The purpose of this project is to examine the research that has been conducted in the area of timed writings in order to answer the following questions: are timed writings a useful means of assessment in standardized testing? What elements interfere with successful planning and prewriting? To what extent does the time factor and rhetorical structure cause writing anxiety? What writing skills is the PPST (Praxis1) designed to measure? Through a case study of an individual student, I am seeking answers for the following additional questions: if a writer is apprehensive and blocked as a result of being presented with a timed standardized essay, can his experiences with a tutor in a learning center lessen his apprehension and help him to write with fluency? More specifically, what tutoring strategies will contribute to a passing score for this student?

The sample size is a case study of one student, which will yield anecdotal and descriptive statements. The student is a male senior attending Ball State University and majoring in Industrial Technology Education. He was originally enrolled in English 101, but chose to fulfill initial English requirements at IPFW. He passed English 104 at Ball State with an A, and also passed the Writing Competency Test on the first attempt. This student has failed the writing portion of the PPST (Praxis1) twice and must pass it this semester (Fall 1999) in order to student teach in the Spring 2000 semester.