Writing instruction is under assault. Already, so many folks are cutting corners on it because the weight of bubble tests rules the administrator’s roost… and while admins will say writing instruction is important, they also say that about music, art, technology and so on.

But when they cut our resources, they show their priorities. And writing is not one of them.

We get test prep materials, intervention courses and remedial interventions up the yin-yang… and they are exceptionally focused on bubbles. And now that they are going to swell all our classes by 20% and emphasize the “bottom line” even more due to draconian budget cuts (i.e. we need higher test scores) writing instruction just feels as if it’s on the same chopping block as music: if they don’t test it, why are we teaching it?

Is that the nation we are becoming? If they don’t test it, why are we teaching it?