A many-faceted Rasch model (FACETS) is presented for the measurement of writing ability. The FACETS model is a multivariate extension of Rasch measurement models that can be used to provide a framework for calibrating both raters and writing tasks within the context of writing assessment. A FACETS model is described based on the current procedures…

This investigation of the comparability of writing assessment prompts was conducted in two phases. In an exploratory Phase I, 47 writing prompts administered in the computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language[TM] (TOEFL[R] CBT) from July through December 1998 were examined. Logistic regression procedures were used to estimate prompt…

This document contains the results of a standard setting conducted between August 2 and August 12, 1999, on the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) Mathematics, Reading, and Writing subtests at grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. At the standard setting, judges were asked to recommend only the cut point between "Below the Standard" and…

This paper examines the efforts of the Anchorage School District, Alaska, to improve the validity of its writing assessment as a useful tool for the training of teachers and the characterization of the quality of student writing. The paper examines how a number of changes in the process and scoring of the Anchorage Writing Assessment affected the…

Effects of using different combinations of internal and external matching variables were examined using a generalized Mantel-Haenszel statistic, a technique based on meta-analysis, and logistic discriminant function analysis with data from a writing assessment for over 4,200 8th graders. Results did not support use of an external matching…

Using S. J. Messick's theoretical work concerning construct validity as a guide, underlying hypotheses for investigation when validating placement test decisions are assessed. Guidelines on validating placement decisions are offered, and the hypotheses and guidelines are applied in a validation study of the Written English Expression Placement…

Rater errors (rater severity, halo effect, central tendency, and restriction of range) are described, and criteria are presented for evaluating rating quality based on a many-faceted Rasch (FACETS) model. Ratings of 264 compositions from the Eighth Grade Writing Test in Georgia by 15 raters illustrate the discussion. (SLD)

Many universities rely on multiple choice or true/false tests to admit students to mass communication programs. The high stakes that prospective majors face suggest that there is an urgent need for departments to rethink their assumptions about entrance testing, as a narrow conception of scholastic ability can undermine any attempt to "weed…

The paper examines an assessment method for measuring students' writing performance. Does Primary Trait Scoring reliably and validly accomplish the administrative, instructional, and evaluative purposes of the writing assessment? The Primary Trait Scoring guide has a few underlying principles: identification of qualities of effective writing;…

The Work Keys (trademark) system of the American College Testing program has combined assessments of listening and writing into a single test administration. The Listening and Writing assessment uses independent scorings of the examinee's written responses to audiotaped prompts to assess both listening and writing skills separately. This paper…

A small-scale simulation investigated the impact of making essay topics available to test takers before the test. Results with 11 college students reveal little effect of the prepublished topic. Implications for teacher licensure examinations are discussed with reference to the Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers being…

Offers an account of three "waves" of writing assessment: objective tests, holistic scoring, and portfolios. Scrutinizes these modes of assessment for how they can serve needs beyond the institutional demands of sorting and selecting students, to discover what they can tell educators about writing, teaching, and courses and programs. (SR)

Re-analyzes data from Florida public schools and offers a different perspective and alternative explanation for the pattern of test score improvements among low scoring schools in Florida. Shows that the most dramatic improvements were achieved by targeting a minimum passing score on the writing test. (SLD)

This PowerPoint report summarizes AISD student demographic and academic performance results at elementary schools as of the end of the 2007-2008 school year.

The present study investigated the influence of word processing on the writing of students of English as a second language (ESL) and on writing assessment as well. Twenty-one adult Mandarin-Chinese speakers with advanced English proficiency living in Toronto participated in the study. Each participant wrote two comparable writing tasks under…