Encouraging adolescents to envision themselves as writers, this book provides 24 step-by-step exercises to help them discover their writing style, explore new types of writing, experiment with genres, and evaluate their own work. The book also provides pragmatic information about the day-to-day realities of becoming a writer: finding the right…

This booklet contains the Writing Framework for the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The Framework describes the basis for the 1998 Writing Assessment, the types of writing assessed, and the methods for scoring student responses. This Framework was developed during 1989-90 in preparation for the 1992 NAEP Writing…

A study determined the effectiveness of two computer-assisted programs for writing/language instruction. Three first-grade classes and three second-grade classes at each of five Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools (CMS) were selected for the study. Two schools were using Write to Read for the first time, two schools were using Acceleration Station 2000…

Two college writing teachers share their viewpoint that people outside the academic setting often misunderstand the time-consuming activities involved with responding to student writing. They agree that teachers should envision evaluation as conducting a conversation with the writer of the essay. The key component of this conversation, depending…

The goal of writing assessment in the Department of Mathematics at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is to assure that students can communicate about mathematics or statistics in a manner appropriate to their future careers. A five-member writing committee, composed of mathematics faculty, assess students at three different times during…

Noting that the study of composition has been less affected by postmodern theory than other humanities and social science disciplines, this book assesses the study and teaching of writing against the larger theoretical, political, and technological upheavals of the past 30 years. The book addresses the theoretical debate about the "self"…

A text's meaning is, in part, independent of its form. Reading, most of the time, is taking meaning--not words--from the printed page, while proofreading requires attention to form rather than meaning. The author notes that: (1) a meaningful passage is easier to read than one with less meaning; (2) errors in oral reading usually do not obscure a…

The "controlling statement," a method of teaching students to write in an organized and efficient manner, consists of three basic parts: the idea, the viewpoint, and the key terms. Once introduced to students, these three parts can be easily used throughout the year (or years) to refer to basic areas within the composition process. This method of…

This paper offers some guidelines, to be shared with students, that can help make the evaluation of creative responses and projects affirmative, honest, and heartfelt. What should teachers look for in a creative project? The project should move the audience in some deeply personal way, contain some element of surprise, and fulfill the spirit--if…

In keeping with the efforts of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) to promote and recognize excellence in writing in the schools, this booklet presents the rankings of winning entries in the third year of NCTE's Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines in the United States, Canada, and American schools abroad.…

As vital tools for adult education practitioners, reviews of books about practice should contain an appropriate balance between description and analysis. The following nine tips may be helpful when writing such a book review: (1) read the book carefully; (2) examine other reviews that have appeared in various publications to gauge the structure…

A study examined whether self-evaluation of writing should precede peer evaluation, and explored effective strategies for peer evaluation of writing. Seventy-six advanced placement English students in a Raleigh, North Carolina, high school were divided into experimental and control groups. The control group participated in peer evaluation of…

In this paper William Stafford's varied descriptions and occasional judgments as to what it means to write a poem are gathered by prospecting through his essays, published lectures, and transcribed interviews. The paper describes Stafford's perspective on (1) the powerful language of poetry; (2) finding each poem's unique form; (3) practicing the…

Intended to familiarize persons with the scoring standards and criteria used for the 8th grade version of the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Writing Test, this scoring manual is in eight sections: (1) an introduction to the scoring dimensions and scale points; (2) definitions of the four scale points; (3) definitions of scoring dimensions and…

A survey gathered information on the uses of writing assessment and its potential impact on writing instruction, programs, and students. Respondents, 128 members (out of a random sample of 350) of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) from four-year colleges, two-year colleges, and institutions offering graduate degrees,…