What is the most fair and efficient way to assess the writing performance of students Although the question gained importance during the US educational accountability movement of the 1980s and 1990s the issue had preoccupied international language experts and evaluators long before. One answer to the question the assessment method known as holistic scoring is central to understanding writing in academic settings. Early Holistic Scoring of Writing addresses the history of holistic essay assessment in the United Kingdom and the United States from the mid1930s to the mid1980sand newly conceptualizes holistic scoring by philosophically and reflectively reinterpreting the genres origin development and significance.