze literature. The two aspects of text captured in the analysis are thematic segmentation and density. Shows how these methods may be applied to Balzac's short story, "Sarrasine." (JDH)

This article describes a "whole language approach" to the development of literacy and a Basic Writing Scale developed to evaluate growth in writing ability and to diagnose strengths and weaknesses in the writing of illiterate adults. (CT)

Describes efforts of the University of Michigan's English Composition Board to examine and make more uniform the process of evaluating entering student essays for purposes of placement. Examines some of the factors evaluators bring to bear when assessing student papers. (HTH)

Uses resources from the ERIC system to show teachers strategies for making teacher commentary count in writing evaluation and to discuss the characteristics of effective writing evaluations. (EL)

Defends the CUNY-WAT against the charges made by Fishman (CS 731 865). Offers suggestions for those wishing to undertake research into the choice of topics for writing assessment tests. (FL)