<p>^^^^ ...ditto for writing that way for any rigorous high school class with high standards or a demanding , selective college which supposedly values such scores...</p>
<p>Just one of the many contradictions of the SAT. </p>
<p>Hmm. Being rewarded for emptiness & superficiality: <em>that</em>'s what we like to see in our college applicants.</p>
<p>Should we not remember the identity --and motives-- of the parties who cried for the addition of a writing component, and for that matter the identity of the "owners" of the College Board?</p>
<p>I do think the SAT writing section has value, because it provides the only sample of the student's unedited, unvarnished writing. When my son applied to private high schools 4 years ago, one of the schools had him write a paragraph about "what I did last summer" during the interview appointment, for the same reason. </p>
<p>As for the sentence completion questions, my son used a very simple technique of saying the sentences "aloud" in his head and choosing the one that sounded most correct, rather than studying any specific rules of grammar. He got a 10 on the essay and two answers wrong on the multiple choice and scored a 790.</p>
<p>Anecdote about the SAT writing test: D #1 was in the first class that had to take the new SAT. Her first writing score was in the 400's; I don't remember her essay score but it was very low. She is a very strong writer, but that means she goes through multiple revisions and her class papers are well researched, well crafted, and well reasoned. Her second SAT was even lower than her first so we enrolled her in a Kaplan class, which she hated. Her practice tests were all lousy too--towards the end of the class she was expressing frustration that she worked so hard on her essays; she knew they were good--what was the problem? We started picking apart her approach; it turned out that she was using techniques she'd learned in her AP English class and was pushing beyond the 5 paragraph box. We actually told her to go back to the essay structure she'd learned in EIGHTH GRADE--simple, formulaic five paragraph essay. Don't try anything sophisticated--dumb it down we told her. She was skeptical. She took the SAT a third time and did an 8th grade level 5 paragraph essay. The result was a SAT writing score just over 700.</p>
<p>I agree with the MIT guy--the test is a joke. They SHOULD test vocabulary and grammar--kids who are fluent with both are more likely to be decent writers--but there's no way you can assess college level writing skills in a crap environment like the SAT test. It might be possible to assign a topic ahead of time and conduct it like an essay final exam, but you'd have to give the kids the same amount of time they'd get to take an essay final in a college class--over an hour--and that means you'd need to break the SAT apart or it would be too long and exhausting.</p>
<p>"and that means you'd need to break the SAT apart or it would be too long and exhausting."</p>
<p>^^^...which is what many CC parents & students have proposed over the last year.:)</p>
<p>
[quote]
Anecdote about the SAT writing test: D #1 was in the first class that had to take the new SAT. Her first writing score was in the 400's; I don't remember her essay score but it was very low. She is a very strong writer, but that means she goes through multiple revisions and her class papers are well researched, well crafted, and well reasoned. Her second SAT was even lower than her first so we enrolled her in a Kaplan class, which she hated. Her practice tests were all lousy too--towards the end of the class she was expressing frustration that she worked so hard on her essays; she knew they were good--what was the problem? We started picking apart her approach; it turned out that she was using techniques she'd learned in her AP English class and was pushing beyond the 5 paragraph box. We actually told her to go back to the essay structure she'd learned in EIGHTH GRADE--simple, formulaic five paragraph essay. Don't try anything sophisticated--dumb it down we told her. She was skeptical. She took the SAT a third time and did an 8th grade level 5 paragraph essay. The result was a SAT writing score just over 700.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Mombot, with all due respect, may I suggest to check the SAT Writing scoring methodology?</p>
<p>Frankly, I do not understand how a STRONG writer could score in the 400's. Why? You cannot be a strong writer and do well in an AP English class without a pretty good mastery of grammar. As everyone familiar with the scoring of the SAT writing knows, the essay accounts for a minority percentage of the score. </p>
<p>The remaining of the test consists of VERY simple mechanical questions ... questions that should extirely trivial to someone who was considered prepared enough to start an AP class. After all, we are talking about 9th grade grammar, and not the type of questions that would show up in an AP Lit test. </p>
