I. General Information

12. How is my essay scored?

That you write well is a concern shared by all EKU faculty. Your essay examination, therefore, is evaluated by faculty who teach in a wide variety of departments and in all the colleges.

The scoring procedure used is called "holisticism" or "holistic scoring"; it was first developed by Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J., and is the method used in scoring essays written for any national essay testing program (Advanced Placement, College Board, National Teacher's Exam, GED).

The UWR Advisory Committee is responsible for the administration and scoring of the essay exam. Its chair is the Associate Chair of the Depratment of English & Theatre; other faculty members and appropriate administrations are appointed by EKU's President.

This committee appoints a Chief Reader who is experienced in the use of holistic scoring and who recruits and trains faculty readers. Readers go through an initial training session and then are retrained at each scoring session. From eight to twenty faculty members (depending on how many essays were written) meet for each scoring session.

Essays are read anonymously; only the student's identification number appears on the essay booklet. Each essay is read by two faculty scorers; the second cannot see the score that the first put on it. The two scores are totaled so that the final score ranges from 2 to 14 points. If the two faculty scores do not basically agree, the chief reader or one of the experienced assistants reads the essay again and scores it; in unusual or borderline cases, there may be another reading also. The UWR Advisory Committee establishes the passing score; no exceptions are allowed. The process is a very careful one, and it is administered with great care and concern on the part of all the faculty involved to see that standards are administered equitably.

The UWR Advisory Committee meets on the next working day following the scoring session to review the test results, and establish a pass-fail criterion. Scores are then reported to the registrar's office.  Failing papers are housed in the Writing Center so that students may visit there and review their failing paper so that they may get help in preparing to re-take the test.

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URL: http://www.english.eku.edu/uwr/info/info12.htm
Maintained by: Sherry Robinson
Last updated: 19 October 2004