10-second review: A mismatch between assignments in a writing course and a final exam that includes an impromptu essay. The assignments in the course have multiple drafts. The measure of the students’ success, however, is an impromptu essay that is “one and done,” completed in a limited amount of time, with little time allotted for pre-writing or for revision and editing.
Title: “The Effect of Portfolio-based Instruction on Composition Students’ Final Examination Scores, Course Grades and Attitudes Toward Writing.” NW Baker. Research in the Teaching of English (May 1993), 155-174.
Quote: “Obviously, when students have been taught to write using a method requiring multiple drafts completed over an extended period of time, the use of impromptu essays as an outcomes measure seems questionable at best.”
Comment: A criticism that is applicable to the SAT writing sample and to state tests of writing. The state tests, however, usually allow for an hour, while the SAT writing sample must be completed in 25 minutes. RayS.
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