This paper specifies the assessment of those writing skills needed by first through sixth grade students to produce specific discourse products, including descriptive writing, narrative writing, expository writing, persuasive writing, poetry, personal letters, and business letters. An introductory section provides background materials, including explanations of how the skill specifications were selected and how they are presented in this report. In the sections that follow the introduction, the general discourse skills are discussed, a table listing the language skills is presented, and the specifications are described for each skill. Each skill is described in detail, followed by the presentation of sample assessment items and descriptions of how these items are constructed. (Four related documents provide assessment specifications for other writing skills, including mechanics, language usage, spelling, and general discourse.) (RL)