<p>Fwiw, the difference between a very good SAT essay and a pretty bad one is about 100 points. While a score of 6 requires a well composed essay, it takes a gargantuan effort in ineptitude to score below a 3. That is why the majority of people score between 7 and 10, with an average of 7.2. All that is needed is paying a bit of attention to the instructions offered by TCB. Despite their inherent limitations, the instructions are pretty straightforward ... or as cynic might call them simplistic and formulaic. </p>
<p>All in all, while it's true that the SAT Writing is a HUGE waste of time, the problem is not that it is so hard to beat. For students whose SAT socres truly matters, the SAT Writing is a mere exercise in yawning.</p>
<p>PS According to TCB, only 8 percent of essays were identified as using the typical five-paragraph essay structure.</p>
<p>My 8th grader got a 2 and a 3 on the essay (5 total). He had a beautifully written intro paragraph, but couldn't think of any examples. My older son didn't do much better the first time a 3 and a 4 (7 total) despite what seemed to me a perfectly serviceable five paragraph essay. I really think they took off for handwriting and Star Trek examples. He did Kaplan where they regularly gave him 1s and 2s on practice essays with no comments. It made me furious that not only were they not helpful they were just plain wrong - I saw those essays. While they weren't going to garner top scores, they weren't abysmal. He got a 9 on the essay the second time round. He's not a fast writer and hates the sort of off the cuff writing the SAT requires. I was fine with the final score. I'm not an enemy of the essay though I do think the scoring is a bit capricious.</p>
<p>I have to disagree with xiggi about the instructions for the SAT essay being straightforward. After the prompt, the following instructions were given for the essay when my son took the SAT:</p>
<p>"Do people achieve more success by cooperation than by competition? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations."</p>
<p>That's it. TCB doesn't provide any information about why a student receives the score they're given. If there are no errors in the essay and the vocabulary used is varied and appropriate, we're left to speculate. Was the essay marked down because my son only used contemporary examples? Was it marked down because he didn't take a hard and fast position throughout the essay that either competition or cooperation is the way to achieve success? We don’t know and never will.</p>
<p>Also, xiggi, I'm not familiar with who pushed for the SAT to add writing, nor their motives; would you please elaborate?</p>
<p>“who pushed for the SAT to add writing”?</p>
<p>That is easy to answer, Richard C. Atkinson, president (at that time) of University of California. One of his motive was that he found out the that his 6th grade granddaughter was memorizing vocabulary for the SAT analogies. He was appalled. He and UC never liked the SAT I. So he and UC threatened that unless SAT 1 is overhauled with less emphasis on vocabulary and add a essay component, UC would stop requiring the SAT and college board would lose a big share of clients. So now we have the new SAT.</p>
<p>We should pay more attention to xiggi's comment that the different between a good essay and a bad essay is about 100 points. Most of the points comes from multiple choice questions of grammar and sentence correction. I have a son with learning disabilities. If he has to write an SAT essay with score 2-3/6, it would probably take him 10 hours. He is taking the SAT in May. I have given up that he can write a semi-decent essay by then. So the thinking is just score 1/6, and depends on the multiple choice part to get points. I would be surprised if he does not score above the national average. That was how he passed the Calif high school exit exam.</p>
<p>Logo, as we know, students should not wait for the testing date to "discover" the instructions. Learning what might be on the test and trully understanding how the test is score is part of the minimum a student should do. Here's what is available from a 15 seconds google search:</p>
<p>Scoring Guide
The essay will be scored by experienced and trained high school and college teachers. Each essay will be scored by two people who won't know each other's score. They won't know the student's identity or school either. Each reader will give the essay a score from 1 to 6 (6 is the highest score) based on the following scoring guide.</p>
<p>SCORE OF 6
An essay in this category demonstrates clear and consistent mastery, although it may have a few minor errors. A typical essay</p>
<p>effectively and insightfully develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates outstanding critical thinking, using clearly appropriate examples, reasons, and other evidence to support its position
is well organized and clearly focused, demonstrating clear coherence and smooth progression of ideas
exhibits skillful use of language, using a varied, accurate, and apt vocabulary
