Several phenomena surrounding the institution of writing portfolio assessment in Kentucky schools have been observable and measurable for some time now, and many writing instructors in higher education have watched developments with delight and curiosity. One acknowledged benefit is the increased use of writing as a learning tool across the curriculum. A study tested the perception that students, as a result of Kentucky's portfolio assessment project, are better writers or at least more willing to write when they come to college. Both students and faculty at Morehead State University were surveyed, 748 freshmen and 28 faculty. Some of the students surveyed had completed portfolios and some had not. The student surveys showed that (1) students who completed portfolios wrote somewhat more than those who had not completed portfolios in high school; (2) neither group particularly enjoyed writing; however, (3) portfolio writers experienced more comfort with writing; and (4) that those who had completed portfolios were better writers. The faculty survey revealed that, contrary to some popular opinion, teachers have seen freshman writers fairly evenly holding their own or improving in basic skills, with many more seeing improvement in the last 5 years. Also, when it comes to being writers, first-year college students are demonstrating significant improvement in understanding the writing process and showing more comfort with writing. (Contains 17 figures.) (TB)