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On Writing Tests, Computers Slowly Making Mark

Handwritten NAEP for 8th and 12th graders might be replaced.

Most adults can remember when taking a writing test meant sitting down with a paper and pencil, then scribbling out sentences and erasing mistakes until the time ran out.

For many students today, however, writing extended essays is a task performed almost exclusively on a computer, typically one equipped with automated tools to help them spell, check grammar, and even choose the right words.

In recognition of that technological progression, a number of states have incorporated computer-based testing into their writing assessments. Other states are piloting ways of using technology to gauge writing. The movement to assess writing on computers also could grow if the directors of the influential National Assessment of Educational Progress act on a proposal to replace the handwritten test of writing at the 8th and 12th grade levels...