demonstrates meaningful variety in sentence structure
is free of most errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics </p>
<p>SCORE OF 5
An essay in this category demonstrates reasonably consistent mastery, although it will have occasional errors or lapses in quality. A typical essay</p>
<p>effectively develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates strong critical thinking, generally using appropriate examples, reasons, and other evidence to support its position
is well organized and focused, demonstrating coherence and progression of ideas
exhibits facility in the use of language, using appropriate vocabulary
demonstrates variety in sentence structure
is generally free of most errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics </p>
<p>SCORE OF 4
An essay in this category demonstrates adequate mastery, although it will have lapses in quality. A typical essay</p>
<p>develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates competent critical thinking, using adequate examples, reasons, and other evidence to support its position
is generally organized and focused, demonstrating some coherence and progression of ideas
exhibits adequate but inconsistent facility in the use of language, using generally appropriate vocabulary
demonstrates some variety in sentence structure
has some errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics </p>
<p>SCORE OF 3
An essay in this category demonstrates developing mastery, and is marked by ONE OR MORE of the following weaknesses:</p>
<p>develops a point of view on the issue, demonstrating some critical thinking, but may do so inconsistently or use inadequate examples, reasons, or other evidence to support its position
is limited in its organization or focus, or may demonstrate some lapses in coherence or progression of ideas
displays developing facility in the use of language, but sometimes uses weak vocabulary or inappropriate word choice
lacks variety or demonstrates problems in sentence structure
contains an accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics </p>
<p>SCORE OF 2
An essay in this category demonstrates little mastery, and is flawed by ONE OR MORE of the following weaknesses: </p>
<p>develops a point of view on the issue that is vague or seriously limited, and demonstrates weak critical thinking, providing inappropriate or insufficient examples, reasons, or other evidence to support its position
is poorly organized and/or focused, or demonstrates serious problems with coherence or progression of ideas
displays very little facility in the use of language, using very limited vocabulary or incorrect word choice
demonstrates frequent problems in sentence structure
contains errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics so serious that meaning is somewhat obscured </p>
<p>SCORE OF 1
An essay in this category demonstrates very little or no mastery, and is severely flawed by ONE OR MORE of the following weaknesses: </p>
<p>develops no viable point of view on the issue, or provides little or no evidence to support its position
is disorganized or unfocused, resulting in a disjointed or incoherent essay
displays fundamental errors in vocabulary
demonstrates severe flaws in sentence structure
contains pervasive errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics that persistently interfere with meaning</p>
<p>In the past, I have posted the guidelines used by Pearson(s) in the training of their "experts.**" </p>
<p>Here's a pretty similar list:</p>
<p>Scoring Criteria*</p>
<p>1) Read quickly for an impression of the whole paper and score immediately; do not reread or analyze.
2) Read the entire paper; the writing sometimes improves dramatically as the writer goes on.
3) Read supportively; look for and reward what has been done well, rather than what has been done poorly or been omitted.
4) Take everything in the paper into account: organization, development, spelling, diction, sentence structure -- everything.
5) Try to ignore the quality of handwriting.
6) Do not judge a paper by its length; some short papers are good, and some long papers are poor.
7) Remember that use of a literary example does not make the paper inherently better than a paper that uses examples from personal experience, history, science, politics, sports, etc.
8) Use the full scale; since papers are ranked against each other and not against an ideal, some papers may receive a score of 6.
9) Remember that each score category represents a range (e.g., a high 3, a solid 3, and a low 3).
10) Remember that each paper is essentially a first draft written under test conditions in only 25 minutes.
11) Remember that an unfinished (but developed) paper is not penalized for lacking a full conclusion.
12) Remember that, even though their writing is being evaluated for readiness to handle college-level work, the writers of these papers are, for the most part, only 16 or 17 years old.
13) Remember that a paper with a score of 6 need not be a polished essay.
