Writing Proficiency
2009 MUSWA Testing Window: February 2 - 27
Any Montana high school, public or private, may participate in the Montana University System Writing Assessment. Most schools test all of their juniors and those seniors whose scores from the previous year would place them into developmental composition courses (below 3.5). Some schools test only those juniors who hope to attend college, while others allow teachers to decide whether or not to participate in the testing. A few schools test only seniors who failed to take the ACT Optional Writing test and need a score to satisfy admissions criteria. In 2008, 117 of Montana’s high schools and over 7,000 students tested with the MUSWA. The Fall 2008 Newsletter breaks down results on ethnicity, gender, other essay tests, and more.
Montana’s two-year and four-year campuses use the highest writing score from the MUSWA, ACT Optional Writing Test, or SAT Essay to determine if students have demonstrated writing proficiency for placement into college-level composition and full admission to the four-year campuses. Students who meet the proficiency threshold for admission are exempted from taking a placement exam on campus during freshman orientation. Students who score below 3.5 on the MUSWA are provisionally admitted and placed into developmental courses unless they challenge their placement by taking another placement test. See policies on the sidebar.
Schools may elect to test their students using any of three modes: online (teachers go to a secure website to register their classes and students go online to provide information about themselves and upload their essays); word-processed (students print out their word-processed essays which are inserted into test booklets on which students have bubbled-in information); or handwritten (students write their essays in the booklets and bubble-in information). Most schools select the online method.
High schools can participate in the MUSWA without charge for the testing materials, training opportunities, or score reports. In exchange, each participating school district must commit a scorer for every 40 students (more or less) tested. The Writing Assessment Workshops provide a critical service to students, much needed data for high schools and campuses, as well as valuable professional development. The workshops are not limited to high school English teachers. Educators from other disciplines and grade levels are welcomed and can be trained to score accurately. OPI renewal units or college credits are offered.
To participate, complete and return this Preliminary Input Form by October 15. In January, schools that have registered for word-processed or handwritten tests are mailed test booklets, test administration instructions, and writing prompts. Schools registered to test online are emailed instructions for testing and their school names listed on the secure testing site.
POLICY
The Montana Board of Regents adopted the Montana University System Writing Assessment (MUSWA) as one way for students to demonstrate their Writing Proficiency and earn full admission to the four-year degree programs of the Montana University System. Participation in the MUSWA is voluntary. It was administered for the eighth time in February of 2008 to 7,100 students in 117 high schools. In 2008, 63% of the tests were submitted online, cutting printing costs and streamlining the data-gathering process.
To gain full admission to the four-year degree programs of the Montana University System in 2009, students must earn a minimum score of 3.5 on the MUSWA or the equivalent score (7.0) on the ACT or SAT essays. Students whose scores are below this threshold can take the MUSWA, the ACT, or the SAT again.
The Writing Proficiency Policy :
- Informs high school juniors if they are on target to enter a freshman composition course that is developmental or a composition course that will count toward core or degree requirements;
- Ensures that students take the developmental course they need during their first year in college; and
- Identifies students who need more intensive writing instruction as high school seniors in order to graduate at the “proficient” level in writing.
In November, 2007, the Board of Regents passed a Composition Placement Policy, which brings consistency to the placement practices on the MUS campuses and allows students to use their score on the MUSWA, ACT, or SAT to be placed into credit-bearing, college-level composition courses. See Policy 301.17 for details.
The National Scene
Writing Proficiency has become a national issue, as described in The Neglected "R", The Need for a Writing Revolution. To address this issue and help schools improve their writing programs, the Montana University System has studied this issue in depth by administering the Montana University System Writing Assessment. An alignment document describes how the scoring rubric is based on Montana's Writing Content Standards.
Many colleges and universities require that students submit a writing assessment score for admission. The following campuses, frequently chosen by Montana graduates, now require either the ACT with writing or the SAT: University of Washington, Washington State University, Oregon State University, Stanford University, University of Puget Sound, Harvard University, Portland State University, University of Southern California, Willamette University, Whitman College, New York University, Boston University, University of California, Princeton University, Yale University, Northwestern University, and Dickinson State University.
The newsletter archive contains tables, graphs, and charts with statistical analysis of MUS Writing Assessment results since 2001. It is noteworthy that inter-rater reliability has been high throughout the project, calculated at .86 (Cronbach's alpha). Intensive training and consistent application of the scoring rubric helps achieve this inter-rater reliability rate.
Student Assistance
WEBwriters, funded by the Student Assistance Foundation of Montana, supports the development of writing skills by helping students prepare for and improve their scores on the Montana University System Writing Assessment. The website, hosted at Montana State University Great Falls College of Technology can be found at http://webwriters.msugf.edu. Trained scorers are invited to sign contracts describing their duties and stipends as webscorers. Webwriters accepts practice essays from Montana students throughout the school year.
ACT's website also provides assistance in teaching the persuasive essay. See http://www.act.org/aap/writing/highschool/download.html (click on "ACT Assessment at a Glance").
Teachers from Helena High School have developed a website with resources and ideas for teaching the persuasive essay, http://www.hhs.helena.k12.mt.us/Teacherlinks/Oconnorj/persuasion.html.
To oversee implementation of these recommendations on admissions, a
Steering Committee on Writing Proficiency Admissions Standards meets periodically.
For more information on the Montana Writing Proficiency Admissions Standards, please contact:
Jan Clinard, Ed.D.
Director, Academic Initiatives,Commissioner of Higher Education
46 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena, Montana 59620-3201
Tel: (406) 444-0652 Fax: (406) 444-1469
