Presents three college compositions written in 1867 which demonstrate their author's poor grasp of the basics. (DD)

Concludes that an objective pretest that evaluates basic skills will, in a high percentage of cases, predict student achievement in a business communications course. (FL)

Contains 19 standards for basic writing programs, covering teaching and learning, support, and program evaluation, developed by the Committee on Writing Standards of the National Council of Teachers of English for the United States Office of Education. (DD)

Argues the need for reading courses in college that would have equal status with other required course offerings and that would go beyond remedial reading to develop reading rates, vocabulary, and study skills. (TJ)

Advocates the teaching of interdependent courses, which combine a section of composition and an introductory course in another subject, such as psychology. (DD)

The passion for a return to the basics is a form of nostalgia for a nonexistent past. (DD)

Explores how insights of the 1970s are being lost, namely, those about why and how the academy thinks about basic writing and students deemed "illiterate" or "remedial." Examines a discourse that the author calls Basic Writing and how it has marginalized basic writing courses, teachers, and students. (TB)

The Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) is required to prepare an annual report on students taking basic skills courses at Colorado's public higher educations institutions. CCHE has prepared this report which summarizes: (1) Commission activities since adopting the Remedial Policy in 2000; and (2) data on assessed and remediated…

Discusses how teachers have erred on one side to teach the basics of sentence structure, usage, grammar, and spelling and have neglected the other primary basic, creativity. (MB)

Describes the changes basic writers made to an impromptu in-class essay when the essays were taken home and revised. Suggests that some basic writers have sophisticated revising skills, and that assessment which allows time for revision can give these students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills. (RAE)

Argues that prewriting is the most important skill to emphasize and practice extensively in basic writing classes. Describes basic writers as almost universally neglecting prewriting activities. Suggests some guidelines for teaching prewriting effectively. (HB)

The purpose of this paper is to describe basic skills students in relation to their participation in basic skills and their success in transitioning to college-level classes, and the momentum they gain towards college success from this participation. In the period of time covered by the data used for this analysis, 24 colleges offered I-BEST…

Concern over the inadequate writing skills of college freshmen can be traced back at least a hundred years. (JH)

Work with 12 students in a basic writing class led to the conclusion that textual analysis alone will not provide basic writing teachers with the information they need to deal effectively with student errors; instead, contextual analysis is needed, an understanding of how students compose and what their guiding concerns and basic problems are.…

Discusses ten questions writing teachers should ask themselves to determine whether they are effective teachers. (DD)