Doug, the Ed White book that Nick referred to is: Assessment of Writing: Politics, Policies, Practices and it was written in 1996. Another article that you could look at is in the TESL Canada Journal, Vol 21 No. 1 Winter 2003, entitled "Variability of ESL Learners' Acquisition of Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency: What Can We Learn From Achievement Measures?" by Hetty Roessingh and Pat Kover. However, from what I know of the literature, I don't know that you'll get the kind of research you are asking for, mainly because of the difficulty in researching such a position. Generally, I think that the literature either discusses information that can be obtained from proficiency measurements, or the flawed nature of those measurements (i.e. differences in marking because of rater assumptions or backgrounds, differences in the competencies writers demonstrate when faced with different writing tasks, or topics; or simply the inadequate nature of the measurment instruments being used). A whole other body of literature exists talking about the recursive nature of the writing process, its social nature... and all those other things. The one set is exploring the pedagogy of writing and the other is exploring the measurement of writing.... perhaps this is because these are two completely different sets of questions that are being explored. Perhaps some useful questions for you to ask around this issue might be: Can assessment serve a pedagogical purpose in writing instruction? What would be the nature of that pedagogical purpose and what are the assumptions behind writing proficiency assessments that make them seem to be the best way to achieve these pedagogical goals? I wish I were coming to the CCC's Conference, but this year I'm writing up my thesis (finally) ----on how students use a reading in a writing proficiency assessment! Perhaps we can talk more about the issues involved on-line, or agree to talk at next year's CCC's. Theresa Hyland. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties, write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask] For the list archives and information about the organization, its newsletter, and the annual conference, go to http://www.stu.ca/inkshed/ -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-