This study investigated gender differences in students' writing self-efficacy beliefs, writing attitudes, writing preferences, and gendered perceptions about writing in the New Zealand School Certificate English classroom (year 11). The aim of this study was also to identify factors which may contribute to the negative affect and poor performance…

This packet assists teachers and students in preparing for the Michigan Communications Arts (Writing and Reading) portions of the High School Proficiency Test (HSPT). Sections of the packet are: Map of the Regional Network for Communications Arts (including local contacts); Calendar of Professional Development Events; Annotated Bibliography of…

This packet assists teachers and students in preparing for the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) Grade 5 and 8 Writing Assessments. Sections of the packet are: Map of the Regional Network for Communications Arts (including local contacts); Calendar of Professional Development Events; Annotated Bibliography of Recommended Resources;…

This position statement from the Conference on College Composition and Communication begins with a "foundation claim": in all situations calling for writing assessment, the primary purpose of the specific assessment should govern its design, implementation, and the generation and dissemination of its results. It describes 10 assumptions about…

Business students (n=22) who completed writing assignments in face-to-face collaborations were compared to those (n=40) using group support systems software. Posttest performance was significantly higher for both groups. Software users had significantly higher performance on the content and organization components of writing. (SK)

Researchers' interests in direct-writing assessment are traced, and conclusions are drawn about how far such research has come in the last 15 years. Focus is on the concerns evident in the bulk of the work done on writing assessment and on the direction in which writing assessment is moving. (SLD)

Suggests that telecommunications and multimedia technologies of interactive video have increased possibilities for learners at-risk to become successful. Discusses a portfolio planning guide which contains instructional strategies for creating literacy and diagnostic multimedia assessment information. Discusses how undergraduate elementary and…

Asks undergraduate students to respond to a series of questions by hand and using a word processor. Finds that some students felt profoundly disadvantaged writing by hand, and students who felt uncomfortable on the computer wrote longer and better developed responses in that medium. Suggests that a computer-assisted tutorial may act like L.…

Administers 23 psychometric measures of reading, writing, and related language processes to 102 elementary students and their parents. Notes results are consistent with claim of functional systems theory that the same language processes are orchestrated flexibly depending on task at hand. Finds number of language deficits uniquely predicted…

History departments are not generally known as hotbeds of assessment activity. Doctoral programs in history rarely touch the issue of how to assess student learning, while program review as an idea appears to many historians as an invasion of their turf by outsiders. At Eastern Michigan University, members of the faculty in the Department of…

It seems likely that the history research paper at the high school level is now an endangered species. Focus on creative writing, fear of plagiarism, fascination with PowerPoint presentations, and lack of planning time have been joined by a notable absence of concern about term papers in virtually all the work on state standards. As a result, far…

Two major obstacles to using problem-based learning methods with writing in elementary school classrooms are the time it takes to design the learning environment and the time required for students to interact at their own pace with ill-structured problems used to spur student writing. This study examined whether game elements could be used along…

This report summarizes Austin Independent School District services and activities funded in part by the federal NCLB Title I Part A grant for the 2006-2007 school year.

Building on the work of an earlier article ["The Word Writing CAFE: Assessing Student Writing for Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency," Dorothy J. Leal, "Reading Teacher," 59 (4) Dec 2005 (EJ738016)], these authors investigated the use of a simple assessment tool with a different audience to yield similar useful results. (Contains 3 figures and 4…

The purpose of this booklet is to provide administrators, teachers, and students in Alberta, Canada, with samples of students' writing that exemplify the criteria used to score students' written responses on the June 1991 Grade 9 Social Studies Achievement Test. The Grade 9 Social Studies Achievement Test consisted of two parts: Part A: Multiple…