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The purpose of this study was to investigate predictors of early writing for low-income, urban students. Drawing on research and theory characterizing literacy development as a complex, integrative process, the author analyzed growth in the descriptive writing of students in Grades 1-3. The participants were 309 low-income children enrolled in 16 urban elementary schools. Descriptive writing samples were collected yearly as students progressed from Grades 1-3. Individual growth modeling indicated that student background, literacy skill, 1st-grade teacher, and 1st-grade classroom environment were predictors of writing quality and output. The results illustrate the complexity of early writing development and signal the importance of a comprehensive, developmental model of writing.
