Observance
of the conventions of "standard English"
shows competence in school writing and is a major objective of instruction,
beginning with direct instruction in first grade in marking sentence boundaries
with initial capitalization and end punctuation. Finished essays must display a
high degree of uniformity, manifested through conformity to handbook rules for
syntax, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization, conformity to dictionary rules
for spelling, and conformity to MLA guidelines for formatting. Each failure to
observe the conventions in the first two categories is considered an
"error," and an accumulation of such errors is considered a clear
indication of a student's need for basic writing instruction.