College Writing Proficiency Advice for First-Semester Freshmen and their Advisors

                 Unlike other General Education requirements, the College Writing Proficiency requirement is not met simply by taking and passing a course.  Students' writing must meet the College Writing Proficiency criteria.  Although some extremely well-prepared students (usually transfers) can show us writing that meets the criteria before the first semester begins, most students need two semesters to strengthen their writing skills enough to do so.  This usually means taking English 104 in the fall and English 105 in the spring.  English 104 students who make exceptional progress can meet the CWP requirement in December of their first semester.  To determine whether this is the case, the students and advisors first should consult the Academic Progress Reports issued by the composition instructors, and the grades they have gotten on their written work.  They also can ask their instructors if the situation is not absolutely clear.

                English 104 students who are on their way to an A or A- in 104, and whose writing routinely already meets the basic College Writing Proficiency criteria (all but scholarly research support), can be asked by the instructor to prepare a portfolio of three papers from 104 that demonstrate their best work.  The portfolios, which are submitted in early December, can include a paper from another course, or a revised paper from 104, that meets the “scholarly research support” part of the criteria.  The composition instructors have to submit the portfolios to the Writing Program, not the students.  Students should be in contact with their instructors to see whether their writing qualifies them to meet the CWP requirement by this method.

                Because fewer than half of the portfolios pass, students who submit portfolios also should register for English 105 for the Spring.  This will insure that, if their portfolio does not pass, they will have a seat in a section that fits their schedule.  If the portfolio passes in December, they will have plenty of time to drop 105 and to pick up a replacement course.  Students who submit portfolios will be notified by email in late December or early January whether the writing has met the CWP requirement.

                Students who take English 103 in the fall sometimes progress rapidly enough to attempt to meet the CWP requirement in spring sections of English 105.  As in the case of the 104 students, they and their advisors should consult their Academic Progress Reports and the grades they have gotten on their writing in order to tell whether they have a reasonable chance of moving directly to English 105.

                Students taking advanced placement sections of English 105 should consult their end-of-semester Academic Progress Reports to determine whether their writing met the CWP requirement.  All students whose writing does not meet the CWP requirement will receive an APR from the instructors detailing which of the CWP criteria they still need to work on.  The APR also will tell them either that they need another semester's writing instruction in English 106, or that they are close enough to meeting the criteria by taking a Writing Across the Curriculum course or submitting a portfolio.  Instructions for English 105 students who are submitting portfolios may be found on this web page:  http://faculty.goucher.edu/writingprogram/writing_portfolios.htm