The relationship of comprehension monitoring to writing was investigated in a multiple-measure, longitudinal study of writing skill development. Subjects were approximately 100 elementary school students who were followed during the first three grades. At the end of first grade, relationships were found between ambiguity detection, reading, and writing. Psychometric measures correlated reading with various degrees of strength, but were poor predictors of writing. Reading was firmly related to writing. At the end of second grade, analyses identified two writing measures, language reception, reading, and additional writing scores as descriptors of communication evaluation. The major contrast between first and second year findings lay in the order of entry of discriminating variables. The similarity of first and second year findings was striking, with several psychometric measures failing to contribute to the equation. In the third year of the study, a novel index of the children's text analysis skills was developed and administered. This consisted of an adventure options story in which a duplicitous guide provides directions with multiple possible intentions. (RH)