Illinois Needs to Restore Writing Exam

Publication: The Chicago Tribune
Date: July 14, 2011

Summary: Educators, including Barbara Kato, director of the Chicago Area Writing Project, argue that Illinois should restore its last remaining writing test to ensure that student's writing skills remain a priority.

Excerpt from Article

Across the state, school districts are gearing up to evaluate teachers on the academic progress of their students. In many cases, standardized test scores will be a big factor in those evaluations. Not the only factor, but a significant one. Scrapping the writing test undercuts the drive to accountability.

When the state eliminated grade and middle school writing tests last year, requests for teacher training in writing instruction plunged, said Barbara Kato, director of the Chicago Area Writing Project, which helps train teachers to improve writing instruction.

"Composition is one of the most difficult and time-consuming subjects to teach and assess," she told us. "At some schools, teachers have told me writing instruction is ignored altogether without the writing test."

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Read "Write on! " in the The Chicago Tribune.