Describes teaching methods and techniques found to be useful by practicing teachers, including tips for spelling instruction, grading essays, and for fostering writing skills among student writers. (HB)

Describes a study in which undergraduate college students, composition instructors, and noncomposition faculty evaluate the same student writing assignments. Reports that the three groups have very different views of what constitutes good writing. Suggests a possible need to reexamine prevailing notions of academic writing. (SG)

Outlines an assignment in which a teacher used portfolios as the basis for a final examination to give students a chance to assess their own writing and their progress. Discusses the success of the assignment and the teacher's surprise at the students' insight into their own strengths and weaknesses. (PRA)

Offers an annotated bibliography of 142 dissertations, journal articles, and documents published in 1990 and 1991. Contains material on writing, language, literature, and teacher education. (PRA)

Argues that study, research, and discussion is needed to determine more specifically how large-scale writing assessment has influenced curriculum and instruction in two-year colleges. Discusses the image of the two-year college, the intent of statewide assessment, faculty attitudes, and the lack of evidence of the impact of assessment upon…

Explores three elements of writing programs that keep writing alive: evaluation, reading, and experimentation. Includes teachers from various research projects who experiment in their writing, share it with their students, and enjoy what they do. (RS)

Presents preliminary findings from a survey of portfolio practice in selected elementary schools across the United States. Suggests that portfolio assessment has rapidly become widespread in many schools. Raises concerns about the movement and offers suggestions for how it can realize its promises. (SR)

Studies writing teachers' rhetorical comments on student papers, including its historical background and as a recent phenomenon. Reviews the findings of an extensive study conducted on a sample of 3,000 student papers concerning instructors' rhetorical commentary. Outlines basic patterns and types of teacher comments. (HB)

Discusses a course on shared-document writing in which students indicate that they value the time allowed to coordinate groups and to understand and complete assignments. Asserts that structuring the course necessitates assigning work relating to a single topic and providing choices, including a voice in group formation and evaluation. (PRA)

Contrasted texts and behaviors of six English-as-a-Second-Language writers, as they wrote a practice essay test, with their texts and behaviors in an actual English composition proficiency exam. The process-tracing techniques employed in this study enabled observation of composing behaviors with the focus on what the writers did in the two…

Examines the degree to which students are allowed to control the interaction, actively participate, and clarify their teacher's responses during student-teacher English-as-a-Second-Language writing conferences. The discussion focuses on how students dealt with the revisions discussed in the conferences and the role negotiation of meaning played in…

Describes holistic scoring as one of the biggest breakthroughs in writing assessment. Suggests that the technique's high interrater reliability coefficients partly explain holistic scoring's popularity. Argues that validity has been largely neglected. Concludes that more must be learned about the uses and effects of holistic scoring. (SG)

Describes the uses and advantages of three feedback techniques for writers of English-as-a-Second-Language. These include peer feedback, involving classmates in evaluating writing; conferencing between the student-writer and the teacher-reader; and written comments from the perspective of a reader, not a grammarian or grade giver. (23 references)…

Investigates whether prompts and topic types affect writing performance of college freshmen taking the Manoa Writing Placement Examination (MWPE). Finds that the MWPE is reliable but that responses to prompts and prompt sets differ. Shows that differences arising in performance on prompts or topics can be minimized by examining mean scores and…

Investigates the work of mentoring as situated within electronic exchanges. Explores strategies used by mentors to communicate their readings and suggested revisions of student texts. Analyzes the mentor responses according to patterns formed and other factors. (HB)