Re: assessment question

[Liz Buckley <Liz_Buckley@etsu.edu>]

.At 06:12 PM 7/9/97 -0500, you wrote:
>>I am presently trying to help my college develop a writing assessment tool
>>for use with the undergrad majors in my college in the middle of their
>>careers.  I've been doing a peer institution survey this summer, and so
>>far I have found many schools which do some kind of writing assessment at
>>the beginning of the undergrad career but not in the middle.  Does anyone
>>know of an institution that does use this kind of assessment?
>
>>Scott LaBarge
>............
>
>hi scott,
>
>wow! good luck on this one. pretty much anything by Ed White will give a
>good grip on the ins and outs of assessment.
>
>the territory you've been assigned to explore is pretty dangerous.  it's
>called, in some contexts, the "rising junior exam" and in some states its
>legislated.  For example, in all Texas public institutions (as memory serves
>after seven years), there's a standardized exam, the writing component of
>which is partly multiple-choice usage and style questions (BOO!) , but also
>a holistically-evaluated writing sample.  Of all the assessment protocols
>that construe writing as product or artifact, that's probably the best one,
>or the least awful.  But construing writing as product is pretty stupid.
>(Your people might be doing this, being slaves to long-accustomed biases and
>myths; if you're smart, don't tell them this to their faces.  Ever hear of
>"killing the messenger"?)
>
>And generally speaking, aside from writing assessment, rising junior exams
>have lots of problems conceptually, administratively, psychologically, and
>ethically.  They're often a frantic effort by fearful educators at keeping a
>school's fabric from fraying at the edges, when it might not have been
>properly woven in the first place.  
>
>Gatekeeping, some people call such exams.  Looked at another way, they're
>power-tripping and arrogant.
>
>I'd suggest instead that you look into a portfolio assessment protocol.
>It's very humane and pedagogically sound.  This, of course, probably means
>using portfolio for pedagogy and class management in FY comp instruction
>(and other courses as well).  And that is sometimes, in some places,  like
>trying to push a rope down the road.
>
>good luck.  your job is by no means small or simple or easy or safe.  also,
>remember: you can do any job (a.)quickly, (b.)cheaply, or (c.) well, but
>only two out those three at a time.
>
>james w
>
>p.s. also look up Ross Winterrowd's _Culture and Politics of Literacy_.
>It's a great survey of the BS you'll have to wade through.
>"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
>                    Dr. James Werchan
>(or maybe it's just someone who kinda looks a lot like him)
>              Ohio State University at Lima
>                    4240 Campus Drive
>                     Reed Hall #135
>                     Lima, OH 45804
>                      419-995-8882
>				
>                    werchan.1@osu.edu					jwerchan@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
>(for main campus biz)
>jwerchan@osulima1.lima.ohio-state.edu  (for local biz only)
>								
>  Come and visit: "http://www.lima.ohio-state.edu/~WACC"    
>"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
>
>

James is taking about TASP which isn't a rising junior exam but must be
taken in the semester that the student earns 9 hrs or before.  Our testing
dept. has seen fit to excuse anyone from our Junior Level Essay if they have
passed TASP which is supposed to test readiness for college level work.  We
have the JLE, an essay which is scored by an ad hoc committee from all dept.
I am not happy with it.  I'd love to see a portfolio of the work the student
has done to this point.

Liz Buckley
Texas A&M University-Commerce