Valid Assessment of Writing and Access to Academic Discourse

• Published in: Journal of deaf studies and deaf education Vol. 2; no. 2; pp. 71 - 77
• Main Authors: Albertini, John A., Bochner, Joseph H., Dowaliby, Fred, Henderson, Janette B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 01.04.1997
• Subjects: Basic writing; College students; Deaf education; Educational testing; Empirical Articles; Freshman composition; Language proficiency; Universities; Writing skills; Writing tests; Written composition
• DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.deafed.a014314
• ISSN: 1081-4159

One way to improve students' access to and retention in post-secondary degree programs is to assess their readiness for such programs accurately. To place deaf and hard-of-hearing students in preparatory courses and to determine their readiness for degree programs more accurately, a direct measure of writing was developed for deaf and hard-of-hearing students at a large technical university. The purpose of this study was to estimate the concurrent and predictive validity of this measure. The Test of Written English (Educational Testing Service, 1992) served as the criterion in the concurrent validity study, and student success in the university's gateway freshman composition course served as the criterion in the predictive validity study. Results provide evidence of the concurrent and predictive validity of the measure, supporting its use for course placement and early planning purposes.