A discussion of holistic scoring, developed for use on essays in composition courses, argues that it can be used effectively in other disciplines. Procedures for establishing criteria of quality, ideas for identifying writing features relevant to the discipline in question, and methods of providing feedback to students are suggested. (MSE)

Although classroom assessment techniques resemble common writing exercises, they offer college composition instructors insight into effective instruction. Their use can also lead to classroom research projects and further faculty development. An example of such an exercise is to have students write a one-minute paper on classroom instruction in…

This article identifies flaws within current writing programs for gifted and talented students and lists necessary content, process, and product modifications, all of which can be implemented in either pull-out programs or regular classrooms. Recent literature on writing instruction reform is reviewed. (Author/PB)

This study of the story composition abilities of 46 students (aged 11-14) with learning disabilities found that subjects had a rudimentary knowledge of story form, but this knowledge was less developed than that of their nondisabled peers. Subjects also had greater coherence problems in their writing and were less fluent writers. (Author/JDD)

Evidence based and comprehensive, this important work offers a new approach to understanding and intervening with students with learning disabilities. The authors--leading experts in neuropsychology and special education--present a unique model of learning disabilities that integrates the cognitive, neural, genetic, and contextual factors…

This article reports the results of a preliminary study that applied a randomized posttest-only design to evaluate the effectiveness of a literacy curriculum that incorporated explicit opportunities for Spanish-speaking Head Start preschool children (N = 76) to develop writing abilities in English. The study also addressed English language…

This guide reviews a number of ways that written text has been used in the classroom to help develop enriching classroom activities, using French examples, in modern European language instruction and examines ways in which text can reinforce and extend what students are learning to say and write. The text deals with teacher and learner creativity,…

This collection of essays offers a new approach to strengthening the development of students' civic identity through the teaching of reading, writing, speech, and literature. A foreword by Richard L. Larson and an introduction by Sandra Stotsky are followed by the following essays: (1) The Decline of a Civic Ethic" (Sandra Stotsky); (2) "Reading…

Intended for experienced teachers of composition and for graduate student of composition studies, this collection of essays represents an overview of the last 30 years of composition theory--a near chronology of the profession's changes, from process to cohesion to cognition to social construction to ideology. The 41 essays and their authors…

Intended as a practical resource for the busy teacher, this book focuses on meaningful and manageable ways teachers can communicate to parents why they approach writing as they do and how parents can assist their children at home. The book presents open-ended strategies for informing and involving parents that have been developed and successfully…

The manual is intended to help school psychologists determine strengths and weaknesses, establish goals, and prescribe interventions for students with difficulties in mathematics, spelling, and written language. Research on sources of mathematical difficulties, theoretical bases, and hierarchies in mathematics is reviewed, procedures for formal…

It is possible to use writing assignments in college psychology courses as a means of teaching subject matter and writing without substantially increasing instructor workload. There are two sets of strategies for dealing with the problem of limited time and energy, one pertaining to the writing assignment itself, the other to evaluating such…

Designed as a criterion-referenced scale to describe levels of writing skill development for basic essay elements, this instrument provides separate six-point rating scales for general competence of a narrative essay and the levels of development of focus and organization, support, and grammar/mechanics. The mechanics scale includes a brief guide…

Designed as a criterion-referenced scale to describe levels of writing skill development for basic essay elements, this instrument provides separate six-point rating scales for general impression of the quality of an essay, general competence, coherence, paragraph organization, support for main ideas, and mechanics. Validity, reliability and…

College interdisciplinary programs that focus on student writing are reviewed, and research and criticisms of these programs are briefly addressed. Features of 12 interdisciplinary programs emphasizing writing at the undergraduate level are summarized. The following are among the conclusions offered: (1) a growing number of higher education…