Assessing Disciplinary Writing in Both Research and Practice

Assessing Disciplinary Writing in Both Research and Practice tackles the challenge of measuring writing skills in specific content areas, which is crucial for preparing students to communicate as field experts and for their future careers. Edited by Katherine Wright, Associate Professor of Literacy and Language at Boise State University, and Tracey Hodges, Founder and Lead Consultant of The Empowering Advocate, this book provides solutions by bringing together validated measures and practical assessment strategies that can be used in both research and instruction. The book's theoretical foundations cover multimodal disciplinary writing, assessing disciplinary writing versus content-area writing, and using assessment as a tool for disciplinary writing instruction. Practical methods for assessing writing in social studies, science, mathematics, English and language arts, and other genres at the elementary, middle, and high school levels are included, as well as assessment strategies for specific populations of students such as undergraduate students, English learners, gifted and talented students, special needs students, and incarcerated students. This highly valued reference is essential for academic scholars, K12 teachers, and educational researchers who want to improve writing instruction and research in content- and discipline-specific areas. By providing validated measures and methods for assessing disciplinary writing, this edited book helps bridge the gap between research and practice and enables practitioners to better measure student growth and improve writing instruction. This publication is the first step towards advancing research and improving writing instruction in content- and discipline-specific areas.