Teachers who use a dialogic approach to teaching and responding to student writing view their comments as a conversation with the students. They view writing in relation to the larger context of writing--the type of writing, the audience and purpose, and the conventions of the writer's community. When responding to student writing, a teacher's…

These official scoring guide for reading/literature present details of the 6-point scoring system used in Oregon schools for the 1989-99 and 1999-2000 school years for grades 4-12. They list the attributes of students' responses to merit a score from 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest) in the areas of comprehension, extending understanding, reading…

This manual presents information and instructions for test administrators in administering the 1998-99 version of the writing session of the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA). Sections of the manual present a checklist for test administrators; changes and reminders to the MEA for 1998-99; responsibilities of test administrators (scheduling,…

This manual presents information and instructions for principals and test coordinators in administering the 1998-99 version of the writing session of the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA). Sections of the manual present a checklist for principals/test coordinators; changes and reminders to the MEA for 1998-99; instructions for test coordinators…

It is important to teach students the ways in which rhetorical and literary texts are produced, distributed, and consumed. It is equally important, however, for teachers of writing, primarily members of English departments, to acknowledge the production and consumption processes of texts external to the genres of the academy and to recognize that…

This collection of essays, culled from presentations at the first Thomas R. Watson Conference in Rhetoric and Composition, examines the development of composition as a profession, focusing on the period between 1963 and 1983 when composition changed in a number of crucial ways. Essays in the collection are: (1) "Composition History and…

This workbook provides four classroom-proven steps to improve students' narrative, expository, and persuasive writing, and to raise student scores on standardized state writing tests. Following an introduction, the workbook is divided into the following sections which conform to the four steps: Step One: Teach Students to Write Strong Verb…

Presents a model that the student can use in analyzing the communication context of the business letter, and in composing and revising the letter. Also provides the evaluator with necessary contextual data. (PD)

A chemistry professor and an English professor combined their efforts in a regularly scheduled chemistry course to guide students in writing better laboratory reports. This approach is described, including criteria (which are part of the course syllabus) used to evaluate student papers. (JN)

Suggests guidelines for evaluating and using the findings of research in the classroom. (JL)

Reports on the development and testing of the Revision and Editing Test. Presents the test and its answer key in an appendix. (RL)

Investigates the question of T-unit length stability in informative discourse written by freshmen near the end of an intensive course in college writing. (HOD)

England's Leslie Stratta shares his views on teaching basic writing and assessing student growth in writing. (AEA)

Outlines a program in journal writing and self-assessment for college students. (AEA)

Describes the characteristics of good writing. Discusses how to foster good writing and how to help students develop it. (Author/JM)