The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) program measures value added in colleges and universities, by testing the ability of freshmen and seniors to think logically and write clearly. The program is popular enough that it has attracted critics. In this paper, we outline the methods used by the CLA to determine value added. We summarize the…

The purpose of this study was to uncover the perspectives that pertain to the literacy experiences of young Hispanic boys. Hispanic boys will be asked to describe, feel, judge, and make sense of their "public and private literacies" (Faulkner, 2005). This phenomenological study embraces two methods of data collection, participant focus groups and…

Many basic writers, who are virtually unable to create a coherent paragraph, are nonetheless capable of presenting orally well-constructed narratives of depth and feeling. Thus, teachers must try to get students to harness the strength of their oral abilities to improve their writing skills, and Kenneth Burke's pentad may provide a key. Burke's…

A study investigated whether college students' writing skills have deteriorated in recent years. Writing samples from upper-level undergraduate or first-year graduate courses from 1956 (at a public university), 1965 (at a private university), and from 1978 and 1993 (at a private college) were examined. Samples were analyzed for errors in spelling,…

Pointing out that the style of the Associated Press (AP) defines clear writing, this revised edition of the practical and much-used AP stylebook is designed to be an essential handbook for all writers, editors, and students. The stylebook contains over 5000 entries laying out the AP's rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage. It gives…

Spelling instruction should be multi-faceted and not tied to any special time of day. Teachers in a "spelling classroom" should demonstrate their fascination with words, encourage the exploration of words, and know that spelling is developmental. The spelling classroom can be identified by: (1) the print in the room and the children's…

This book describes and discusses the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) study of writing in Sweden. The chapters are as follows: (1) Introduction; (2) Content and Planning of the Study; (3) Schools, Teachers and Pupils in Sweden 1985; (4) The Teaching of Writing; (5) Compositions and Scoring; (6)…

Designed to help teachers develop a collaborative writing community in the intermediate grade classroom, this teacher's resource and support package gives teachers what they need to apply process writing principles to five of the most popular student writing forms or genres ("memorable moments,""interesting…

Emphasizing the writing product rather than process, this paper presents two writing samples each for three students and evaluates them using five questions: (1) What are the strengths of the paper? (2) What are the weaknesses? (3) What are the apparent differences between the two writing samples? (4) What other information do you need about this…

A study was conducted at Union County College to compare students who successfully completed a developmental writing course with those who did not in terms of their achievement in a college-level English course. The study population consisted of students who enrolled in English Composition I in spring 1981; 61 of these students had successfully…

A teacher attempted to make students think about what they say so that they can express themselves on paper more clearly. (RK)

Five major areas of analysis regarding instructional systems are described, and the examination of different instructional procedures is emphasized. (LH)

Describes a technique designed to improve the journalistic skills of high school students. (RB)

A series of papers dealing with the development of writing abilities, focusing on: the child and his reader, the functions of writing, genuine communication, the importance of writing differently for different purposes and audiences, and the growth from the expressive to more specialized and differentiated kinds of writing. (EH)