Holistic Scoring

Holistic scoring provides an examinee with a single score regarding the quality of examinee work (i.e., performance) as a whole. Most commonly, [Page 789]holistic scoring is used to assess writing samples, though it may be employed to assess any performance task, for example, acting, debate, dance, or athletics. When scoring an essay holistically, the rater neither marks errors on the paper nor does the individual write constructive comments in the margins. Instead, the rater considers the quality of the entire paper and then assigns one holistic score. The SAT, ACT, and Advanced Placement tests all utilize a 6-point holistic scoring rubric to assess their respective writing sections. This entry discusses the use of holistic scoring guides and anchor essays and provides an example of a ...