Focusing on political aspects and pedagogical issues of second language writing instruction and testing in an international context, with contributions from authors working in 10 different countries, these chapters examine the uses and abuses of various writing-related assessments, and the policies that determine their form and use.

Todd Ruecker is Assistant Professor of English at the University of New Mexico, USA.

Deborah Crusan is Professor of English at Wright State University, USA.

1. The Intersections of Politics and Second Language Writing Assessment: What We Know Part I: Local and National Policy Contexts 2. Worlds Apart, but in the Same Boat: How Macro-Level Policy Influences EFL Writing Pedagogy in China, Mexico, and Poland 3. Vignette: The Importance of Context in Second Language Writing Evaluation 4. Foreign Language Writing Assessment and Brazilian Educational Policies 5. Sociopolitical Contexts of EFL Writing Assessment in Vietnam: Impact of a National Project 6. Vignette: Policy Makers, Assessment Practices, and Ethical Dilution 7. English Writing Assessment in the context of Iran: The Double life of Iranian Test-takers Part II: High Stakes Assessment 8. High-Stakes English Writing Assessment in Egyptian Secondary Schools: Historical Testing Orientations and Current Instructional Practices 9. Vignette: Error Recognition: A So-Called "Writing" Assessment? 10. "Write an E-mail to Your Friend in England": Assessment of the Written English Matura Exam in Poland 11. Vignette: Assessing English Linguistic Knowledge and Writing Skills in Secondary Schools Through State Matura Exam: The Case of Macedonia 12. Righting Writing Practices? An exam reform's impact on L2 writing teaching and assessment 13. Impacts and Responses to a University High Stakes Writing Test Part III: Seeking Solutions: Assessing Better Locally and Internationally 14. Writing Academically and Creatively: Moving Beyond Test-Driven Writing Instruction in a Chinese University 15. Vignette: When Are Students Ready Enough?: Issues and Dilemmas Around Assessment of L2 Writers in a WAC Program 16. Accommodating Writing Tests for Second Language Learners with Disabilities 17. E-portfolio Project: Assessing Language Teacher Learning in the Chilean Desert 18. The Value of Usage-based Approaches to Diagnostic Placement Assessment in Graduate EAP 19. Vignette: Challenging the Deficit Mindset: The WIDA Can Do Philosophy in a Second Language Writing Context. Afterword