Gives historical background of the achievement of Ellis Page and his attempt to create a means by which computers could be used for analyzing and evaluating student writings. Provides critical reception of the original studies by Page. Discusses three current computer approaches to the task of evaluating student writing. (HB)

Describes various writing center issues and how they were foregrounded through the institution of a campuswide portfolio evaluation in the first-year writing program at the University of Southern California in fall of 1990. Shows the effect of the adoption of portfolio evaluation on the writing center's activities. (HB)

Discusses various reasons why teachers should pay attention to religious writing from students. Uses examples taken from proficiency exam reader-training sessions. (NH)

Contends that assessing writing is much the same as reviewing literature. Questions the differences between oral literature and composition and responses to them, and hypertext and responses to them. Discusses how these questions relate to determining achievement, performance, or learning in writing. Defines, offers a blueprint of, and discusses…

An adult-literacy teacher modeled her own writing in class and enabled learners to critique and provide feedback. The process enabled her to identify more clearly learners' anxieties about writing, and it uncovered problematic aspects of the curriculum. (SK)

Identifies advantages and disadvantages of using focus groups rather than individual interviews in evaluating texts. Finds that focus groups tended to identify acceptance problems, whereas individual interview participants focused on comprehension. (SR)

Begins with a quick history of the English profession's response to the prospect/specter of the computer as reader of student writing. Describes two programs that are now being heavily marketed and publicized nationally. Sketches out some of the implications of these programs for members of the profession of English in America. (SG)

Providing an essay by a student who committed suicide as an example, discusses the importance of appreciating what writing rubrics and other assessment devices do not measure or observe. Proposes that school counselors can help educators' discern possible warning signs in students' written and oral communications. (Contains 15 references.) (GCP)

The acknowledged expert on the 6+1 traits of writing explains what the traits are and what they are not: The traits are not a curriculum; they are part and parcel of the writing process; they are a model, not a program; they are not a prepackaged replacement for teaching writing; and they are the language of the writing workshop. The author…

Students will see writing as a powerful act when they learn to analyze a published author's writing style and send a written critique straight to the source. The author critiques help students to analyze their own writing and the Sentence Opening Sheet is an excellent device for this purpose as it reformats the text so that students can see their…

Assessment, particularly formative assessment, is critical to knowing how a student is performing academically and how best to support that student. Teachers, especially new teachers, need ongoing support in developing and using both summative and formative assessments as an integral part of their instructional practice. Written collaboratively by…

Researchers have highlighted various benefits of the simulation-based approach to second language (L2) writing instruction. In this article, the author argues, with specific pedagogical scenarios, that an explicit focus on genre and genre analysis in simulation-based L2 writing instruction can further enhance learners' reading of content…

The ECFMG[R] Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA[R]) was developed to evaluate whether graduates of international medical schools are ready to enter graduate training programs in the United States. The performance-based patient note exercise is specifically used to assess an examinee's ability to summarize, synthesize and interpret the data collected…

This dissertation presents an innovative approach to the development and empirical evaluation of Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) technology used for teaching and learning. It introduces IADE (Intelligent Academic Discourse Evaluator), a new web-based AWE program that analyzes research article Introduction sections and generates immediate,…

The aim of this study was to investigate discourse markers in descriptive compositions of 90 Iranian students who were selected from two universities. Without any instruction, they were given a topic to write a descriptive composition per week for 8 weeks. 598 compositions were collected, and they were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by…