<p>As a former reader of AP essays in lit., I can verify the method described above, and add that the grading is pretty accurate. Applying the rubric to say 1000 essays, the reader has a pretty goog idea of what ccnstitutes a 5 or a 4, and the multiple reader approach smoothe out the "subjectivity." Hard to see how the current format is very different from the old SAT+ SAT 2 writing , though it makes for a long session. Sorry to see the analogies go, always considered the the only fun part, but the upgraded math reqirements seem like a good idea.</p>
<p>While I am not sure about the method used for the SAT2, the grading system for the SAT1 will be pretty rigid. Critics have commented that the graders will be mostly interested in seeing how their grades fit in the expected range. </p>
<p>The SAT people -be it ETS, TCB, or Pearsons- are expecting the scoring of the essays to follow a rigid scale. If a reader deviates from the herd too often or too much, that will be the end of his career. From some reason, scores of 4 or 5 seem to be the safest bets. If one grader scores a 6 and the other a 4, it causes the intervention of the "arbiter". However, a 4 and a 5 won't trigger the review. </p>
<p>The readers are instructed to look for certain positive elements and overlook cetain negative elements in the essay during a SOLE reading. They have to form their opinion based on that reading, and cannot go back.</p>
<p>
The Unscored Section</p>
<p>In addition, there is one 25-minute unscored section, known as the variable or equating section. This unscored section may be either a critical reading, math, or multiple-choice writing section. This unscored section does not count toward the final score, but is used to try out new questions for future editions of the SAT and to ensure that scores on new editions of the SAT are comparable to scores on earlier editions of the test.
</p>
<p>Was it fair to have this 25 minute unscored section on the new SAT, when it was already too long? And which section it was, who knows? Perhaps a student used their first and freshest 25 minutes on an unscored section, depending on where it was in the test booklet.</p>
<p>Xiggi notes,"If a reader deviates from the herd too often or too much, that will be the end of his career"</p>
<p>That may be true Xiggi,but it won't help the poor unfortunate who was unfairly treated. Also, I would imagine that ,until all the bugs are ironed out, there will be more disparate treatment in the first year or two than that of the following years. </p>
<p>I also can't discount subjectivity in evaluating any written piece. There are many factors that are unrelated to the quality of writing that can affect a reader's judgement. For example, the reader may not like the subject matter of the discussion. The reader might have a hard time with the handwriting. The reader might not like the creative approach that the student took. There are many factors that can slightly predjudice a reader. I am worried about all of these factors and many more like them.</p>
<p>OK, now I'm officially worried. My daughter hasn't finished signing up for the May test yet, and now I'm wondering if we should look into some sort of accomodation for her. She has rheumatoid arthritis, mostly in her hands, and if she's having a bad day, her handwriting can be virtually illegible. But I'm not sure extra time would really matter under those circumstances. What does the CollegeBoard recommend for kids who are physically impaired in some way? My new mantra is going to be <em>remission by May, remission by May, remission by May</em>!</p>
<p>mezzomom- You should request the accomodations. That way if she needs them she has them. The collegeboard has a special phone number for their disabilities department. You might just give them a call and they might be able to answer your questions. I actually have found them to be quite helpful.</p>
<p>Anyone who says that grading high school essays is completely subjective has obviously never graded said essays. </p>
<p>I'm a high school senior, and I'm consistently amazed by how many grammatical and spelling errors my peers and I make. And our essays' sentence structure, flow, general cohesion, etc. are greatly lacking. I think it should be rather easy to grade these essays on a five point scale.</p>
<p>If you don't believe me, go get an SAT II Writing test prep book. Check out some of the sample essays...the good and the bad are easily differentiable.</p>
<p>Taxguy, I hear you! I understand your concerns for the students, although a student could also benefit from an overly generous grader. </p>
<p>I would be A LOT more concerned if the quality of the writing was really ascertained in this process. My original concerns stem from the potential low qualifications of the graders, especially since most recruits will be school teachers. I find comfort in the fact that ETS has arguably invested in technology that will ensure a modicum of "over-the-shoulder" verification. I particularly like the fact that a number of essays will be "calibration essays". </p>
<p>FWIW, most high schools should borrow that idea and use calibration tools to check the performance of teachers on grading and adherence to a curriculum. :) </p>
<p>Anyhow, here a few of the guidelines for essay graders:</p>
