As a means of assisting school districts in their appraisal of kindergarten through grade twelve writing programs, a brief list of questions concerning the major areas that form the nucleus of a balanced program is presented in the form of a rating scale. The questions cover the following areas: (1) background for a writing program, (2) overall plan of the program, (3) philosophy and articulation, (4) student and teacher activities associated with the writing process, (5) student and teacher activities associated with usage and revision, (6) evaluation of individual student writing growth, (7) program evaluation, and (8) parent involvement. (FL)