Describes holistic scoring as one of the biggest breakthroughs in writing assessment. Suggests that the technique's high interrater reliability coefficients partly explain holistic scoring's popularity. Argues that validity has been largely neglected. Concludes that more must be learned about the uses and effects of holistic scoring. (SG)

Teachers using the self-regulated strategy development approach instruct students in task-specific strategies along with more general strategies for regulating the students' strategy use and the learning process. Examines the components, stages, and characteristics of such an approach, along with its effectiveness in helping students with learning…

Argues that findings from interviews with basic writing students cast new light on the responsibilities teachers have toward basic writers. Suggests that teachers must help students understand what it means to be a basic writer and can help writers contest and refute their labels through the curricula in the writing courses. (NH)

Describes outcomes of a national investigation in the United Kingdom into linguistic characteristics of writing in GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) English examination. Argues that greater precision in describing writing will promote better teaching and learning. (NH)

In this paper, it was investigated the effect of digital portfolio assessment process on the drawing and story writing performances of the 14-15 ages students. For this reason, a digital portfolio assessment rubric was prepared in order to evaluate students' drawing and story writing works. For the validity and reliability analyze was applied to…

This study examined student writing over the past decades. The National Study of Writing Instruction addressed questions through analyses of existing data sets, particularly those from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which include background questions on instructional practices in U.S. middle and high schools. NAEP…

When asked to reflect on their experiences with writing, preservice teachers attributed their successes and failures to a number of factors. Some of these attributions, such as those made to "effort" and "ability", were internal in nature. However, the most frequently occurring references were to an external factor: "influential others."…

Discussing results of the third Assessment of Achievement Programme (AAP) survey of attainment in English language of a representative sample of pupils throughout Scotland, this leaflet highlights areas where improvement in the performance could be made. The leaflet covers the four outcomes--listening, talking, reading, writing--in four columns.…

Despite writing teachers' best efforts, students still seem to regard the request to revise as intimating failure. Many researchers have noted students' lack of response to teacher comments, and much of this research has provided a corrective lens on vague or even aggressive teacher comments. Unpracticed writers replace the task of revising with…

Researchers' interests in direct-writing assessment are traced, and conclusions are drawn about how far such research has come in the last 15 years. Focus is on the concerns evident in the bulk of the work done on writing assessment and on the direction in which writing assessment is moving. (SLD)

In March 1997, all State, Territory and Commonwealth education ministers agreed on the national goal: that every child leaving primary school should be numerate and able to read, write and spell at an appropriate level. To provide focus for this goal, ministers also agreed to a sub-goal: that every child commencing school from 1998 will achieve a…

The Des Moines Plan (DMP) is described, which is a comprehensive kindergarten through grade 12 program designed to improve and strengthen students' reading, writing, and mathematics skills. The program was implemented during the fall semester of the 1986-87 school year. The DMP adopted the instructional model implemented by the Chapter 1 program…

Research suggests that children who do not read at the end of the first grade fail to achieve in almost every other academic area. Given the high price of not learning to read in first grade, Maine schools are asking: Are children entering first grade able to take advantage of formal literacy instruction? Are they leaving first grade reading and…

Provides details of 10 students with learning disabilities or behavioral disorders who were taught in a special education resource room using the "Reasoning and Writing" program. Notes students made large and statistically significant gains. Suggests that a relatively brief intervention with "Reasoning and Writing" had a…

A study investigated the functional relationship that exists when mental ability and language competence are separately and simultaneously measured with regard to their influence on the effective treatment of verbal information. Data were gathered from 100 men and women, aged 20-60, who were tested for language competence, reading comprehension,…