Writing Placement Checklist

For Fall 2013

This checklist should be used for students who either do not have SAT/ACT scores or who believe their SAT/ACT scores did not place them in the correct section of WRTG.

The following checklist asks you a series of questions about your experience with writing, as well as what you think of two passages we provide you with. You will see that many of the questions are designed to help us understand how you write, what kind of writing education you have had in the past, and what your attitude toward writing is. Please answer the questions as best you can, and remember that our placement process only works if you provide us with answers that are as honest as possible.

After you complete this Checklist, it will be sent to your email. Please keep this email to share your Checklist with your advisor at either June Orientation or at your Alternative Orientation session.

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1. Which of the following best expresses how you feel about yourself as a writer?

I consider myself to be someone who writes as an opportunity to communicate who I am, or a way of thinking about a topic (1).

I consider myself to be someone who writes when I have to; I don’t enjoy it much (3).

I consider myself to be someone who writes because it is important to communicate what I know or have learned (2).

2. Which of the following best describes the most frequent reason why you find yourself writing:

I write to show my mastery of knowledge, or my understanding of a course topic (2).

I write to show how I think about a particular idea, with the goal of helping my readers think about it in a unique way (1).

I write because I am required to by a course or test (3).

3. Which of the following best describes your prior experience with writing assignments you have had in school up until now?

Most of the writing I did was part of an important exam or test (3).

I had experience writing papers about literature, or the occasional research essay (2).

I did a variety of different writing. Some of it was assigned in various courses, but some of it was for the sake of an extracurricular activity, or for the sake of exploring my own ideas (1).

4. When you read over your own work, which of the following best describes what you are most concerned with?

Whether you have met the page length or word requirement for the assignment,so that you receive adequate credit for the assignment (2).

Catching any grammar mistakes or spelling errors, so that your essay is as professional as possible, containing few errors if any (1).

Whether you have communicated a sophisticated idea to future readers, so that your essay helps others think about something in a different way (3).

5. Which of the following describes your reading habits?

You read to get through assigned works as efficiently as possible (2).

You read for the sake of encountering new ideas, often reading works that are not assigned (1).

Unless you absolutely have to, you don’t necessarily spend time reading (3).

6. Which of the following best describes the way you want your writing to sound to readers, or, the kind of voice you are hoping to project?

You want to sound aware of the conversation amongst experts on the topic, offering a professional, insightful addition to the conversation (1).

You want to sound like you are the kind of writer who is talented and creative (2).

You want to sound like you are smart enough to understand the assignment and the topic it relates

7. Which of the following best describes your experience with a research essay?

I have never written a research paper, or any paper that required me to incorporate outside sources in the form of quotes or paraphrase (3).

In high school I wrote at least one essay that asked me to include research in the form of direct quotes or paraphrases (2).

In high school I was expected to regularly write papers that incorporated outside research, for a variety of courses (e.g. History, English, Biology, etc.) (1).

8. When you are asked to incorporate examples or quotes, which of the following best describes your attitude toward selecting and incorporating them?

You look for sentences or facts that directly state what you believe your main point is, and incorporate those next to your point (2).

You look for sentences or facts that express a key idea or fact that you think must be addressed, whether or not they directly state what your main point is (1).

You look for the number of quotes or facts required by the assignment, and then incorporate that amount into your own work (3).

9. Each of the descriptions below reflects the writing standards Drew University holds, as applied to students of different skill levels. Choose the description that was written for the student who you think earned the highest grade.

Essay states a specific thesis or position within the conversation, and information included is chosen and read to fit desired conclusion (2).

Essay states a thesis or position. It is simplistic and obvious, with a conclusion tied to some of the implications discussed (3).

Essay states a thesis or position that reflects the complexities of the issue, and synthesizes other

The following is an excerpted passage from the article “When a College Professor and a High School Teacher Read the Same Papers” by Tom Thompson and Andrea Gallagher. The article discusses many of the differences between the situations students and teachers face in high school vs. college. Toward the end of the article, Thompson and Gallagher discuss what they agree to be the difference between a competent and a sophisticated essay. Please read the following passage and then answer the questions below:

There is clearly a difference between competent writing and sophisticated writing. A competent paper will respond directly to the assignment and show command of the subject, either through synthesis of adequate research materials or as a result of authentic experience. A competent paper will have an introduction, conclusion, and some logical (if perhaps predictable) flow of ideas in the middle. A competent paper will be free of errors in conventions (grammar, mechanics, and usage) that require the reader to reread in order to construct meaning. And while a competent paper doesn’t require rereading, a sophisticated paper invites it: that is, a sophisticated paper is one that the reader wants to reread. Word choice and sentence variety are used to bring out the voice of the writer, ideas are expressed with insight, and the organization subtly moves the reader from one idea to the next.

