2008 Woodie Awards
Writing exam less than proficient
Katy Thompson
Issue date: 10/18/07 Section: Opinion
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Just a semester ago, I took the Writing Proficiency Exam, which I had been avoiding. I was not afraid that I would fail it, quite the opposite, because I felt that it was a total waste of my time and energy to sit down for an hour to prove to "the powers that be" that I was competent in reading comprehension and writing skills. As far as I was concerned, I had done it before, when I took not one, but two AP tests in English, and made a four and a five, which exempted me from taking any English courses at Tarleton. I had also taken and passed a junior-level English course that involved writing a 30-page paper about Renaissance Literature. I was and still am employed by The J-TAC as a writer. I've won numerous awards for my literary skill and knowledge. That meant nothing to the administration who feared I was illiterate, inarticulate, and unfit to garner the words "Tarleton State University" scrawled across my degree.
Why was I taken so lightly? Because many alumni had been frustrated that their hard-earned Tarleton diplomas were devalued by the shortcomings of fellow graduates who could not read or write. The university responded with an exam to be taken before graduation to prove that you have rudimentary skills in reading and writing. Skills that should have been tested before high school graduation via standardized testing and in the collegiate classroom via papers of the reactionary, explanatory, and even research varieties. What comment does it make about the rigorousness of any one or all departments of the university that students are not tested in the subjects of reading or writing on a daily basis in class? What class exists that has no reading assignments? Even my physical education classes have required a paper, which in-turn required me to do research. How do you not test reading comprehension when you give tests? Even multiple choice questions involve you reading and comprehending the question at hand. Given the state required core curriculum, even a math or science major must take classes that require thought-provoking papers and essays across a plethora of departments: English, philosophy, history, communications, political science, and P.E.
Why was I taken so lightly? Because many alumni had been frustrated that their hard-earned Tarleton diplomas were devalued by the shortcomings of fellow graduates who could not read or write. The university responded with an exam to be taken before graduation to prove that you have rudimentary skills in reading and writing. Skills that should have been tested before high school graduation via standardized testing and in the collegiate classroom via papers of the reactionary, explanatory, and even research varieties. What comment does it make about the rigorousness of any one or all departments of the university that students are not tested in the subjects of reading or writing on a daily basis in class? What class exists that has no reading assignments? Even my physical education classes have required a paper, which in-turn required me to do research. How do you not test reading comprehension when you give tests? Even multiple choice questions involve you reading and comprehending the question at hand. Given the state required core curriculum, even a math or science major must take classes that require thought-provoking papers and essays across a plethora of departments: English, philosophy, history, communications, political science, and P.E.
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