Par´ abola

In my earlier chapters, I suggested ways that The College Board might change the AP English exam to make it less standardized and more reflective of an authentic writing process. If the test changes, the grading process would need to adjust as well. Below, I will review my suggestions from chapter 2 (abridged; in a different font) and will briefly discuss possible grading solutions:

Limit number of essays to one: If students had two hours to write one essay, they would have the opportunity to think, prewrite, outline, draft, write, and then edit. Drafts and notes should be included with the students’ test, so that exam graders could see a complete picture of each student’s writing process and style.

With only one essay to grade, graders can take more time evaluating several aspects of the essay. I would suggest that evaluators give the essay three grades on a scale from 1-5. The

first grade would be a replica of the holistic grade – based on understanding, depth, overall organization, and evidence – currently used to evaluate the AP English Language and Literature exams. The second grade would include the prewriting process into the holistic score. Does the student show critical thinking and growth from beginning to end? Does the final essay reflect changes made in the first draft? Students would be required to underline or highlight their changes to help expedite the process for evaluators. The third grade would be a “conventions” grade that would evaluate, on the same 1-5 scale, students’ general mastery of proper English grammar. Some people might be concerned about the time factor in my 3-part grading schema, but consider that there would be just one prompt to grade.

Students write one essay and outline two: Students would have a choice of essay/outlines, so that they could focus on their prompt of choice.

With one complete essay and two outlines, students demonstrate their understanding of three prompts but get to show their best writing ability in one essay. Graders would still have to prepare for three prompts, but they would be able to ascertain the level of student understanding of each prompt with two outlines and one essay. Today, each grader scores only one of the three essays, so if that system remained, certain graders would be in charge of the outlines, and others of the essay – therefore, grading time would decrease for everyone. Additionally, I would add one element to the essay portion of the grade: conventions. Much like my first suggestion, graders would grade the completed essay on a 5-point holistic scale for both conventions and overall quality of writing. Then, the two outlines would be

combined for a 1-5 score. Readers would focus on thesis statements and topic sentences in the outlines.

Offer Students a Choice: Testing writers should consider the vast differences in

from which students may choose. Students would write one essay and would include drafts and prewriting. Prompts should reflect a thorough ethnographic study that will determine to what kinds of questions certain students might better respond.

This third solution will take a lot of initial planning, but if we keep timed essays on standardized tests, I like this one the best. Graders will grade in the same way as my first option, with one difference. They will study one of the prompt choices, and essay answers will be divided between readers accordingly, saving them time and energy and allowing students to produce their best, most authentic writing.

Reconsider Context in Prompts: If we keep the three-essay format, I would strongly suggest that test writers write prompts with a strong focus on both contextual

appropriateness and socioeconomic factors. Do the prompts allow for fairness for teenagers? Is the context realistic for teenagers? How long does a realistic, or even “fast” prewriting time take? In order to create good tests, we need to take the tests ourselves, not just go by student samples.

Grading of these essays could remain the same; however, the entire collection and creation of prompts would have to be revisited.

I have one final suggestion regarding grading. If students exempt college courses, then readers should be limited to college professors who teach the material being tested. It makes no sense to have high school teachers (even ones who are experts at the test, like me) grade the essays. I do not know how composition professors measure writing or what level of writing they expect. Of course, with careful vertical teaming, the situation might be different. As we stand today, however, many secondary teachers are not familiar with college courses. In order to transition from a mixed cohort of graders to university graders, more college professors must be willing to spend a week reading and grading. I understand that talented secondary teachers who have been AP readers in the past will balk at this

suggestion, but if we continue to allow one test score to release students from an entire college course, then a college professor should grade the test.

By 1964, Jameson declared that because of the rise in AP participation, the AP program, which previously had been the most common in the northeast, had become a “truly national” program based on the “public school [system]” (Jameson 2, 1964). His research found that the top ten states that sent AP students to college in 1964 included “New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, and Virginia.” Because of the flourishing popularity of the program, he expressed concerns that the readers of the tests should “represent the geography of the program and the character of the schools and colleges which [were] a part of it” (2). Today, we can see why AP readers represent all reaches of the United States – it would not be fair to our nation’s students if the readers came from one demographic. Jameson also recapped the “ground rules” previously established in the first decade of AP reading.

1964 Ground Rules:

1. An effective day of reading should be no more than 7.5 hours.

2. The reading schedule, honoraria and travel arrangements are predicated on a session of six 7 ½ hour days; but the honoraria are calculated for the job to be done: hence there may be an occasional eight-hour day.

3. Nobody reads at the same pace, and although the number of examinations called for a “production line” approach, the most important aspects of the reading process were care, reliability, and willingness to grade according to group standards.