What is the Test of Written Expression TOWE?

The Test of Written Expression (TOWE) is one of many individually administered tests of written expression for children between the ages of 6 y.o. to 15 y.o.. It uses two assessment methods to evaluate writing skills. The first involves administering a series of 76 items that measure skills associated with basic writing, such as spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and Word usage. The second method requires children to write an essay baed upon a prepared prompt. The TOWE reports results in the form of standard scores, percentile ranks, and age equivalents. There are other writing tests similar to the TOWE such as the Test of Written Expression, Diagnostic Achievement Battery, and Woodcock-Johnson. Such tests are useful in identifying strengths and weaknesses in the area of written communication, diagnosing disorders of written language, and educational programming.