Writing Assessment Summary

Student:

Examiner:

Test Date:

Student Age:

Grade:

The Test of Written Language-4(TOWL-4) measures seven areas of writing (vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, logical sentences, sentence combining, contextual conventions, and story composition) for students age 9-0 through 17-11.

Purpose of Testing

(Identify students who write poorly and, therefore, need special help, determine student’s particular strengths and weaknesses in various writing abilities, document student’s progress in special writing programs/interventions, help determine eligibility for special education, etc.)

Behavior During Testing

(Level of cooperation, conversation, activity, attention and concentration, self-confidence,

care in responding, response to difficult tasks, etc.)

TOWL-4 Subtest Results

Subtest Scaled Score Percentile Rank Description

Vocabulary

Spelling

Punctuation

Logical Sentences

Sentence Combining

Contextual Conventions

Story Composition

Vocabulary

TOWL-4 Composite Results

Composite Composite Index Percentile Rank Description

Contrived Writing

Spontaneous Writing

Overall Writing

Summary:

Description of <050324153645F131 the Test of Written Language-4 (TOWL-4)

The fourth edition of Test of Written Language (TOWL-4) is a norm-referenced, comprehensive diagnostic test of written expression. It is used to (a) identify students who write poorly and, therefore, need special help, (b) determine students’ particular strengths and weaknesses in various writing abilities, (c) document students’ progress in special writing programs, and (d) measure writing in research.

Subtests

The subtests represent the conventional, linguistic, and conceptual aspects of writing. Subtests 1-5 use contrived formats; subtests 6-7 use a spontaneously written story to assess important aspects of language. The subtests:

  1. Vocabulary – The student writes a sentence that incorporates a stimulus word. E.g.: For ran, a student writes, “I ran up the hill.”
  2. Spelling – The student writes sentences from dictation, making proper use of spelling rules.
  3. Punctuation – The student writes sentences from dictation, making proper use of punctuation and capitalization rules.
  4. Logical Sentences – The student edits an illogical sentence so that it makes better sense. E.g.: “John blinked his nose” is changed to “John blinked his eye.”
  5. Sentence Combining – The student integrates the meaning of several short sentences into one grammatically correct written sentence. E.g.: “John drives fast” is combined with “John has a red car,” making “John drives his red car fast.”
  6. Contextual Conventions – The student writes a story in response to a stimulus picture. Points are earned for satisfying specific arbitrary requirements relative to orthographic (E.g.: punctuation, spelling) and grammatic conventions (E.g.: sentence construction, noun-verb agreement).
  7. Story Composition – The student’s story is evaluated relative to the quality of its composition (E.g.: vocabulary, plot, prose, development of characters, and interest to the reader).

Composites

  1. Overall Writing estimates students’ writing ability when measured by subtests that use both spontaneous and contrived formats. The results of all seven subtests are combined to form this composite.
  2. Contrived Writing estimates students’ writing ability when measured by subtests that are contrived formats. The results of five subtests are combined to form this composite.
  3. Spontaneous Writing estimates students’ writing ability when measured by subtests that are scored by evaluating their spontaneously composed essays. The results of two subtests are combined to form this composite.