A study investigated the effectiveness of a program for increasing students' abilities to self-assess writing. The targeted population consisted of a class of second-grade students in an upwardly mobile community located in the suburban Chicago area of Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inability to self-assess writing was documented through teacher observation, student interviews given by the teacher, and collegial surveys. Analysis of probable cause data revealed a lack of student understanding of the writing process and a lack of class time given to the teaching and practicing of self-assessment skills. Teacher surveys revealed that the primary method of assessment was teacher based. A review of solution strategies suggested by knowledgeable others and a review of the literature, combined with an analysis of the problem setting, resulted in the selection of instructional strategies in the form of a combination of portfolio assessment and process writing instruction using a writer's workshop. Teacher observations, student surveys, and student interviews indicated that students made progress in their writing and in their ability to self-assess their own progress in writing. (Contains 20 references. Appendixes present survey instruments, interview questions, and forms used during writing conferences.) (Author/RS)