As a result of research showing that students are more motivated when English teachers avoid grades and marks, this book focuses on ways to involve students in the assessment process. The book covers the following topics: learning and reflection, students controlling language, the purpose of assessment, assessing students' relationship to the…

This paper describes an attempt to follow up the performance of foreign graduate students in the College of Engineering, University of Michigan, and discusses whether the scores they obtained on the Michigan Battery, with special reference to the composition test, predicted success or lack of success in their first term subjects. No significant…

Since attention to the issue of writing assessment is new, research and theory are described as still widely scattered among fields of inquiry and differing perspectives. The integration of available knowledge into a viable framework is recommended to prescribe current practice and determine future research. In a domain-referenced view of…

To determine how college students evaluated their classmates' writing and whether their critiquing was effective, a study examined the critique sheets of 10 students, each of whom responded to two argumentative essays written by their classmates. Results suggested that student readers did not always impose the constraints necessary for providing…

A study exploring the effects of teacher comments on student compositions sought to identify specific, effective teacher responses in order to begin the development of a model of teacher intervention during the writing process. Because a review of the literature revealed that previous studies on the subject had been inconclusive regarding the…

This paper discusses variables influencing written composition quality and how they can best be controlled to improve the reliability of assessment of writing ability. The study aimed to concentrate on the effects of different imposed time limits on student performance in written composition at grade 10 level using methods of generalizability…

An area of current concern is that of the advantages and disadvantages of measuring writing proficiency directly via writing samples, and indirectly via objective tests. Much research has been completed documenting the correlation between direct and indirect measures. However, there had not yet been a systematic and detailed conceptual analysis…

Students in eleventh grade composition classes in an Ephrata, Washington, high school work in groups to evaluate each other's papers, enabling teachers to handle many more papers in much less time than usual and developing students' writing and evaluatory skills. The sequence used for each course assignment is as follows: (1) The class reads and…

Ten current books covering a variety of topics relating to composition are reviewed in this paper. The first three reviews are of books describing actual writing abilities of students: "Language Development: Kindergarten through Grade 12" by Walter Loban; "The Development of Writing Abilities (11-18)" by James Britton and his…

The Fitchburg, Massachusetts, school system's writing program designed to meet the requirements of the commonwealth's Basic Skills Improvement Policy is discussed in this paper. The skills sequences that were selected for use in the areas of composition (levels kindergarten through grade 12) and mechanics and usage (levels two through nine) are…

MARC (Methodical Assessment of Reports by Computer) is a report-marking program which enables teachers to provide individualized feedback on reports written by engineering students. The MARC system is objective in its consistent application of the same programed criteria, but also allows individual markers to supply their own comments as required.…

Presents results of a study on the effects of topic selection on holistic scoring, which supported the idea that topic effects are reflected in student writing and influence student scores. (JC)

Describes the efforts of the basic writing program at the University of Louisville (Kentucky) to develop portfolio evaluation procedures to replace exit examinations. As a result, collaboration has come to play a more important role in relationships between administrator and teacher, as well as between teacher and student. (JK)

The definition of progress as applied to writing research and practice is examined, and three different approaches to understanding the writing of exceptional children are considered: a literal approach, an interpretive approach, and an evaluative approach. The scientific and social implications of each of the approaches are considered.…

Discusses the possibility that a writer's audience may be more malleable than it is normally assumed to be and describes how one researcher worked with several advanced college writers to learn more about the dynamics of their composing processes. Suggests that the use of these writing strategies may benefit both teachers and students. (JD)