::ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Scoring Center :: Essay Scoring

The Scoring Center employs experienced essay readers qualified to score writing samples utilizing a variety of rubrics. Readers assess age-appropriate writing skills at the elementary, middle school, and college levels. Each reader has a background in classroom teaching and is practiced at holistic scoring.

Holistic scoring is a method by which a reader considers the five analytic traits of focus, organization, development, grammar, and mechanics in order to obtain an overall impression of the writing sample. Readers are trained not to give undue weight to one analytic trait over another, but to score according to the writing's effectiveness.

Essay scorers must certify against GEDTS standards prior to joining the reader team and annually from then on. Chief readers, rigorously trained by GEDTS, remain in the reader room to ensure accuracy by providing regular scoring recalibrations.

Essay scoring projects, past and present, include:

• GED Language Arts-Writing in English, Spanish, and French
• Preparation projects for private publishing companies using online student assessment tools
• The Texas Assessment of Knowledge & Skills (TAKS) Practice Writing Test
• Hardin-Simmons University Writing Proficiency Test
• The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)