From the  ETS Website Description of HEIghten WC Exam

The HEIghtencircledR WC is an exam designed as a SLO assessment tool that is a proctored online test lasting 45 minutes. It consists of two parts:

• Two Passage-based Sets consisting of sets of selected-response questions (e.g., multiple choice questions) that asks the student to provide suggestions for clarifying and and/or interpreting of a short written passage.
• A Direct Writing Measure requiring the student to write a coherent essay in response to the claim(s) found in a short written passage.

The ETS publications HEIghten at a Glance and HEIghten Outcome Assessment Scores provide descriptions of the exam format, the writing competencies assessed, reporting of scores, and the scoring process. Interpretation of the exam results is facilitated by a detailed guide (etsheighten6).

Student Learning Outcomes Tested

The HEIghten Written Communication (WC) Exam focuses on four dimensions of writing:

Source: Rios, Joseph A.; Sparks, Jesse R.; Zhang, Mo; Liu, Ou Lydia. (2017) Development and Validation of the Written Communication Assessment of the "HEIghten"® Outcomes Assessment Suite. Research Report. ETS RR-17-53, Table 1

Administration of the Exam

The WC exam is administered by computer. The selected-response portion of the exam is electronically graded. The Direct Writing Measure is scored twice: by a computer and by a human grader. If these scores agree then a final score is the sum of the two scores. Should there be a scoring disagreement between the human and electronic graders, a second human grader is brought in to obtain a third score. In this case, the score reported to the institution will be ``determined based on the most accurate scores available.'' 

Score Reports

WC Score Reports The student's Overall total and Direct Writing Measure scaled scores are included along with the institution's peer group averages for these scores. The student's reported writing proficiency level (marginal, proficient, and advanced) is determined by the student's overall score. We will not be using the student reports in our assessments, but an example student report may be seen at Sample Test Taker Score Report

The scores reported to the institution include institutional means for the overall score, subscores for first three dimensions listed in The Table of Dimensions in the section "Student Learning Outcomes Tested. The fourth dimension, ``The Writing Process'', does not receive a separate score, but ``the skills measured in this fourth dimension are embedded in the three dimensions listed above'' (HEIghten at a Glance, (p. 3)) and the mean score on the Direct Writing Measure as well as peer group comparisons for these scores and subscores. Percentages of the institutions in each of the three proficiency levels are included. An example institutional score report may be found at HEIghten Sample Institutional Score Report

Exam Score Reports ETS sends one exam report to the institution and a second to the individual student. The institutional report includes

1. The distribution of its students' scaled scores on the selected-response and portion of the exam and the mean score and the range of scores achieved by those students.
2. The mean score for the Direct Writing Measureand validity
3. The mean scaled subscore on each of dimensions 1-3.
4. The percentages of the institution's students in each of the three proficiencies: Developing, Proficient, and Advanced.
5. Comparison of the performance of the institution's students in 1-3 with that of a comparison group of institutions (e.g., four year institutions).

A ``Test Taker Score Report'' is sent to each student that includes her overall scaled score and writing proficiency level ( Developing, Proficient, and Advanced), and the Direct Writing Measure subscore. Comparison data is provided to enable the student to see how she compares to others who have taken the test.