Predictors of performance on the essay section of the English Composition Test in the college board achievement tests

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the score on the essay section of the English Composition Test (ECT) and seven independent variables. Variables included the score on the objective section of the ECT (ECTO), the verbal score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SATV), the math score on the SAT, the score on the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE), the self-reported GPA, the self-reported writing ability (WRIT) and the student's educational goal. The study involved 62 high school students from Palm Beach County, Florida, who attempted the ECT and the SAT in December, 1991. Multiple regression demonstrated that there was a significant relationship between the variables and the criterion (p =.0008). The objective section of the ECT, the verbal section of the SAT, the TSWE and the student's self-reported writing ability were each predictors of the score on the essay section of the ECT (p <.01). The math section of the SAT also proved to be a predictor of the essay score (p <.05). The three subsets (ECTO and TSWE), (ECTO, SATV and TSWE), and (ECTO, TSWE and WRIT), each offered significant unique contributions (p <.01). These findings suggest that the essay score, in its present form of assessment, may be predicted from other specific, easily measurable data. Implications concerning measurement of student writing ability, the purpose of essay testing and essay assessment are discussed.