Over the last several years, there has been tremendous emphasis on reading skills, and this is an excellent thing for our society. However, writing has not gotten the attention that reading has, and I predict that's going to change very soon. I believe people understand how closely reading and writing are intertwined, and how good writing affects all facets of their lives. In school, a student needs to be able to write for nearly every class he or she takes. In professional life, clear and concise writing is necessary for any number of jobs, and for daily communication.
Standardized assessments are essentially tests of reading and writing skills.
And, of course, more and more states are adding a writing component to their tests. It's a process that encompasses many different areas. We begin with a complete assessment of students' skills based on their own writing. From there, depending on their level, we introduce them to concepts such as how to organize their thoughts, put ideas in their heads onto paper. We also encourage creative writing and journal writing to give students practice at writing just for the joy of it.