Essay Examination Topics and Students' Writing

Abstract

In 1979 Gordon Brossell and I developed the manuals and materials for the Writing Subtest of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination.' With our final report we included a dozen recommended essay topics for early administrations of the test. A Department of Education official asked us whether the topics were legally defensible. We admitted we had no idea. Further questions about the effects of essay topics on student writing performance (none of which we could answer) led to my being given a contract to review the literature on essay examination topics. This article is an abbreviated and updated version of my report.2