This report summarizes the level of academic achievement, and the extent of racial and gender gaps in that achievement, of students in North Carolina's Wake County Public School System (WCPSS). The comparison was conducted using 1993 End-of-Grade (EOG) tests; low income group EOG test performance; 1993 writing tests and high school writing…

The mission of the South Carolina Writing Improvement Network (WIN) is to improve students' writing abilities by providing professional development programs and writing activities for remedial writing teachers. A study assessed the effects of WIN on the growth and professional development of writing teachers, as well as the effects of the…

A study evaluated the Alabama Direct Assessment of Writing Program. The comprehensive evaluation examined the background literature, the psychometric characteristics, and the impact of the writing assessment both quantitatively and qualitatively. Results indicated that: (1) the majority of fifth- and seventh-grade students in Alabama do not…

The purpose of this report is to provide information about the level of student performance in the area of writing based on results from the annual on-demand writing sample required during the North Carolina Writing Assessment at grades 4 and 7 for 2001-02. The report was generated using aggregate student data from North Carolina public schools,…

In 2001 Congress appropriated funds for a trial district-level assessment and the National Assessment Governing Board passed a resolution approving the selection of five large urban school districts for participation in the Trial Urban District Assessment, a special project within the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This report…

Examined the written responses of 13 teachers, who were making the transition toward using a process approach to writing instruction in their classes, to drafts composed by fourth graders. Findings provided information about how the teachers used language and what in the student drafts they focused on in their responses. (BB)

Compared reading, writing, and mathematics achievement of Title I and non-Title I third graders in comparable multiage and single-age classrooms in three school districts. Found higher achievement among non-Title I students in multiage settings when compared to those in a single-age setting. No setting differences were observed for Title I…

Attempts to clarify relationship between metacognition and English-as-a-Second-Language writing performance by posing the following questions: (1) Does each component of the metacognitive model--personal, task, and strategy--have an equivalent effect upon writing performance of ESL students?; (2) Do these three components impact performance…

A study determined if cross-age pairing of first-grade and sixth-grade students would have an effect on writing achievement. For 6 weeks, one group of beginning first-grade writers was paired with more able sixth-grade developing writers, while another group of beginning first-grade writers and sixth-grade developing writers was not cross-age…

A study determined the impact of a literacy program including social cooperative literacy experiences on literacy achievement of first-, second-, and third-grade children. Treatment in the experimental groups, which consisted of 204 children from 3 first-, 3 second-, and 3 third-grade urban classrooms included designing classroom literacy centers,…

A study explored the ways information about first-grade children's uses of literacy at home might inform school-based assessment of children's literacy knowledge. Subjects, 10 families (all Caucasian) in a small suburban community of white-collar professionals and administrators and 14 families (Caucasian, Latino, and African-American) in a large…

This report provides a longitudinal, comprehensive compendium of student performance data in the area of writing for the 2000-2001 school year. The report was generated using aggregate student data from North Carolina public schools, including charter schools, and provides information regarding student performance at the state level at each of the…

The purpose of this paper is to examine how well-prepared vocational educators are to teach courses and programs that reflect the emphasis on academic skills in the Perkins III legislation. The paper examines the academic skills and pedagogical knowledge of elementary, secondary and secondary vocational candidates to assess how well-prepared…

Examined along three assessment criteria (self-esteem and attitudes toward school, writing, and reading) the effects of literature-based mixed-age grouping compared to traditional grouping that emphasized a basal-reader approach in language arts. Found significantly higher increases in pretest-posttest scores for students in mixed-age settings.…

Goals in writing and beliefs about how to write well were studied for 653 undergraduates in a composition class. Goals and beliefs are identified in terms of four dimensions. Results make it clear that students have diverse beliefs about how to write well and associated commitments to these approaches. (SLD)