Placement

The following research reports focus on ENGH 0890 and ENGH 0990 students completing timed-essay exams during the fall of 2002 and the spring of 2003. The results from these research projects became the basis for the successful UVSC Foundation Grant, "ENGH 0890 and 0990 Placement" and an article "Basic Writing Placement with Holistically Scored Essays: Research Evidence."

	This article is published in the Journal of Developmental Education, volume 23, issue number 1, pages 2-4, 6, 8, 10, 12-13. The title of the article is "Basic Writing Placement with Holistically Scored Essays: Research Evidence." Rich Matzen and Jeff Hoyt wrote the article.

UVSC Foundation Grant Proposal, "ENGH 0890 and 0990 Placement"

	The results of the grant research are reported in a chapter to be published in the book, Machine Scoring of Student Essays: Truth or Consequences? (Utah State University Press). The chapter is written by Rich Matzen and Colleen Sorensen, and is entitled “AES as a Means for Placement into Three Composition Courses: A Pilot Study.” AES means “automated essay scoring.”

	The success of the grant was partly dependent on the English & Literature Department.

	May 12, 2003: English & Literature Department: UVSC Foundation Grant, ENGH 0890 and 0990 Placement

	August 25, 2003: Participating in Grant: ENGH 0890 and ENGH 0990 Placement

The following memos were supportive of the aforementioned research:

Fall of 2002
	September 9, 2002: Ranking New ENGH 0890 and 0990 Students: Holistic Scoring of Their Timed Essays

	September 30, 2002: Writing Samples by Our ENGH 0890 and 0990 Students

Spring of 2003
	February 3, 2003: Implications for Placement: Holistic Scoring of the Timed Essays Written by Spring ENGH 0890 and 0990 Students May 15, 2003: Spring 2003: 29 Students Advised to Move from ENGH 0890 to 0990

In conclusion, ENGH 0890 and ENGH 0990 (and ENGL 1010) students have participated in research into placement tests during the fall of 2002, spring of 2003, and fall of 2003. The research examines two placement systems. The first is the present system that is defined by composite ACT scores and two multiple-choice test scores: the DRP test (a reading test) and ACT’s COMPASS test (an editing test). The second or proposed system is defined by placement based on one direct measure of student writing: a timed-essay test score. Although a summative research report regarding placement into ENGH 0890, ENGH 0990, and ENGL 1010, the following report focuses on ENGH 0890 students being misplaced most often.

	October 3, 2004: Difficulties Identifying and Placing ENGH 0890 Students: Three Semesters of Empirical Research into the DRP and COMPASS Tests as a Placement System

To help the misplaced ENGH 0890 students, faculty have “transferred” or moved some ENGH 0890 students into ENGH 0990 based on the results of a timed-essay exam given at the beginning of the semester.
	April 4, 2005: ENGH 0890 Students Transferring into ENGH 0990: Placement by Timed Essay