What is a key indicator of a strong writing process in elementary students?

• A. Completing a final draft with no revisions
• B. Focusing only on capitalization
• C. Copying from a model without editing
• D. Regular planning, drafting, revising, and editing with teacher feedback and opportunities for peer review

Answer: (D)

Engaging in planning, drafting, revising, and editing with teacher feedback and opportunities for peer review shows a writer who develops ideas, organizes them, and continually improves both content and conventions. Planning helps map out purpose and audience; drafting gets ideas onto the page; revising allows changes to structure and detail; editing polishes grammar and mechanics. Feedback from teachers and peers provides new insights and helps a student recognize strengths and areas to grow, making writing stronger over time. The other choices rely on a single skill or on copying without revising, which do not demonstrate the iterative, collaborative process that builds true writing ability.