More of my annotated bibliography...

Royer, Daniel J. and Roger Gilles. "Basic Writing and Directed Self-Placement." Basic Writing e-Journal 2 (2000): 31 Jan. 2005 http://www.asu.edu/clas/english/composition/cbw/summer_2000_V2N2.htm

This article looks at the problematic nature of traditional placement measures, and the benefits of directed self-placement. Royer and Gilles discuss the ways they use directed self-placement at Grand Valley State University to encourage the agency of students in their writing program. The most interesting aspect of this article is that it looks like the GVSU model of directed self-placement is almost a mirror image of what we plan to do with students at EMU. I haven't asked Linda, but I think she did mention that they consulted GVSU during the process of developing the "guided self-placement" method at EMU. I like that these authors mention that the placement program needs to be proactive for students to prepare them for being proactive, not just in writing courses, but throughout the rest of the college experience.

Kizza, Immaculate. "Placement Tests: The Writer's Reactions." Annual Meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, 1993, San Diego, California.

This report describes a study conducted at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga that looked at freshmen responses to writing placement tests. After taking an hour-long impromptu essay exam, students were asked to fill out a survey about their experience taking the placement test. Though the placement test seemed to "accurately" place students in the proper composition courses (meaning 98% successfully completed the course), I think the words of the students are more important. One question asked students about the clarity of the essay prompt, and a vast majority felt that they understood the statement but was unsure about what was expected of them. "Wastefulness is a necessary part of the American way of life" was the essay prompt. Students actually mentioned that "the statement was vague: Is America wasteful in time, money, environment, all of the above?," which to me seems like a valid question. The type of writing that I expect from my students at EMU is writing that addresses a more specific topic than what was given here....so why not use a topic that is reflective of what the writing program values? Maybe UT doesn't value that, or it is just this author because it is implied that students who ask this sort of quesiton "exhibited a clear lack of critical ability." To me it seems like just the opposite. It is interesting what has changed and what still remains the same at universities, since this study was conducted in 1992.