English 111 & 112 Overview: Goals, Competencies, Overall VCCS Assessment Results

ENG 111 & 112: Goals Overview English 111 & 112 use an integrated reading/writing approach to develop students’ critical thinking and analytical writing skills. 111 & 112 emphasize the writing process and help students understand that writing develops through experience and varies among individuals Both courses help develop students’ ability to analyze and investigate ideas and to present them in well structured prose appropriate to the purpose and audience.

Adhere to the conventions of Standard Written English (SWE) 111 introduces students to the specifics of academic writing. Performance goals include demonstrating the ability to Adhere to the conventions of Standard Written English (SWE) Demonstrate basic comprehension of the nature of essays and essay writing, Demonstrate basic competence in the fundamentals of analytical/argumentative writing; Demonstrate basic competence in the fundamental practices of research and research writing;

111 Performance Goals cont. Demonstrate basic competence in the use of MLA (parenthetical) style documentation; Demonstrate a basic awareness of the worthiness, reliability, bias, etc. of various websites, databases, etc.; Effectively summarize source material and incorporate it into their writing, and Demonstrate a basic capacity to analyze various texts and inter-relate their ideas and experiences with those advanced by a text.

Respond to a specific issue and address a specific reader/audience; 112 furthers the development of the writing skills mastered in ENG 111. Specific performance goals include the ability to: Respond to a specific issue and address a specific reader/audience; Demonstrate competence in the principles of analytical/argumentative writing; Demonstrate competence in the principles of research and research writing;.

Apply methods of research using primary and secondary sources; 112 Goals cont. Summarize source material and appropriately incorporate source material into their writing Apply methods of research using primary and secondary sources; Identify the merit and reliability of sources; Examine subjects from multiple perspectives and express their own perspective.

Assessment Practices The primary means of assessment in almost all writing courses is referred to as holistic scoring. Holistic scoring is a method by which trained readers use a common rubric to evaluate a piece of writing for its overall quality. The VCCS & CVCC each employ comparable scoring rubrics for assessing writing

VCCS Scoring Rubric – 6 point scale

CVCC Scoring Rubric – 5 point scale “A”: Superior - demonstrates superior writing but may have minor flaws. An essay in this category addresses a reader and is carefully organized from beginning to end (VCCS score = 6) “B”: Strong - demonstrates clear competence in writing. The 5 essay may have occasional errors but the errors are not distracting and do not inhibit reader comprehension. An essay in this category addresses a reader and has a good organizational structure: (VCCS score = 5) “C”: Adequate –demonstrates adequate writing. There may be some error that is distracting to a reader but the errors do not significantly inhibit comprehension. An essay in this category addresses a reader and exhibits a logical pattern of organization and development: (VCCS score = 4)

CVCC Scoring Rubric – 5 point scale cont. “D”: Marginal –demonstrates developing competence but the essay is flawed in one or more significant ways. An essay in this category acknowledges a reader but is generally poorly organized and/or developed (VCCS score = 3) “F”: Very Weak –An essay in this category demonstrates serious weakness in one or more of the following areas: (VCCS score = 2 or 1) Note: CVCC rubric employs specific descriptors as follows:

‘A’ Essay: exhibits the following qualities: Addresses a reader and is carefully organized from beginning to end: establishes a rhetorical context that provides a clear introduction to the topic/subject of the paper; presents a strong, well developed discussion of issues relevant to the topic, points are competently supported by relevant quotes, summaries, and/or paraphrases from reliable and scholarly source material; presents an effective counterclaim/argument that is well supported by relevant quotes, summaries and/or paraphrases from reliable and/or scholarly source material; the concluding sections brings the essay to an effective and efficient end; Uses effective transitions that logically move a reader through the various parts of the essay; Has a readily identifiable arguable thesis/claim that is solidly supported by appropriate/logical reasons and well chosen evidence/examples Uses words, phrases, and sentence structures that enhance the communication of ideas Demonstrates a thorough understanding of MLA formatting, parenthetical citations are carefully integrated into the text of the essay, and the Works Cited page is well constructed Is generally free of error in mechanics, usage, or sentence structure

‘C’ Essay - adequate has some distracting errors but errors do not impede comprehension Addresses a reader and exhibits a logical pattern of organization and development establishes a rhetorical context and provides an introduction to the topic/subject of the paper; present a sufficient discussion of issues relevant to the topic, points are adequately supported by relevant quotes, summaries, and/or paraphrases from reliable source material; presents a reasonable counterclaim/argument that is supported by relevant quotes, summaries and/or paraphrases from reliable source material; Uses effective transitions that logically move a through the essay; Has a readily identifiable arguable thesis/claim that is supported by appropriate reasons and well chosen evidence/examples Has an arguable thesis that is supported by appropriate reasons and evidence – the reasons and evidence may be simplistic or repetitive in nature Demonstrates an understanding of MLA requirements – generally cites sources material in an appropriate manner; the Works Cited page and works cited page entries are properly formatted but individual entries may be incomplete Has some errors in mechanics, usage, and sentence structure, but generally demonstrates the writer has control of those elements.

Representative Essays CURRENT PROCEDURE: Representative Essays All Faculty - All Programs/contexts – seated, online, early college, high school dual enrollment, etc. submit representative ‘A,’ ‘B,’ & ‘C’ graded/annotated essays & appropriate evaluation guide each semester for general review: Fall – all 111, classes, Spring – all 112 classes

VCCS/CVCC writing assessment results: June 2011 assessment Based on students completing an Associates Degree or finishing studies and transferring:

CVCC Results – reflects total college experience not just 111/112 experience Out of 50 students overall in the post test the mean score (average?) for those students was 4.01 out of a possible 6.0 which equals a 'rough' average of 67% equivalent to a 'D+'?  And, out of 35 students seeking an associates degree, the mean (average) post test score was 4.10 out a possible 6.0 yielding a 'rough' average of 68% (A score of 4.0 is generally considered a ‘passing’ score)

Is an overall C-/D+ score for the college acceptable? Question Is an overall C-/D+ score for the college acceptable?

Things that can be done: Concept Writing fosters critical thinking and enables students to organize their thoughts.

Things to do: practical things that make a big difference to encourage class discussion, have students spend a few minutes freewriting about the topic before initiating the discussion. use a prompt question and allow students to write about a particular reading assignment. -  A math instructor could have a student write out how he/she approached a problem.  Being aware of the student's thought process might help the instructor when explaining how to do the problem. - A science teacher could have students do some preliminary research/writing about a famous scientist.

Other Things to do: Sequence English 111 & 112: require students to complete both courses in 1st year Don’t allow students to take reading/writing intensive courses until they have completed 111 Don’t let writing stop at the 111/112 classroom door – require some significant type of writing assignment in each class Establish and require a writing intensive course in each program Don’t accept bad writing; it enables the problem

Acknowledgments: My many thanks to Peter Dorman and Lana Velez for their advice, assistance, and ideas!!.