Ellis Batten Page

Ellis Batten “Bo” Page Ed.D. (April 29, 1924 – May 17, 2005) is widely acknowledged as the father of automated essay scoring, a multi-disciplinary field exploring computer evaluation and scoring of student writing, particularly essays. Page’s development of and pioneering work with Project Essay Grade software in the mid-1960s set the stage for the practical application of computer essay scoring technology following the microcomputer revolution of the 1990s.

Born in San Diego, CA, Page, a United States Marine Corps veteran, graduated from Pomona College (Claremont, CA) and taught high school English while pursuing his M.A. degree in English at San Diego State University (1955). He received his Ed.D. degree in educational psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1958.

Page served as professor of education and psychology for several academic institutions before joining the University of Connecticut (Storrs) in 1962 as Professor of Educational Psychology and Director, Bureau of Educational Research. It was during his tenure there (in late 1964) that Page began the development of PEG software, inspired by the convergence of computational linguistics, artificial intelligence technology, and his own experience as a high school English teacher.

Page’s research earned him a number of academic appointments including Visiting Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1967–68) and Visiting Professor of Experimental Design at Harvard University (1968–69). Fluent in Spanish, Page also lectured extensively on issues and trends in educational psychology in Spain and South America.

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