In 1984, New Zealand tested 12- and 13- year-old and 15- and 16-year old students as part of the International Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) tests. Although weaknesses appeared at both age levels in the organization of material, particularly in argumentative and expository writing, students could write functional letters competently…

To compare the different images of writing that different assessment methods produce, a study examined two formal writing assessments--holistic and the specially developed intra-subject paired comparison method (IPC)--of pre/post university freshman composition-course writing. The samples of writing were unrehearsed, 50 minute, in-class essays.…

This guide outlines the writing procedures for English Composition Pupil Performance Objective assessments and tests in grades 4, 8, and 10 of the Ottawa County (Ohio) school system. Procedures for both students and teachers are included for the prewriting, first draft writing, and revising/rewriting sessions. (MM)

To gain insight into the evaluation of college freshman compositions, a study explored the relationship between the personality type of the instructor and the grades assigned to essays written by freshman composition students. The sample comprised 23 college instructors who answered a short questionnaire, graded the same expository essay, and…

The initial stimulus for measuring the composition skills of students in the Des Moines (IA) Independent Community School District came in 1980-81 when the school board adopted a goal for the year which stated: "The district should have school programs that improve pupils' competency in written expression." The intent of the original…

After an extensive review of the available research on large-scale writing assessment, certain issues in writing assessment seem to be unresolved, and still other issues are not supported by adequate research. This paper reviews the basic issues in writing assessment, points out which topics are supported by strong research, and which topics are…

Twenty-seven school journalism teachers who have been honored as "outstanding" by the Newspaper Fund in the last 3 years responded to a survey about how they grade students in production oriented classes. The teachers reported using a variety of grading systems, including subjective decision making, a combination grading system, self-evaluation,…

This booklet presents three practical procedures for conferencing to help upper elementary and high school teachers evaluate students' language development while teaching students how to regulate and participate more fully in the process of writing. The booklet includes the following chapters: (1) "The Interaction of Thought and…

A review of the literature on the evaluation of writing in English as a Second Language (ESL) discusses research in four areas: (1) general discussions of basic issues in large-scale ESL composition evaluation; (2) accounts of the development of particular instruments and programs for measuring the ability of ESL writers; (3) reports of research…

Fifteen member countries of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) collaborated on a project that had four aims: (1) to contribute to the conceptualization of the domain of writing, (2) to develop an internationally appropriate set of writing tasks and a system for assessing compositions, (3) to describe…

A total of 1,487 eleventh grade students from the Hamburg (West Germany) school system were asked to complete four writing assignments used in an International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) study of writing assessment. In analyzing the writing samples, the study focused on: (1) between-rater effects; (2)…

Noting that introducing students to cursive writing just when they have begun to master manuscript does not provide the continuity consistent with the rest of their education, a Montana school district implemented instruction in italic handwriting. The program was evaluated three years after implementation. Writing samples from all students in…

A study examined the quantity and quality of ideas produced in freshman composition students' writing to determine whether computer assisted instruction (CAI) stimulates invention as well as or better than current invention instruction in traditional classrooms. Two CAI programs were used: QUEST, the systematic program that examines an item/event…

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between scores on the multiple-choice General Educational Development (GED) Writing Skills test and scores on holistically graded essays. Secondary purposes included the following: (1) examining the relationship of essay scores to scores on the multiple-choice GED Reading Skills…

Designed for use by elementary school teachers responsible for working with students whose writing test scores indicate a need for remediation, this guide has as its goal the improvement of students' writing skills on a day-to-day basis. The first part of the guide describes the composing process and defines the characteristics of an effective…