In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of New York eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students in the Northeast region of the United States and the nation (using data from the…

In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of North Carolina eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students in the Southeast region of the United States and the nation (using data…

This report describes the writing achievement of Rhode Island eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students in the Northeast region of the United States and the nation (using data from the NAEP national assessments). In Rhode Island, 2516 students from 50 public schools and 434 students from 20 nonpublic schools were…

In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of Washington eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students in the West region of the United States and the nation (using data from the…

In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of West Virginia eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students in the Southeast region of the United States and the nation (using data from…

In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of Virgin Islands eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students nationwide (using data from the NAEP national assessments). In the Virgin…

The purpose of this writing sampler is to familiarize Delaware teachers and students with the major writing portion of the Delaware Student Testing Program. Included for each grade level (3, 5, 8, and 10) are the original prompt and an example of exemplary student work. Although the intent was to include student work for each of the rubric score…

Reviews classroom-based studies on alternative literacy assessment. Suggests that alternative assessments in some cases tapped elements of the reading process that are more difficult to assess through traditional testing practices and created an impetus for some teachers to explore certain instructional issues. Finds little information on the…

A Colorado elementary school used its assessment program to measure everything that affected student performance; they then changed or cut anything that did not improve achievement. Teachers routinely instructed and pretested each child at his/her achievement level. The result: high gains on the 1998 Colorado State Assessment. (MLH)

Noting that statewide writing assessment shows the achievements of Oregon students over the last decade, this booklet explains the results for the 1993-1997 assessments and provides papers illustrating the work that Oregon students in grades 8, 10, and 11 produce on the state test. The booklet's chapters are: (1) The History of Writing Assessment…

A study examined how college students wrote a critique of a sociology article; which features of written critiques were valued most by professors in the discipline; and whether students' educational level and status predicted the quality of their critiques. Subjects, 32 students enrolled in an upper-level sociology course, read and responded by…

The purpose of this document is to familiarize educators and parents with the text-based portion of the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) writing assessment for third grade. The DSTP writing assessment consists of one "stand-alone" writing prompt (representing 2/3 of the overall writing score) and one "text-based" prompt…

This book shows how teachers and specialists can be better informed about students' reading and writing abilities by observing students engaged in the processes of reading and writing than by administering isolated tests. The book demonstrates where traditional approaches to assessment fail and how to better help struggling students. Each chapter…

Focusing on specific and practical aspects of assessment and evaluation in elementary classrooms, this book is not only about portfolios, but about collecting and recording information from multiple sources on an ongoing basis. Noting that making forms, especially on the computer, is very time consuming, the book includes over 120 reproducible…

This summary report is the third of three reports (Preliminary, Final, and Summary) of the findings of the 1988 Provincial Writing Assessment in Manitoba, Canada for grades 4, 8, and 11 of French Immersion schools. It contains a brief description of the study along with recommendations. The report notes that the 1988 Writing Assessment was the…