Thirty audiologists, speech pathologists, educators of the deaf, and language teachers were asked to sort 60 compositions written by signing and nonsigning deaf students and by English as a second language (ESL) students. The professionals could not sort the compositions correctly but tended to attribute lower quality texts to deaf signers.…

Recounts the experience of participating in a two-week workshop for writing instructors during the summer of 1986 that was supported by state funds. Urges other teachers to ask their state leaders to consider funding similar summer programs. (NKA)

Discusses use of peer interaction and collaborative learning in a literature course. Includes course syllabus, and group and individual responsibilities. (HTH)

Claims literacy expectations need to be examined and interpreted by teacher-researchers at the local level in order to make sense of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, suggesting this information will provide a factual base from which to plan programs. (NH)

Indicates that if the cloze scores of students in a small group are well distributed, then it is possible to identify which essays would be selected as best and worst by an English professor. Shows that cloze testing constitutes a relatively effective placement instrument when the readers are unschooled. Includes statistical tables. (JD)

Fundamental changes are needed in English classes if writing is to be taught. Students must have time to write, and they must have someone reading and responding to their writing. Students need to pay attention to their writing and the writing of others, and this writing should be as important as well-known literary works. (MD)

Using a random sample of 493 persuasive papers written by 17-year-olds during the 1978-79 National Assessment of Educational Progress writing evaluation, a study investigated the relationships among features of textual cohesion and primary trait assessments of writing quality and coherence, with manuscript length held statistically constant. (HOD)

Outlines research done by teachers on writing apprehension and concludes that teachers are natural researchers because they continually pose questions about the nature of their students and the effectiveness of their teaching. (SRT)

Describes a study that developed a valid method of assessing coherence based on current linguistic theory and discourse analysis that was then used to reanalyze the "Describe" essays written by 13- and 17-year-old students for the 1969, 1973-74, and 1978-79 NAEP assessments. (HOD)

Presents a sequence of assignments that provides an inductive method for preparing students to write a formal proposal by imitating the grant review and proposal process. Describes the process and results of peer review of the resulting proposals.(HTH)

Relates how a microcomputer with word processing capabilities can facilitate and enrich a student's writing. (HOD)

Describes a study that examines the responses of teachers of English as a second language (ESL) to student writing. Results show that the ESL teachers misread student texts, are inconsistent in their reactions, make arbitrary comments and corrections, impose abstract rules and standards, and rarely offer specific strategies for revising the test.…

Demonstrates how an integrated approach toward writing evaluation works at each stage of the writing process and presents a checklist teachers can use to assess whether their students use specific behaviors of the writing process as they compose. (FL)

Describes how microcomputers can assist in grading the work of beginning writers, especially repetitive errors, and how students respond to this practice. (FL)

Offers personal reflections on the testing of writing, concluding that teachers make wide and effective use of a variety of test types. (FL)