The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has a partnership with NWEA for the development of the 2024 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests. Teachers from across the State work with NYSED in a variety of activities to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP). The 2024 Grades 6 and 7 English Language…

Writing is a fundamental part of engaging in professional, social, community, and civic activities. Nearly 70 percent of salaried employees have at least some responsibility for writing, and the ability to write "well" is a critical component of being able to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences. Because writing is a…

"Practical Assessment Tools for College Japanese" collects 21 peer-reviewed assessment modules that were developed by teachers of Japanese who participated in the Assessments for Japanese Language Instruction Summer Institute at University of Hawai'i at Manoa in summer 2012. Each module presents a practical assessment idea that can be…

Writing and the teaching of writing is changing at a rapid pace. How can educators understand writing assessment "as" and "with" technology in the 21st-century classroom? Michael Neal contends that new technologies are neither the problem nor the solution. Instead, educators need to tap into digital resources only inasmuch as they promote writing…

What are the most effective methods for teaching writing across grade levels and student populations? What kind of training do teachers need to put research-validated methods into practice? This unique volume combines the latest writing research with clear-cut recommendations for designing high-quality professional development efforts. Prominent…

Shares instructional practices based on narrative and expository texts that will build students' literacy skills and meet many writing assessment demands in the United States. Presents guiding principles for best writing practice, pertinent standards in the English language arts, strategy-based lesson plans, and practical implications for teachers…

Discusses the use of entrance tests to admit students to mass communication programs. Advocates finding out precisely what an entrance test measures, and whether it matches what the curriculum demands of students. Recommends two essay tests that evaluate writing skill better than an objective test. (SR)

Building on the work of an earlier article ["The Word Writing CAFE: Assessing Student Writing for Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency," Dorothy J. Leal, "Reading Teacher," 59 (4) Dec 2005 (EJ738016)], these authors investigated the use of a simple assessment tool with a different audience to yield similar useful results. (Contains 3 figures and 4…

This booklet presents a sentence dictation test designed to find which of the most commonly used words students need to learn how to spell. The 34 sentences that comprise the test in the booklet can be used for systematic spelling instruction in first or second grade and in upper-grade remedial classes. The test in the booklet can also be used to…

Examines the intersection of classroom inquiry and educational policy by asking the question: "Can teacher-research become a vehicle for creating just and politically sensitive accounts of how educational policies affect real lives?" Shares classroom research conducted with students receiving special assistance to pass a state-mandated writing…

Standardized writing tests focus more on content than mechanics, but writing instruction typically focuses more on mechanics than content. Plot scaffolds, can help teachers fix the balance and help foster creativity and originality in students' writing. In this practical guide, elementary and middle school teachers will find: (1) a research-based…

This book presents ideas, strategies, and information intended to help teachers provide students with skills to perform effectively on specific writing tests. The first part of the book ("Background/Rationale") encompasses two major topics--the composing process and scoring methods--to give background for ideas and suggestions in other…

Describes the pros and cons of using written essay examinations. Reviews the history of the basic arguments for and against essay exams. Considers essay exams as forms of writing, in relation to portfolio assessment, and as reliable instruments of assessment. Advocates the use of timed, impromptu essay exams. (HB)

Offers four approaches, based on food metaphors, that writing teachers can use to prepare students for the writing items on the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test and the Scholastic Assessment Test II Writing Subject Test. The pros and cons of each method are discussed, and examples from the author's classroom experience are offered. (MSE)

These two booklets contain a variety of information about the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP), which assessed for the first time in April 1997 all fourth-grade classrooms in the content areas of reading and writing. The first booklet, the Demonstration Booklet, discusses the history and purpose of the assessment; assessment design;…