<p>ETS and its contractor, Pearson Education Assessment, will scan the essays and distribute them online to individual scorers hired as independent contractors and paid a variable per-hour rate, depending on experience and performance. The scorers are, typically, high school and college English teachers and must qualify for employment by completing a detailed questionnaire about their experience teaching and assessing writing. In addition, they must complete an online training course to become familiar with the holistic scoring method and rubric to be used in scoring the essays and also must score at least seventy percent of forty prescored sample essays in exact agreement with preassigned true scores. </p>
<p>Scorers are expected to read each essay quickly to gain an impression of the essay as a whole and to score essays immediately, without rereading, using a 1-6 point rubric. The rubric instructs scorers to treat the essays as first drafts but to determine, among other criteria, students levels of mastery of writing as shown in the essay, with levels of mastery ranging downward from clear and consistent to reasonably consistent to adequate to developing to little to, at the very bottom, very little or none. The rubric is substantially similar to the rubric used to score essays written for the now-superfluous SAT II: Writing test. </p>
<p>New SAT essay scorers are advised not to judge essays solely by length, to try to be mindful of the time pressures and other conditions under which the essays were written, to read supportively (i.e., to look for what writers did well), to ignore handwriting quality, to excuse minor errors, and to understand that no one aspect of writing (coherence, diction, grammar, etc.) is more important than another, and that no aspect of writing is to be ignored. Each essay will be scored by two scorers; thus will receive a score ranging from two to twelve points; however, if the two scorers? scores for an essay differ by more than one point, a third scorer will be used. </p>
<p>Scorers performance will be monitored and reevaluated during the scoring process by random use of calibration essays; these are prescored essays considered paradigms of various scores along the 1-6 scale. Scoring leaders will monitor individual scorers performances in real time and collect data about inter-rater reliability; as part of the effort to ensure uniformity, these scoring leaders may provide feedback via phone and the Web when appropriate to individual scorers.</p>
<p>you can get a scribe for the SAT or possibly use a laptop if she has 504 accomodations
I agree taht it can be really subjective. F'r instance my oldest who is a very good writer- has won scholarships for her essays which were then published etc. and received 780 on the SAT II writing and 790 on SAT verbal , was also tested individually by a psych and her essay was judged to be below grade level and immature.
She didn't like the topic- said it was supposed to be a "letter to a friend" or some such. </p>
<p>Since the new SATs seem much longer than formerly- I plan to advise my daughter to take the ACT instead, as well as look for schools which don't rely on test scores to determine placement.</p>
<p>Happened to sub today for classes that only have juniors. About half had taken the new SAT on Saturday. Writing prompt (they all seemed to have gotten the same one) on the role of creativity in society. Most, to my astonishment, said that it "was easier than I thought it was going to be."</p>
<p>As an update,I complained to the College Board about the items noted in my post, especially about the lack of bathroom time for females. All I received back was an automated response that they got my email. To date, they have not responded to my email.</p>
<p>I didn't even get an automated response back to my email Taxguy. And I sent mine on Sunday.</p>
<p>y2kwizard,</p>
<p>Sounds like those essays are lacking in the basics of English. At some point the grade should be moving beyond those issues, and actually look at the content of the paper. The content is what doesn't get graded when you look at an essay in 1 minute.</p>
<p>Soccerguy315: That is exactly my point. No matter how hard the College Board tries to have objective grading, subjectivity will creep in. That is why the essay should be sent directly to the colleges without grading.</p>
<p>Allowing only two 5 minute breaks with a test that is nearly four hours long is insane. Plus, I have concerns about the writing portion and whether or not the grading is completley fair and not biased. However, some things I like about the new SAT is it gets rid of those horrible analogies and quantitive comparisons. Overall, standardized tests always have their cons and they truly do not measure a student's ability. I don't know what to say other that I dread standardized tests and think they are stupid. Luckily, I'm only in 8th grade so I won't have to take it for quite some time.</p>
<p>Question.</p>
<p>Since the highest possible score on the new sat is a 2400 rather than a 1600, what is considered a brilliant score other than the perfect 2400?</p>
<p>2390?...............</p>
<p>fwiw:</p>
<p>rumor on the SoCal streets is that a determining factor for UCLA admissions this year was SATII Writing for BWRK's.......</p>
<p>The SAT II writing has always been the determining factor for the UC's Bluebayou. It's one of the main reasons the UC's pushed the college board to add the writing section.</p>
<p>I look forward to the day when students will go to a computer test center, answer questions and write their college essays at the center with opportunities to come back and edit the essays (without the assistance of anyone outside of an electronic dictionary.) Then we won't need an essay section on the SAT.</p>