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Selected Annotated Bibliography

Atkinson, Richard C. and Saul Geiser. “Reflections on a Century of College Admission Tests.” Education Researcher 38.9 (Dec. 2009): 665-676. Print.

In this text, a brief history of both the development and implementation of the SAT and ACT is provided, as well as the use of more subject-specific tests such as the AP and SAT Subject Tests. The authors argue for a shift from a focus on “prediction” to one on “achievement,” with the caveat that high school grades are the most reliable predictor, and least affected by race or socio-economic status of college success to date.

Hardison, Chaitra M. and Paul R. Sackett. “Use of Writing Samples on Standardized Tests: Susceptibility to Rule-Based Coaching and the Resulting Effects on Score Improvement.” Applied Measurement in Education 21 (2008): 227-252. Print.

This article provides insight into the world-view of Education Psychologists by detailing a study in which the effects of short-term coaching on writing assessments such as those administered in the SAT and ACT were examined. Composition instructors will most likely come to very different conclusions from those reached by the researchers.

“The Impact of the SAT and ACT Timed Writing Tests.” NCTE. April 2005. PDF. 9 May 2011.

The article provides a very succinct, clear summary of the the problems that Rhetoric and Composition as a discipline sees with the use of tests like the ACT and SAT. Special attention is paid to the new problems caused by the addition of short essay tests, but many concerns raised can be applied to multiple-choice components of the test as well.

Isaacs, Emily and Sean A. Molloy. “SATs for Writing Placement: A Critique and Counterproposal.” College English 72.5 (May 2010): 518-538. Print.

This article details the events that lead up to the adoption of the new SAT-W as a writing placement tool at General State University, highlighting what writing faculty could have done differently in order to avoid this decision, as well as flaws in its implementation. It is also a useful article for anyone currently championing an underdog placement tool.

Sackett, Paul R. “Debunking SAT Myths: Appraising the Evidence for Validity and Fairness.” presentation given 6 Nov. 2009.

This slide show from a conference is a superb, quick summary of all arguments for the validity and reliability of the SAT, much of which would be agreed upon by the makers of the ACT as well. One flaw, however, is that no works cited is provided to accompany the in-text citations.

White, Edward M. “The Opening of the Modern Era of Writing Assessment: A Narrative.” College English 63.3 (Jan. 2001): 306-320. Print.

In this article, White details the events that lead to what he names the “modern era of writing assessment,” which began in 1971 with the adoption of a placement test designed by composition instructors instead of one created solely by an outside company. This successful story occured even though the English department was much less powerful than the political forces they were up against, which makes this a useful article for anyone facing a similar situation in modern times.