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University of Houston: Online Writing Assessment Enables Effective, Efficient Testing
12/30/2002
"After taking the test, students immediately get a printout that shows them the focus and clarity of their writing," says Greer. "It's really efficient. We are able to bring the students in, test them and have them over to an advisor within minutes. It's one-stop shopping—and a task that previously took weeks is reduced to an hour."
Because the University of Houston has an open admissions policy, they have very little test data on each student, including few SAT scores. "All we really have is a high school diploma," explains Greer.
Meeting State Requirements
WritePlacer Plus Online helps the school's counselors and placement specialists
handle students more efficiently and with better understanding of their unique
needs. Student writing samples are scored using modified holistic scoring, which
evaluates the overall quality of an essay based on focus, development, organization,
sentence structure, and mechanical conventions.
"We can use WritePlacer Plus Online to fulfill the state-mandated TASP requirement that we test every student to see if they can write a five-paragraph essay," says Greer. The assessment tool also offers a sentence-skill module that provides the information necessary to place the student in either developmental-level or college-level English. It can also be used to assess writing skills again in the junior year.
WritePlacer Plus Online is also convenient for students. They can access the test in the university's learning lab or other testing areas, and they can take it at their own convenience.
Mastering Skills
Finally, WritePlacer Plus Online helps ensure that every University of Houston
graduate enters the business world with solid writing skills. According to Greer,
a single course in freshman composition is not enough preparation.
"Many graduates in the past have somehow flown under the radar and simply not addressed their writing-proficiency problems. To me, that's a poor reflection on the university."
With WritePlacer Plus Online, Greer and his colleagues can help ensure that each University of Houston student receives appropriate writing instruction at the level they require. This allows them to master the skills necessary to be successful communicators and writers after they graduate.
Greer adds, "When we apply technology that's beneficial to the students, it also makes the university itself look even more professional. We use WritePlacer Plus Online exclusively now."
For more information, contact Gary Greer, director of academic counseling, University of Houston, at greerg@uhd.edu or (713) 221-8101.
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