A cooperative writing assessment program between a college and seven public school districts was designed to demonstrate that the writing skills necessary for adequate composing were not those that could be measured by an objective test. The goals of the program were to (1) analyze the rhetorical skills of sixth and eighth grade students, (2) determine which skills are necessary for minimal competency at those levels, and (3) develop a testing method to assess those skills. The first phase of the program, called the research phase, focused on a statistical analysis of errors in writing at the college, eighth grade, and sixth grade levels. The second phase, termed the workshop phase, focused on identifying the rhetorical skills that minimally competent sixth and eighth grade students should possess and on developing an instrument to test those skills. Public school and college teachers participated in workshops to develop lists of minimal skills for grades six and eight and rating sheets to evaluate student writing, and to score student writing and compare their grading standards. The third phase of the program, called the action phase, resulted in a writing network that linked program participants and provided them with a channel for communication. Proposed network projects include production of a writing manual and a network newsletter. (Appended is a statement of the network's rationale, purpose, organization, and committee structure.) (AEA)