The goal of the College-Ready Writers Program (CRWP) is to assure teachers have the ability to teach college- and career-ready writing—with emphasis on writing arguments based on nonfiction texts. CRWP consists of school-embedded institutes; classroom demonstrations, co-teaching, and coaching; and study of effective practices in academic writing instruction, current research, and professional literature.
Results of a 2015 study (Gallagher et al.), indicated CRWP had a positive, statistically significant effect on the four attributes of argument writing—content, structure, stance, and conventions—among students across 22 school districts in 10 states. Notable improvements in student writing as a result of the program included the quality of reasoning and use of evidence.
To support the learning of both teachers and students, a team of NWP teacher-leaders have created instructional materials for routine and extended research arguments, mini-units, and on-demand tasks. Formative assessment resources include the Using Sources Tool, which assists teachers in analyzing how students use evidence to establish and support their claims.