The ACT and SAT college entrance exams once were only multiple choice, but both tests recenty included an essay portion (which is optional for the ACT). This is of interest for me as I have done consulting work with the College Board (the group that has created the SAT exam) as a scorer. I serve as an individual who reads the writing a student’s has created in response to a prompt created by the College Board. I am trained to evaluate and score the essay based upon the rubric provided. I am tested for my reliability; I must maintain high percentages (in the 80%) to maintain scoring on the project. Also inter-rater reliability is scored to show me how accurate my responses are. The validity of the score given to the students is of the upmost importance to the College Board.
Additionally, some researchers have investigated how the essays are used by one group they serve: the admission offices of the colleges that look at the test results during the selection process.
Early survey research of colleges suggests that some admissions officers harbor doubts about the essay tests. ACT reported that among the schools it surveyed, only about one-fifth are requiring that applicants take the written portion of the exam. Another one-fifth merely recommends (but doesn't require) the essay.
Kaplan, Inc., which markets test prepartion services, conducted surveys as well. Kaplan asked 374 colleges whether they would be using the SAT writing test in screening candidates. Almost half (47%) said that they would not use the essay at all. Another 22% said they would use it but give it less weight than the math and verbal SAT scores.
Kaplan also surveyed students who take the exams for which it provides training. On its website, the company says that more than 25% of students ran out of time on the essay.
Let's consider all this research and what is to be done with it. The below forum asks you to consider more research perspectives related to ACT and Kaplan.
Case Study:
˜What survey objectives would ACT have in asking colleges how they use its essay test? What objectives would Kaplan have for its survey research?
˜If you were a marketer for the College Board or ACT, what further information would you want to gather after receiving the results described here?
˜What sources of error or response bias might be present in the surveys described here?