The state of writing proficiency in the United States is one of the subject areas reported in The Nation’s Report Card. Recognizing the prevalence of technology in the lives of children today, the 2011 administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing assessments was computer-based. The results of the 2011 assessments revealed that twenty-four percent of students at grades 8 and 12 performed at the proficient level, indicating solid academic performance to accomplish the communicative purpose of their writing. Three percent performed at the advanced level, indicating superior perfor-mance. The remaining students performed at the basic level (fifty-four percent) or below the basic level (twenty percent) (National Center of Education Statistics, 2012, p. 1). With seventy-four percent of students in the United States performing at or below the basic level, or with partial mastery of the knowledge and skills needed for proficient writing, our nation’s educators need to take notice.
The National Commission on Writing (2003) states that “if students are to make knowledge their own, they must struggle with the details, wrestle with the facts, and rework raw infor-mation and dimly understood concepts into language they can communicate to someone else. In short, if students are to learn, they must write” (p. 9). Despite its importance, children in the United States are not developing the writing skills needed to be successful in college and in their careers.
How are children’s writing competencies measured in the United States? The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education is responsible for collecting and reporting information on student performance in a variety of subjects typically taught in schools throughout the country – reading, mathematics, science, writing, and history, as well as other subjects. Assessments are conducted periodically by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a congressionally authorized project, and results are disseminated in a report called The Nation’s Report Card. The report details the academic performance of elementary and secondary students in the United States.
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Improving Writing Conventions of
Pre-Service Teachers
by Larry Bohannon and Cheryl Mader
Resourceful Research
Dr. R. Larry Bohannon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Early, Elementary, and Special Education at Southeast Missouri State University. His current interests are literacy and technology-assisted instruction.
Dr. Cheryl R. Mader is an Assistant Professor of Literacy Studies at Winthrop University. Her research interests foucs on the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.