The new ACT writing exam, which this semester starts serving CUNY as the exit from remediation, will not raise but lower standards. I have sent a slightly shorter version of this report to Trustee Nilda Soto Ruiz in hopes of putting a discussion of the exam on the agenda for the November 6 th meeting of the Committee on Community Colleges. In order to understand why these exams will do so much harm, it is necessary to understand how tests of writing skill are constructed. Organization is generally clear. A competency with language is apparent, even though there may be some errors in mechanics, usage, or sentence structure.
Organization is clear enough to follow without difficulty.
A control of the language is apparent, even though there may be numerous errors in mechanics, usage, or sentence structure. My concerns fall into three categories. The grading rubric is the most pressing. First, the criteria for scoring the exam are incomprehensibly lax. If that is true, then god help the nation.