Writing for Standardized Tests: Essay and Multiple Choice
The Writing for Standardized Tests program is designed to help students prepare for both the writing and the grammar and usage sections of such standardized tests as the new SAT, ACT, and PSAT by providing focused instruction, helpful models, and abundant practice in all of the skills most commonly assessed on these tests.

The Writing for Standardized Tests program consists of a Student Text, a Teacher's Edition, and Online Resources that supplement and complement both. The program also includes an optional component, Criterion^SM Online Writing Evaluation.

Key features of the Student Text include:

• A section of topics (lessons) dedicated to the essay-writing process
• A section dedicated to the most commonly tested multiple-choice grammar and usage skills on standardized tests
• Two step-by-step models that illustrate how two student writers proceed from a prompt to a finished essay
• Test-taking tips interspersed throughout the text
• A rubric for scoring standardized test essays, and three sample essays scored according to the rubric

The Essay
The skills developed in the Student Text focus on the task of writing a timed essay in response to a prompt. Because efficient prewriting is so important to the development of a successful timed essay, students learn to think carefully about what they will write before they put pencil to paper. They then learn to improve their writing by practicing skills at the paragraph and sentence levels through a variety of exercises.

Step-By-Step Models
The Student Text provides two step-by-step models that show how two student writers complete the entire writing process—from prewriting to polishing—under the time constraints of a standardized test. They present two different prewriting strategies, and can be used as a guide to illustrate for students how to apply this process to their writing.

Grammar and Usage
As standardized tests assesses grammar and usage skills, so too does Writing for Standardized Tests. In the Multiple-Choice section of the Student Text, students review the skills that are most commonly assessed on standardized tests, and practice these skills in multiple-choice formats like those they will encounter on these tests.

Test Taking
In addition to providing step-by-step models, Writing for Standardized Tests also provides students with instruction in and advice about the framework and conditions of standardized tests. Test-Taking Tips, appearing throughout the Student Text, provide students with additional instruction, suggestions on how to save time, and other helpful pointers.

Criterion^SM Online Writing Evaluation Service
Criterion^SM Online Writing Evaluation is an optional web-based writing workshop, administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and available from Sadlier-Oxford, that provides instant feedback on student writing. Using Criterion in conjunction with Writing for Standardized Tests, teachers can save time by allowing students to write and revise essays independently after they have worked through the writing skills taught in the Student Text.