Public policy in France concerning the articulation of preschool education and primary education, particularly in the area of writing readiness and writing instruction, is discussed. A 1989 law expected to define, for the first time, the expected competencies at each educational level, was met with disappointment by early elementary school educators because it did not answer adequately their concerns about the role of early elementary education (ecole maternelle), its curriculum, or the criteria to be used in evaluating students leaving that level. In addition, it was not felt to resolve questions about the preparation of teachers. It is proposed that resolution of these problems begin with the assessment of student competencies. Six problematic areas in the assessment of writing competencies are discussed: the culture of writing; conceptualization of written language; the structuring of mental lexicon; reading behavior; production of texts; and metalinguistic aspects. Some of the problems are illustrated with examples of specific classroom assessment techniques. It is suggested that the issues are broader than simple specification of functional language use, and relate to the child's whole conceptualization of language. Further research is suggested. An appendix lists areas on which such research might focus. (MSE)