The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines are descriptions of what individuals can do with language in terms of speaking, writing, listening, and reading in real-world situations in a spontaneous and non-rehearsed context. For each skill, these guidelines identify five major levels of proficiency: Distinguished, Superior, Advanced, Intermediate, and…

Principles of writing assessment with at-risk students are explained, including the importance of identifying the purposes of assessment, assessment in the classroom context, and inclusion of children's and parents' perspectives in assessment of the child's writing progress. (DB)

Differences in girls' and boys' writing are felt to stem from cultural experiences relating to their reading and viewing. The aim of teachers should not be to produce degendered narrative but to encourage the complementary components of assertiveness, reflectiveness, and awareness of opposed values in both boys' and girls' writing. (JDD)

Traditional Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals focusing on mastery of skills taught in isolation are inappropriate for primary-level whole-language classrooms containing children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Sample goals and objectives that measure students' growing ability to read and write are presented. (JDD)

Developed as part of the America Reads Challenge, this booklet helps teachers and learning partners to identify "checkpoints"--what most children can do in reading and writing by developmental periods and what most children can read, by grade level. The checkpoints are grouped largely by three-year developmental periods because children…

This article provides specific recommendations for teaching students with learning disabilities how to use a story grammar cueing system for improving writing. The article emphasizes the importance of individualizing instruction and teaching for generalization, and discusses the purpose of the system and methods of assessment. (JDD)

This paper reviews the popular myths and facts about handwriting instruction and handwriting difficulties, examining two of the most common problems leading to difficulties with handwriting (dyslexia and dysgraphia). The paper also provides suggestions for helping students with handwriting difficulties. (SM)

This clear, reader-friendly book is carefully designed to help readers gain confidence and acquire competence in their academic writing abilities. It focuses on real people as they write and actively involves readers in the writing process. The authors' innovative approach encourages reflection on how professional writing initiatives connect to…