The authors explored the credibility of using informal reading inventories and writing samples for 138 students (K-4) to evaluate the effectiveness of a summer literacy program. Running Records (a measure of a child's reading level) and teacher experience during daily reading instruction were used to estimate the reliability of the more formal…

Writing is a highly valued skill that is often neglected in the classroom; one reason is that teachers often do not receive adequate training in writing assessment and instruction. Teachers, particularly preservice teachers, need practice making detailed assessments of student writing and to build their confidence for assessing student writing,…

The concept of information functions developed for dichotomous item response models is adapted for the partial credit model. The information function is explained in terms of the model parameters and scoring functions. The relationship between the item information function and the expected score function is also discussed. The information function…

A study was initiated by a university rhetoric department to investigate the reliability of methods of rating student themes written as prerequisites for course exemptions. Ten experienced raters were selected to rate the beginning, middle, and ending paragraphs of 30 previously scored exemption themes that represented a range of achievement.…

Advises teachers not to evaluate students on day-to-day growth, but instead to allow for measurable growth, evaluating them after a suitable period of time has elapsed. Assumes that true growth in writing occurs slowly, that it is seldom linear, and that distinctions between disparate texts remain spurious. (MS)

Thirty-three College of Education professors at the University of Saskatchewan were surveyed to determine their expectations and perceptions of and attitudes toward student writing. Results indicate that professors complained more about lack of student ability in the argumentative mode than student errors in syntax and mechanics of writing. (TJH)

Presents a response refuting Leonard Moskovit's essay on the use and misuse of the referent "this," arguing that his analysis of 28 examples and resulting principles for evaluating broad referents are in error. Includes Moskovit's defense of his essay. (HTH)

This report presents results from an internal evaluation conducted between September 1981 and August 1982 of abstracts published by the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system. A brief introduction describes the study methodology and reviews limitations, indicating that 526 evaluations of 349 abstracts were conducted by personnel at…

An exploratory study of the effects of essay length on scoring reliability is presented. While results fail to confirm statistically a length effect that is either overall or in individual scorers, it is suggested that such an effect may emerge in a larger sample. Further research is suggested on the effects of length and grade level on marking.…

Offers guidelines and illustrations for developmental writing teachers to help them implement holistic assessment of student writing. Presents a rationale for separating assessment and placement. Discusses the design of writing tasks and the training of raters. Includes a sample scoring rubric. (DMM)

Shows how to assure fairness in grading essay exams by having students place a code number instead of their names on their essays. Notes that student reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Argues that the approach can be used in a wide variety of educational circumstances. (RS)

Presents a primary-trait scoring instrument intended for journalism teachers to use in assessing students' editorials by breaking down the analysis into three essential components: claims, data, and warrants. Applies the instrument to two student essays. (SR)

Suggests that the portfolio bandwagon began with a series of unexamined assertions against existing practices. Concludes that the challenge of writing teachers is to develop valid and reliable methods of assessing student writing, based on clearly defined purposes, and to educate the various publics about the complexities of that challenge. (RS)

Proposes that writers evaluate works in progress guided by their internal standards. Finds that writing samples from students whose judgments of good writing matched those of their readers were rated significantly higher than the writing of students whose judgments disagreed. (SR)

Describes how to develop a computer critiquing system for student feedback, producing individualized student feedback from a preestablished master list of critical comments. Discusses developing the master feedback list, setting up the merge process, special applications of computerized responses, and assessing its advantages and disadvantages.…