When I heard that the College Board will be making the writing section from the SAT optional and returning to the original 1600 score scale, I was dismayed. Writing is an integral part of a student's academic and professional career, and it should be emphasized just as much as critical reading and math. To preserve the importance of academic writing, the SATs should continue to make the writing section mandatory.

No matter which career path a student pursues in the future, it is important for him to be proficient in formal writing. Most professional jobs will require applicants to submit cover letters, which need to be written in a logical and formal style. Even after securing the job, employees often must write communications and reports requiring formal writing skills, and in some career fields, such as academia and law, formal writing makes up the core of the job. Therefore, students need to develop proficient formal writing skills during their academic careers.

The SAT writing section tests students' skills in academic and professional writing. The multiple choice questions test their proficiency in grammar and writing constructions, as well as their ability to construct logical sentences and paragraphs. The section's essay component tests each student's ability to write essays with a thoughtful and argumentative thesis and to construct an argument. It also tests one's ability to logically execute that argument with evidence and support. High-quality professional and academic writing requires students to demonstrate sufficient mastery of these skills.

In the United States, students' writing capabilities on average are already at unacceptably poor levels. According to a 2012 report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which tests students on their descriptive writing, explanation and argumentation skills, only about 24 percent of a sample of 28,000 high school seniors achieved a "proficient" level of writing. This level is not even the highest passing grade. About half of the seniors surveyed could only attain a "basic" level of writing skills, with additional 20 percent who could not even reach the basic level. A mere three percent of students were successful in reaching the "advanced" writing level. In the assessment, students' writing submissions were graded based on "development of ideas, organization and language facility and conventions," according to Dr. James Buckley, commissioner of the National Center for Educational Statistics.

These numbers demonstrate that writing skills among American high school students are on average either substandard or insufficient for advanced academic and professional work. If the writing section is no longer counted in the SAT, it may give students a reduced incentive to focus on improving their writing skills, which take a long time to develop and learn. Retaining the writing section's scores would at least give students a reason to study formal writing conventions and standards, and to gain more experience at composing written arguments under time constraint, which occurs quite often in college-level coursework.

Every college student, regardless of major, will have to submit writing assignments at some point during his or her undergraduate career. At Brandeis, even if a student studies a subject that does not assign many essays and papers, the general University requirements that he or she must fulfill to graduate indicate the student must take at least one writing-intensive class. Many classes even have exams that require a student to write succinctly and logically within a limited amount of time, as is the case with the SAT writing section. Similar requirements exist at numerous schools throughout the country, where students need to pass writing requirements to graduate. Discounting the writing portion of the test will not benefit students with poor writing skills when they actually have to write papers or otherwise write under time constraints in classes.

One reason put forward for discounting the writing scores is that the 25-minute essay portion of the section cannot accurately reflect a student's true writing skills. Some critics have argued that this period is too short for a student to produce the strong analysis and high-quality formal writing that are demanded in college-level papers, which often require longer time to perfect. However, as part of the new SAT changes, College Board has improved the essay portion, for those students who wish to take it, by doubling the time given to write the essay. In addition, the new essay design will ask students to write argumentative essays based on a given reading passage and to cite passage evidence, a skill that students will need in college courses requiring research-based writing. This change is an improvement in the test structure, and it should not be canceled out by entirely dropping the scores for the section. 

Eliminating the writing section would eliminate other benefits of the test, such as the multiple choice section which tests students' competencies in proper English grammar and logic structure. High-level writing requires students to at least have a proficient command of these skills, and eliminating this part of the test may result in a disincentive for students to hone them. This section can also be an integral tool in helping students recognize the level of their writing skills, and whether or not they need to improve upon them to be prepared for college-level work, such as with timed essay exams in college.

It is true that test scores cannot capture all elements of a college applicant's profile. However, students' writing skills and competencies should not be discounted in testing, because college and professional-level work will inevitably involve writing. Is the SAT perfect in informing admissions counselors about applicants? No, but it still is one of the principle assessment mechanisms we have, and it is better to improve upon a troubled section rather than eliminate it entirely.