The New Essay Portion of the ACT and SAT Some Updates . . . and junk research papers verses the real deal!!

Since I taught high school on the east coast which notably favors the SAT, I knew little about the writing prompts or the scoring of the ACT. However, a brief search revealed that in the past, ACT prompts were somewhat general, students were given a brief overview and thirty minutes to write a clear, well-thought-out essay.  The writing rubric I designed based on the domains for the Virginia Standards of Learning will work to prepare your students to excel on either the ACT or the SAT.  The ACT is holistically scored by two readers on a scale from 6 to 1. Writers who score a 6 demonstrate the most control.  The two scores are added together to obtain a writing score from 12 to 2 which is then added to the English test score. Two scores are generated - the combined English/Writing Score and a writing sub-score.  Visit this web site for more info:  http://www.actstudent.org/writing/writing-scores.html

However, both ACT and SAT testing services are upping their game - revising their test for more information please read this article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/act-college-admission-test-to-report-new-scores-in-2015/2014/06/05/1dbd96a8-ecaa-11e3-b98c-72cef4a00499_story.html

When I designed the rubric, I designed it to stand the test of time and I wanted it to reflect not just what the state Standards of Learning valued, but what writers and readers know is the internal checklist writers develop over time. Writers who are compelled to write don't necessarily follow the rules or even care - their passion drives them to create just as hunger drives the rest of us to eat.

The rubric is a tool - not a rule book - it should not be used to red ink students, but to assist them when they find a topic that excites them. I found that to be the most challenging part of my job - constantly generating situations that could set my students free to write about something important to them.  One of my worst days as a sub (after I retired) was asking each student in an 11th grade general English class what his or her topic was for the county mandated 4 page - 5 sources research paper.

It was obvious the students didn't have any passion for their topics - most of them had to refer to their notes to remember what they were. So much for generating a love of research and media literacy. Kids are savvy - it is sad that teachers' hands are tied by the culture of testing and fear of hot topics and the wrath of vocal groups of parents. As always - there are ways to find topics with the help of intrepid librarians - I hope yours is as good as mine always were and that you can encourage students to become fluent and inspired writers.