A study investigated errors in the writing of black students to determine how those errors were influenced by black oral English. Writing samples were gathered from 99 third grade and 68 sixth grade students in a school in an inner city, low income neighborhood. All errors in the samples were listed and analyzed. In the samples produced by the third grade students, 550 errors were identified; of these, 39% were considered to have possible influences from black English. In the samples produced by the sixth grade students, 437 errors were identified; of these, 33% were considered to have possible influences from black English. (Copies of the stimulus for the writing samples and lists of errors are appended.) (FL)