Introduction High school students are often placed into remedial writing courses when they enter college. They feel confused when they find that they failed their placement test. These students are under the assumption that because they passed the state mandated language arts test in high school, they must be good writers. They are disheartened by their remedial class placement, which makes them angry. They have every right to feel this way. There is a clear disconnect between high school composition...

Introduction [excerpt] I begin by looking briefly at the historical circumstances that led to the initial introduction of writing placement practices, how these events influenced a demand for new placement procedures, and how this initiative developed over time to become a more complex issue than originally anticipated. Then, I review the evolution of placement practices, engaging with and analyzing the field's conversations regarding the most popular placement paradigms over recent decades. Last, I provide an...