10. Based on what you’ve read, the authors are suggesting that college writing is most concerned with:

Sharing new ideas (1)

Showing command of the subject (2)

Showing the right word choice (3)

11. According to the passage, a student might deduce that the overall important thing to remember when writing a college essay is:

Ensuring that your essay communicates an insight (1).

Ensuring that your essay has a beginning, middle, and end (2).

Ensuring that your readers are not required to reread your essay (3).

Below is a passage from the article “Annoying Ways People Use Sources” by writing instructor Kyle Stedman. In the article Stedman discusses different ways that students can more efficiently incorporate quotes into their college-level essay. The specific excerpt we provide you with here shows you one of Stedman’s tips, as well as an example from one of his students’ writing. Please read the passage and then answer the questions below:

The easiest way to effectively massage in quotations is by purposefully returning to each one in your draft to see if you set the stage for your readers—often, by signaling that a quote is about to come, stating who the quote came from, and showing how your readers should interpret it…[This] could be done by introducing the quotation with something like this…:

We should all be prepared with a backup plan if a zombie invasion occurs. Max Brooks suggests a number of ways to prepare for zombies’ particular traits, though he underestimates the ability of humans to survive in harsh environments. For example, he writes, “Unlike its human counterparts, an army of zombies is completely independent of support” (115). His shortsightedness could have a number of consequences…

12. Stedman suggests that students can effectively massage in quotations by doing what?

Including an MLA citation at the end of the quote (3).

Using a quote that says the same thing as the writer’s main point (2).

Framing the quote so that readers understand the writer’s overall argument (1).

13. In the example of student writing that Stedman provides, the student signals who is speaking in her selected quote in which sentence?

The first sentence (3).

The second sentence (1).

The third sentence (2).

14. Which of the following sentences shows us how the student wants us to interpret Max Brooks’ quote about an army of zombies?

Preparation for a zombie invasion is necessary (3).

The fact that a zombie army is independent of support, and that this has consequences (2).

We shouldn’t be shortsighted about humans’ competitive ability to survive (1).

Section B

Below are descriptions for the 4 different writing courses offered at Drew. Please read each one carefully and then select which course you believe will be the best match for you.

Writing 101: ESOL is a writing class for speakers of other languages. WRTG 101 extends the sense of intellectual community developed in the College Seminars in which students are co-enrolled, and also includes small group work with trained writing fellows. The writing fellows provide additional instruction and support for students as they draft and revise their papers. In this course, students explore and practice the advanced literacy skills necessary for a liberal arts education. They read and respond to texts written for a variety of audiences and analyze the style, vocabulary, and structure of those texts, along with the impact of audience and purpose. This course pays special attention to the distinct needs of ESOL learners. Students who take WRTG 101 in the Fall must register for WRTG 110 in the Spring.

Writing 102: Fundamentals extends the sense of intellectual community developed in the College Seminars in which students are co-enrolled, and also includes small group, instructor-led recitation sessions to provide additional instruction and support for students as they draft and revise their papers. In this course, students explore and practice the advanced literacy skills necessary for a liberal arts education. They read and respond to texts written for a variety of audiences and analyze the style, vocabulary, and structure of those texts, along with the impact of audience and purpose. Students who take WRTG 102 in the Fall must register for WRTG 115 in the Spring. Enrollment limit: College Writing Plus is capped at 12 students to ensure opportunity for one-on-one work.

Writing 103: extends the sense of intellectual community developed in the College Seminars in which students are co-enrolled. They read and respond to texts written for a variety of audiences and explore the style, vocabulary, and structure of those texts, along with the impact of audience and purpose. Students are introduced to academic research. Students who earn a C- or above will thereby fulfill their first-year college writing requirement; all others must enroll in WRTG 115 in the Spring.