"Sandra Murphy and Peggy ONeill take up an ambitious and important task: explaining the need for, and the ways to design, ecologically sound writing assessments that support students. Writing assessment itself, they argue, can provide a learning moment, one large-scale K-12 systems currently squander. Murphy and ONeill also make the case that the definition, or construct, of writing informing standardized tests is out of sync with both current definitions of writing and everyday writing practices like digital multimodal writing and collaborative writing. We can do better, Murphy and ONeill argue, and invoking ecological models of writing and of assessment, they show us how to begin. This book will be essential reading for stakeholders interested in writing assessment, including teachers, assessment practitioners, researchers, and policymakers."
--Kathleen Blake Yancey, Kellogg Hunt Professor and Distinguished Research Professor Emerita, Florida State University, USA
"This essential text for secondary and college writing instructors offers a fresh perspective by examining the complexity of writing instruction, its history, and the effects of high-stakes testing, all viewed through the lens of meaningful assessment."
--Barbara A. Ward, Children's and Young Adult Literature Instructor, University of New Orleans, USA
"An essential addition to the literature on writing assessment and a must-read for scholars working in writing studies, writing assessment, the teaching of writing, and the administration of writing programs."
Chris M. Anson, Distinguished University Professor, Executive Director, Campus Writing and Speaking Program, North Carolina State University, USA
