This handbook is one of a series developed in response to requests to provide schools with additional information concerning the written composition portion of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). The handbook focuses on grades 3 through 5. Following an introduction, the handbook is in two parts. Part 1 contains general information on the writing process and how that process applies to the TAAS writing test. This section includes discussions of prewriting, elaboration, revision, and editing. Part 2 provides scoring criteria and sample student papers with detailed annotations for each type of writing eligible for testing at Grade 5: informative/descriptive, informative/narrative ("how to"), expressive/narrative, informative/classificatory, and persuasive/descriptive. Three appendixes present TAAS writing objectives and instructional targets for grade 5, and explanation of purpose/mode at grade 5, and eligible types of writing at grade 5. (SR)