Informal Assessment of Written Expression

This article presents an approach to informal assessment of written expression which allows the teacher to determine (a) the skills acquired and correctly used by the student, (b) the skills needing remediation, and (c) the skills to be introduced. A Checklist of Written Expression Skills is provided as an aid in this informal assessment procedure. Results of the assessment are directly related to the instructional objectives and annual goals in the student's IEP. Written expression and informal assessment are defined and development of the language system is discussed. Data required by the teacher prior to informal assessment are described as (a) the broad spectrum of written expression skills, (b) requirements of the specific writing task being assessed, and (c) student characteristics related to the student's language system.