Assessing student written communications skills: a gateway writing proficiency test for aspiring journalism majors

College Student Journal, Sept, 2005 by Mary K. Brocato, Paula F. Furr, Martha V. Henderson, Steven G. Horton

An in-house test, the LSDT consists of two parts. The first part covers basic mechanics such as parts of speech, punctuation, sentence structure and formation, and word usage. The skills are comparable to those required to pass the Louisiana high school graduation exit exam. The second part consists of a student essay based on a prompt related to journalism or writing. The essay is assessed holistically by at least three faculty members for critical thinking, organization, writing style, correct grammar, and critical thinking. The department provides a study guide and allows students to retake the test, given four times each semester during registration periods.

Freshmen journalism majors receive information about the LSDT in the first-semester orientation course. Because most of these students also take the mass communications survey course their first semester, the department administers the test during a class session near the end of the semester in addition to other testing dates. The goal is an early warning system for students with weak writing skills. Faculty advisers also encourage transfer students or new majors to take the next scheduled LSDT. Students who do not pass both parts of the test are strongly encouraged to enroll in JOUR 1010.

In fact, the department encourages any student who wants to improve his or her writing skills to enroll in this elective course, viewed more as an "enrichment" course rather than "remedial ." The course justification states: "Journalism relies on good writing, which, in turn, relies on fundamental language skills." By ensuring students understand rules for standard English, this course better prepares majors to complete their program of study and to achieve later professional success. Students are advised that the three hours earned in this course will not count for hours required of a journalism major or minor. It can count as an elective course to meet university graduation requirements. During this course, students review writing fundamentals and use as their textbook Kessler and McDonald's When Words Collide. Students also access and use writing resources available on the World Wide Web. Topics include grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence formation, and paragraph organization and structure. In addition to workbook exercises, students practice writing essays, proofing, and correcting their work.

The Study

The LSDT was administered to 175 students between spring 2001 and 2003. While some quantitative figures for the LSDT pass-fail rates and for successful completion of the basic media writing course were identified, both the data and faculty member observations, at this point, are more qualitative in nature. The database used for this study includes LSDT test data, ACT scores, and grades in prerequisite English and journalism courses. Additionally, identification of effective methods for data collection and analysis are ongoing. The initial findings and conclusions presented in this paper represent efforts to address a curriculum problem through an action research project.