This paper specifies the assessment of those general discourse skills that are needed for effective writing by students in grades one through six. The general discourse skills include planning/organizing, elaborating, proofreading, and editing. An introductory section provides background materials, including explanations of how the skill specifications were selected and how they are presented in this report. In the sections that follow the introduction, the general discourse skills are discussed, a table listing the language skills is presented, and the specifications are described for each skill. Each skill is described in detail, followed by the presentation of sample assessment items and descriptions of how these items are contructed. (Four related documents provide assessment specifications for other writing skills, including mechanics, language usage, spelling, and specific discourse products.) (RL)