This booklet contains selected proceedings of the 1979 conference entitled "Competency Testing and Beyond: Improving Student Writing" held in Albany, New York. Topics covered in the 17 selections are: the "real" world and the teaching of English, what has been learned about competency testing in writing, the composing process, diagnosing student writing, effective teaching of composition, the Capital District Writing Project in Albany, teaching sentence structure without grammar, using choral reading to practice composition skills, operating a writing skills laboratory on a low or no budget, parental involvement and the writing skills of secondary school students, approaches to the teaching of composition in the elementary school, suggestions for motivating students to write, teacher intervention during the composing process, competency testing controversies, and writing today and tomorrow. (FL)