Presents a method that uses computers for writing placement exams, a "structured decision system." Argues that it is more economical and efficient than the process that uses real people as readers. (SR)

Asserts that competency testing as part of a writing program does not have to be a liability to the writing center. Describes the situation at Boise State University, where the writing center helps the students to prepare for the competency exams. Discusses each exam and the process of helping the students. (PRA)

Examines the intersection of classroom inquiry and educational policy by asking the question: "Can teacher-research become a vehicle for creating just and politically sensitive accounts of how educational policies affect real lives?" Shares classroom research conducted with students receiving special assistance to pass a state-mandated writing…

The Colorado Process Analysis of the Written Language of Hearing-Impaired Children assesses the semantic characteristics of expressive written language narratives prepared by beginning writers. The validity of the instrument was examined with 284 children (ages 7-21), indicating that the model does identify characteristics that are critical to the…

Estimated year-to-year changes in average writing performance for 188 schools using a group-level version of the generalized partial credit item-response theory model. Results illustrate that technical equating adjustments can be important even when there have been rigorous efforts to make prompts and rating training equivalent to the old tests.…

Studied the sampling variability of estimated variance components using data collected over several years for a listening and writing performance assessment and evaluated the stability of estimated measurement precision. Results indicate that the estimated variance components varied from one year to another and suggest that the measurement…

Presents the guide used by scorers of fourth-grade narrative writing from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 1998, samples of students responses at each of the six levels of performance, and a discussion of the scoring method. (Author/SLD)

Categorizes students' self-selected topics in a state writing assessment. Finds that fifth graders chose "animals"; eighth graders chose "sports"; high-school students chose "social problems" and "sports" until twelfth grade, when "school/learning" issues replaced "sports." (RS)

This article describes the development and evaluation of a five-item writing assessment for persons with age-related vision loss. It provides a standard for measuring the baseline ability and the effectiveness of interventions to improve the writing ability of this population.

This is a research brief of a longer report, also published as "Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language Summary Report, 2009-2010". Twenty-nine percent of students enrolled in Austin Independent School District were English language learners in 2009-2010. The majority of them (62%) continued to make progress in English…

Standardized writing tests focus more on content than mechanics, but writing instruction typically focuses more on mechanics than content. Plot scaffolds, can help teachers fix the balance and help foster creativity and originality in students' writing. In this practical guide, elementary and middle school teachers will find: (1) a research-based…

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) earned a performance grade of "B" for the second year in a row and was just seven points short of the points required to earn an "A." This Research Capsule summarizes several key elements that contributed to the district's achievement. Results indicate that, in most cases, students'…

This book presents ideas, strategies, and information intended to help teachers provide students with skills to perform effectively on specific writing tests. The first part of the book ("Background/Rationale") encompasses two major topics--the composing process and scoring methods--to give background for ideas and suggestions in other…

This report presents results from an extensive survey done by the CCCC Committee on Assessment to describe the current writing assessment practices at postsecondary institutions of higher education in the United States. The survey gathered information from 534 respondents (representing a 63% response rate; 842 questionnaires were mailed) regarding…

Unstable, and potentially invalid, variance component estimates may result from using only a limited portion of available data from operational performance assessments. However, missing observations are common in these settings because of the nature of the assessment design. This paper describes a procedure for overcoming the computational and…