Analyzes the persuasive essays of high school juniors and seniors to determine the specific rhetorical and linguistic features that contributed to raters' holistic judgments about the overall quality of the essays. Reports that use of logical appeals, five-paragraph structure, coherence, and number of words were strongly correlated with overall…

Describes and evaluates the Test of Early Written Language (TEWL), an instrument resulting in percentile or standard scores that reflect children's writing development at ages three to seven. Warns that it fails to tap important concepts at the lower age ranges, and violates several principles of children's authentic writing experiences. (MM)

Outlines a plan for evaluating written work in business communication, rating three aspects of writing: tone and logic, mechanics, and program (the appropriate approach for a particular assignment). Notes that this plan is an effective and objective way to evaluate students' writing projects. (MM)

Argues that evaluating electronic versions of students' writing saves time and makes grading easier. Explains how the author uses custom-designed macros to provide comments and guidance to students with more elaboration than is possible by writing comments on the margins of the papers. (PA)

Comments on the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), a new component of the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). Examines the AWA's historical significance and addresses questions regarding the relevance of the writing test for management education. Finds that the AWA is of limited value as a writing assessment and will meet only some of…

States that students in writing response groups have to work through conflicting sets of role expectations, one connected to response to writing in general, the other created by the unequal power relations in classrooms. Discusses how students manage to juggle the demands of conflicting roles and how teachers can guide them to do so productively.…

A method to describe the relationship between coherence and writing quality through topical structure analysis was developed and applied to short compositions in English as a foreign language (EFL) by 24 Finnish high school students. Results indicate that topical development in such compositions can be one index of quality. (SLD)

Describes how an English teacher used journal writing and how it improved the quality of the other writing his students did. Discusses specific journal writing assignments and details ways to help students maintain their journal writing. (RS)

Examines basic writers' analyses of essay examination questions. Reveals a number of preference patterns that may be weighed both against general teaching and assessment theory and against the particular constraints of specific contexts. Concludes that basic writers have much to contribute to the writing of essay examination questions and the…

Defines portfolios in terms of their uses in university writing courses. Summarizes teachers' experiences in implementing portfolios in departments that have not adopted portfolios. Reviews common complaints and questions writing teachers have about portfolios. Describes and gives examples of student portfolios. (RS)

Presents an evaluation method for written assignments in which students develop an evaluation checklist. (SR)

Examines the way mainstream language instructors evaluate second-language learners' writings. The research illustrates the continued importance of the mechanics of grammar as a major criterion in the evaluation of second-language learners' composition. (16 references)

Describes a dual grading process for business writing assignments, initiated to expose students to collaborative evaluation and to verify instructor evaluation. Maintains that receiving feedback from both teacher and students reinforce students' confidence in the evaluation process while teaching them about audience expectations. (SR)

Presents a method that uses computers for writing placement exams, a "structured decision system." Argues that it is more economical and efficient than the process that uses real people as readers. (SR)

Offers a brief history of an attempt to establish predictive test validity with holistic scoring of writing tests. Asserts that holistically scored writing samples may be practical for some local purposes, but they must be used judiciously. Suggests monitoring the validity of local tests with statistical packages and using teacher ratings as…