Increasing postsecondary access depends in large part on enhancing underrepresented students' writing ability, or college writing readiness. However, what exactly constitutes college-level writing is not clear-cut, complicating efforts to improve secondary preparation. This article examines recent efforts to define postsecondary writing,…

A required writing mechanics course for mass communication students was moved online. A case study experiment manipulating the course design was conducted to determine effects on student engagement, learning, and satisfaction. Online designs with greater interactivity capabilities are positively associated with all three outcomes. These desirable…

Aim: To establish if there are psychometrically sound standardized tests or test items to assess handwriting readiness in 5- and 6-year-old children on the levels of occupations activities/tasks and performance. Method: Electronic databases were searched to identify measurement instruments. Tests were included in a systematic review if: (1)…

During a 15-year longitudinal study, 31 Finnish students (risk group) who had been identified as having deficiencies in reading and writing readiness at pre-school through the German Breuer-Weuffen Differentiation Test were compared with their peers (n = 62) in order to study long-term differences that emerged at the starting point of the study.…

Writing performance for a large number of adolescents, with and without learning disabilities (LD), in the United States is below the level required for success in college and in the world of work. Despite the importance of writing and students' with LD documented difficulties in this academic domain, writing intervention research for adolescents…

This Knowledge Essentials book shows parents how to enrich their child's first classroom experience and take an active role in preschool education. This book includes advice and offers information about: (1) What a child is learning at school and the educational standards to expect in preschool-level reading and writing readiness, math, science,…

There has been an explosion of knowledge over the last few years about how children's earliest experiences set the stage for success in learning to read and write. Most experts agree that children who reach kindergarten with certain characteristics--an interest in books, a fondness for conversation, a curiosity about the world--are more likely to…

Intended for teachers of basic writing, this book contains a collection of new and updated essays addressing issues surrounding underprepared writers. It maps errors and expectations for basic writing and develops teaching approaches that will be effective in a social and political world. The book considers concepts such as the possibility of…

A study examined which phonological skills, as primary skills, can more effectively be developed and lead to decoding skills in low-skilled kindergartners: (1) segmentation/blending, or (2) rhyming/first sound identification? Low-skilled kindergartners (n=61), who scored less than 4 items correctly in 3 out of 5 measures, were randomly assigned to…

Discusses the increased literacy emphasis in schools and how early childhood programs can provide an enriched literacy environment. Defines and provides suggestions for activities related to basic literacy concepts: listening comprehension, phonological awareness, reading motivation, written expression, letter and early word recognition, and…

This Digest looks at recent research, and then asks and considers some important questions about choosing a handwriting program for young children, i.e.: (1) which alphabet is developmentally appropriate; (2) which alphabet is easier to use; (3) which alphabet is easier to read; (4) which alphabet is more easily integrated; (5) which alphabet is…

Handwriting is an integral part of every child's school experience. In order to provide the best program to children both with and without handwriting problems, elementary educators need to understand the factors underlying the skill of handwriting. This study investigated the relationship between the cognitive understanding of locatives (e.g.,…

Analyzes different approaches to assess learner achievement in the spelling curriculum. Considers the assessment of spelling and the basal textbook; using spelling words for student mastery based on research; individualized spelling; use of spelling words in context; standardized testing to notice student achievement in spelling; teaching spelling…

"Reaching the Goals" is a series of eight books designed to inform people involved in education reform, or people who want to be involved, of the myriad of programs and resources that are available from the Federal Government to support each of the National Education Goals defined in 1990. This first book is dedicated to Goal 1, "All children in…

This report describes an early intervention program to elicit emergent literacy skills in Potentially English Proficient kindergarten students. The school is located in a suburb of a large city near a naval base. The problem, lack of literacy readiness skills, was documented with a battery of tests given prior to entrance in kindergarten and the…