14) Remember that any paper that addresses the essay assignment should be scored. The paper receives no penalty for a tangential approach to the issue; it is scored on its own merits and on the logic of the argument developed in response to the essay assignment as the writer interprets it. However, an essay not written on the essay assignment will receive a score of zero.
15) Remember that the standards are set by consensus and that individual readers are expected to accept and to follow those standards.
16) Remember that to the writer of the paper, the ideas expressed are
fresh and original. (Unlike the readers, the writer has not already read dozens of papers on the particular topic.) </p>
<p>** The quotations around the term "expert" relates to Pearson's decision to mainly recruit from a pool of candidates that, at best, had not be known to be great judges of writing talent, let alone able to develop it through teaching. Fwiw, I still believe that the only reason a scoring machine was not used was to pretend the scoring method might account for the type of individual nuances and variances humans are known for.</p>
<p>So xiggi, what is the undying myth of the ACT?????</p>
<p>Oops, HH! I forgot that part. </p>
<p>Here's the short version of my assessment of the ACT versus SAT. FYI, I've posted the longer version several times in the past.</p>
<ol>
<li>On the surface, there is hardly ANY difference between the SAT and the ACT.</li>
<li>The terms aptitude, achievement, assessment, and similar definitions of the tests have become utterly meaningless. The authors of the ACT or the SAT no longer know what their tests stand for. That is why the acronyms stand for ... nothing but ACT or SAT.</li>
<li>When it comes to integrity and longitudinal validity, the ACT is STILL an inferior test. Simply stated, the ACT does not have the resources of ETS, and it shows! </li>
<li>The ACT is NOT more precise or LESS confusing than the SAT</li>
<li>The administrative office of the ACT is as hopeless as it is unhelpful. Their registration system is horrible.</li>
</ol>
<p>Now, why should anyone take this test?</p>
<ol>
<li>You live in ACT country</li>
<li>You want to check which one of the two "fits" better</li>
<li>You want to exploit a couple of unplugged loopholes in admission.</li>
</ol>
<p>In conclusion, despite being the poor cousin, the ACT offers a few benefits. I recommend to take it, but don't expect the exercise to be a more pleasant or easier experience.</p>
<p>I'll chime in with my d's experience. </p>
<p>NMF, 5s on the AP Lang and AP Lit exams, honors program offers based on essays and writing samples for honors programs at all public universities to which she applied, including COLA Honors at UT-Austin and Johnston Honors at UNC-CH, newspaper and yearbook editor with writing awards....got a perfect score on the m/c part of the Writing section of the SAT I...and got an 8 for her essay. </p>
<p>She made the mistake of writing a killer creative essay instead of a boring, formulaic piece. It was sad, she was so proud of that essay...lol!</p>
<p>Thanks, xiggi.</p>
<p>The writing part of the PSAT (taken this year as a sophomore) lowered my son's overall score--he made some silly errors. I don't know how he'd do on the actual essay, since that's not included in the PSAT. I do know that many of the very brightest kids in our public high school bombed the writing portion of the state exam. Calmom's advice (which I read a long time ago now) recommended taking the ACT if the PSAT scores were not stellar--hence eliminating the need to take the SAT at all if the kid does well enough.</p>
<p>Based on what you have to say also it sounds like a plan.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting the writing instructions too. My guess is that for a certain level of kid the essay is valuable, but at a higher level it is meaningless (which is why more competitive colleges don't take it into account).</p>
<p>always worth checking the source. Note that the ACT essay is slightly differently in that you have to "Address what others might say to refute your point of view and present a counter-argument."</p>
<p>I have to say, I like the questions on the ACT essays much, much better than the SAT questions.</p>
<p>FYI - Writing subscores</p>
<p>I wholeheartedly agree to the stupidity of the new writing system as a measure of writing aptitude. Many effective test prep companies, like Grammatix Inc., offer algorithms to writing an 'SAT ESSAY.' The multiple choice sections, on the other hand, are a little better, but they mostly measure a student's writing 'ear,' not his ability. Overall, if you cant make a section successful, dont make it at all.
I stand by that.</p>
<p>And I do well on the writing section in general.</p>