How does the Writing Skills test fit in? (Comment)

News & Commentary

12/07/05 - The Wall Street Journal reports that many colleges are ignoring the Writing Test on the NEW SAT.

Commentary

47% of Colleges have discounted it entirely
The first point is that almost half of the schools surveyed have decided to completely disregard the Writing Skills subject area. This clearly conveys the unease that most admissions personnel feel about the Writing Skills section. Perhaps, with more time and data, the schools will embrace the new subject area, but most have unequivocally refused to do so thus far.

For college applicants this year and next, you should be monitoring this issue closely in case any changes are made.

Diverse Usage of the Writing Skills score
Also, make sure you are familiar with the policies of the schools you are applying to. It appears that many of the most selective schools are accepting and adopting the Writing Skills subject area, so although most schools have not adopted the Writing Skills subject area into their admissions decisions, you may still have to focus on that subject area if one or more of the schools you are applying to have adopted it.

Essay Scores - Consistency?
Another point is that the essay section of the Writing Skills section has seen some fairly bizarre grading. We at CEEAE have all seen examples of essays that were graded far higher than what any rubric would have dictated. Though we were happy for those students, we also are cognizant of the competitive factor inherent in scoring and wonder why the grading of the essay has not been more consistent.

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