Connecting Evidence-Based Writing Strategies With Readily Available Technology Solutions

Writing instruction is crucial for all students. Over 80% of students in the eighth grade are not writing at proficiency (U.S. Department of Education [USDOE], 2011). A series of national reports (Graham & Hebert, 2010; Graham et al., 2011) highlighted the need to emphasize improvements in writing instruction for students with disabilities and others. The Every Student Achieves Act of 2015 emphasized the importance of student expression through writing and other means. Students across grade levels benefit from direct and explicit instruction on writing. However, teaching writing is complex, extending beyond providing additional opportunities to write (e.g., journaling). Instead, for students with disabilities and their peers, instruction needs to be purposeful, consistent, specially designed, and based on proven practices. Although there are numerous writing interventions, the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) writing strategies are among the most effective for struggling writers. Recently recognized by the What Works Clearinghouse (Mathematica, 2017) as having potentially positive evidence for use with students with disabilities, SRSD is a series of strategies meant to empower students in their writing development. Given that effective writing instruction is crucial, digital tools are increasingly essential. For example, in the new normal brought on by COVID-19, students are drafting, editing, and completing their writing using various digital devices. Having access to digital tools, however, is often not enough (West, 2019). Educators and the students they support need explicit instruction to meaningfully implement technology solutions (Ok & Rao, 2019). Meaningful solutions assist in idea generation, fluency, grammar, general mechanics, and similar supports to directly affect the quality of the written product. To facilitate the use of effective strategies and employ the growing number of digital tools, educators should consider pairing the two. By combining writing interventions (e.g., SRSD) with proven technology solutions (e.g., word prediction), educators offer a pathway for students to adopt both practices.