Containing the results of Oregon's second statewide analytical writing assessment, this document summarizes the procedures used to evaluate the writing skills of 4,567 eighth graders from 55 schools and analyzes the results. Following an introduction that includes comments from the scoring team, chapter 1 presents a brief history of writing assessment in Oregon, including the rationale behind scoring methods, writing models, and paper selection. Chapter 2 gives a trait by trait analysis of content, organization, voice, word choice, sentence structure, and conventions of the sample papers. Chapter 3 compares the 1985 and 1987 assessments, concluding that the differences in performance cannot be attributed to scoring team variance, but that some differences may be attributable to variance in the writing prompts. Chapter 4 reviews potential influences affecting student performance, including the prompt, teacher attitude, understanding of the exercise, curriculum, and instruction. Chapter 5 provides a detailed summary of the findings and recommendations of the interpretive panel. The report's conclusions include the following: (1) students' writing seems balanced between strengths and weaknesses, with a preponderance of scores of 3 on a 5 point scale; (2) the average score for all traits is slightly higher than in 1985, and signs of strength across several traits indicate successful strategies on the part of teachers; and (3) the value of a writing assessment lies in its ability to build understanding between teachers and students about the nature of good writing. A note on the follow-up to the 1987 assessment is included, and appendixes contain the writing prompt and student instructions, the letter to students accompanying the test results, and a list of interpretive panel members for 1987. (JG)