LSU Drops Writing Requirements

LSU just dropped ACT writing requirements in order to boost enrollment. Their cited reason for this move was expressed in dollars....as in number of dollars they could have made from students who either did not take or did not pass the writing portion. The purpose of entrance exams is to ensure that the students who attend (and pay) are actually prepared for college and are therefore in a position to get their money's worth; I am assuming writing is a skill required for completion of a four year degree at LSU.

The bad thing is that graduates in the professional world will rapidly find out that the ability to write well is one of the skills your employer finds most valuable. Often it is why they hired a college grad instead of a high school grad. The fact that a student managed to get through college with eighth grade level writing abilities (and some do) won't help them when they hit the graduate level work force.

Lack of writing skills is more prevalent than most people who can write well think it is. This is only a guess, but I think the main reason is that it is far far easier on a teacher to just let it slide than to do the work required to teach a student who is interested in everything but learning. It's too easy to give a C for effort, and they get too much grief for giving Fs, whether they are deserved or not. There is no way to grade writing with a scantron and teachers already spend all their spare time grading at home...especially english teachers. Hours are spent trying to explain each of the hundreds and hundreds of grammar errors, and then the student either gets upset or doesn't even look past the number you write at the top. Just get them through the standardized tests so you can point to a number and say they weren't left behind...after that, they are someone else's problem.

Remember, BRCC students, if you feel like you need extra help with your writing assignments, you can go to the ALC. It's free. It's getting your money's worth. It's making sure you will stand out for promotion after you get this piece of paper. The piece of paper just gets you in the door.