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A comment on Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays.

Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by RcouF1uZ4gsC on Thursday August 29, 2019 @07:42PM (#20834754)
Unlike a multiple choice test where the primary audience is automated graders, the primary audience for an essay is other humans. If even Google and Facebook with their billions of dollars and billions of posts worth of data, still cannot always understand the intent and purpose of written content, what hope do these algorithms have?

If it is cost-prohibitive for every essay to be graded by humans, then they should be dropped from the tests. Otherwise, we are missing the whole point of essays which is to communicate effectively with another human, not just match certain text patterns.

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Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by anigbrowl on Thursday August 29, 2019 @08:06PM (#20834842)
If it is cost-prohibitive then then maybe we should adjust the economic model, not abandon the measurement.
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Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by rocqua on Friday August 30, 2019 @03:54AM (#20836657)
Sure, have less essay test questions, and start grading them for content not form.

If you want to grade on form to test the ability to write correct rather than coherent sentences, make those separate questions, and mark them so.

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Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by Spivak on Thursday August 29, 2019 @08:21PM (#20834919)
I mean that's what the automated grading systems are trying to do but it seems like people don't like them very much.
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Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by saagarjha on Thursday August 29, 2019 @07:48PM (#20834775)
> If it is cost-prohibitive for every essay to be graded by humans, then they should be dropped from the tests.

Apparently it is. But everyone still wants writing to be assessed…

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Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by risubramanian on Thursday August 29, 2019 @07:56PM (#20834800)
The SAT dropped the writing section a few years ago, and many schools don't care about the GRE writing score.
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Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by hnburnsy on Thursday August 29, 2019 @08:24PM (#20834931)
They did drop the writing but replaced it with an optional essay. Most upper tier schools require applicants to take the essay.
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Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by ta8347 on Thursday August 29, 2019 @08:35PM (#20834997)
Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Caltech, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth and many other schools do NOT require applicants to take the SAT essay.
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Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by lonelappde on Thursday August 29, 2019 @09:53PM (#20835353)
Because they prefer an essay you can buy from a college applications consultant.
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Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by saagarjha on Friday August 30, 2019 @01:11AM (#20836099)
Do you know anyone who has gotten in without taking the SAT essay?
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Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by hanniabu on Friday August 30, 2019 @12:25AM (#20835969)
Finally, but then none of these new test takers will know what it feels like to get near perfect scores on the other sections of the test but then completely bomb the written portion and ruin your overall score.
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Re:Flawed Algorithms Are Grading Millions of Students’ Essays by iliketosleep on Thursday August 29, 2019 @10:43PM (#20835561)
> Otherwise, we are missing the whole point of essays which is to communicate effectively with another human, not just match certain text patterns.

I agree, this is traditionally the purpose of an essay. But to play devil's advocate, consider the rising number of people who are writing SEO or ASO content which is actually targeted at machines.

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