On a scale
Subtitle: a social history of writing assessment in America
By: Norbert Elliot.
Series: Studies in composition and rhetoric,; vol. 3
Publisher: Peter Lang
Published: 2005
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 408
Subjects: English language -- Rhetoric -- Study and teaching -- Social aspects.; English language -- Composition and exercises -- Social aspects.; Report writing -- Study and teaching -- Social aspects.; English language -- Ability testing -- Social aspects.; College prose -- Evaluation.; School prose -- Evaluation.
Description: "Which set of statements best describes the emotions surrounding the assessment of writing ability in educational settings? This book - the first historical study of its kind - begins with Harvard University's 1874 requirement that first-year student applicants submit a short composition as part of the admissions process; the book concludes with the College Board's 2005 requirement for an essay to be submitted as part of the new SAT: Reasoning Test.

Intended for teachers who must prepare students to submit their writing for formal assessment, administrators who must make critical decisions based on test scores, and policy makers who must allocate resources based on evaluation systems, On a Scale provides a much-needed historical and conceptual background to questions arising from national attention to student writing ability."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [363]-392) and index.