You write an essay, hit send, and the computer immediately replies with your grade, allowing you to rewrite the essay for a higher mark. Software has already been developed to do it, and some administrators are praising this new development. Of course they are. They don’t need to pay teachers.
Since this is America, an interest group has formed to fight computer essay grading. The group has the unfortunate name “Professionals Against Machine Scoring of Student Essays in High-Stakes Assessment,” almost an essay in itself.
Nonetheless, the group’s statement, quoted in today’s New York Times, makes sense: Computers cannot “read.” They cannot measure the essentials of effective written communication: accuracy, reasoning, adequacy of evidence, good sense, ethical stance, convincing argument, meaningful organization, clarity, and veracity, among others.
As much as I hated to grade essays, I’d have to agree with that.
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