NAEP Student Achievement Report

Only about 25% of the eighth- and 12th-graders taking the National Assessment of Educational Progress writing assessment last year scored at the proficient level or higher. Students took the exam, known as the nation's report card, on laptops as part of a new format that requires answering questions and essay writing. Students also were evaluated based on how often they used editing tools, such as spell-check and copy-and-paste functions, so students with experience doing assignments on computers performed better on the test. Proficiency rates were far lower for black and Hispanic students.
National Assessment of Educational Progress. (2012).  Nation's Report Card. Washington, CE: Institute of Education Sciences.
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/writing.asp