Writing Placement

Overview

Writing and critical reading are important skills for students to develop. Proficient writers succeed in their disciplines, their jobs, and their roles in their communities. At Commonwealth, we take writing seriously, and we trust that you have a strong sense of your abilities as a writer and a reader. We use a placement process called Directed Self-Placement (DSP), which asks students to weigh in on their placement into first-year writing courses. Research suggests that students often have a stronger sense of their writing abilities than their GPAs or placement tests might offer. We will make an initial placement for the appropriate first-year writing class as best we can for you based on your high school GPA, but we ask you to take a short survey that will give you added perspective on what first-year writing course best suits your needs. You will be asked these questions in the early stages of your orientation process. The questions are designed to help you determine whether you think you are placed in the first-year writing class that seems best for you.

At any point in the process you may contact Jimmy Guignard at jguignar@commonwealthu.edu or Ted Roggenbuck at trogenb@commonwealthu.edu for more information about first-year writing or to talk through your options.

Take the Writing Placement Survey

Initial and Recommended Placement

The chart below provides our initial placement for you as well as our recommendation to you. The recommendations are based on data comparing high school GPAs to rates of student success in first-year writing in previous years.

Course Descriptions

Here are descriptions of the courses (please note the expectations for WRIT 101 and WRIT 103 are the same – WRIT 101 offers additional support in the form of a one-hour lab):

• WRIT 100: Reading and Writing introduces approaches, strategies, and experiences for students to acquire and value college-level literacy. It offers reading and writing strategies to give students experiences with college-level reading, thinking, drafting, and revision. Students who have already successfully completed WRIT 101 or WRIT 103 are not eligible for this class. 3 credits. This class counts toward degree completion but does not satisfy the general education writing requirement.
• WRIT 101: Foundations in Composition offers opportunities to compose a variety of texts for different situations with attention to purpose, audience, context, and conventions. Students practice critical reading, thinking, and analysis. The class emphasizes college-level research skills and refines students’ processes for reading, writing, and research. 3 credits.
  • Expectations for students are the same in WRIT 101 and WRIT 103. The difference between WRIT 101 and WRIT 103 is that students taking WRIT 101 will also take a 1-credit corequisite course, WRIT 102, for additional support. WRIT 101 satisfies the general education writing requirement.
• WRIT 102: Foundations in Composition Lab supports students taking WRIT 101 to fulfill the general education writing requirement. It focuses on practicing reading and writing strategies as well as self-efficacy, self-regulation, and metacognition and provides opportunities for hands-on reading and writing activities, goal setting, reflection, and peer tutoring support. Students must pass WRIT 101 in the same semester in order to pass WRIT 102. 1 credit.
• WRIT 103: Foundations in Composition offers opportunities to compose a variety of texts for different situations with attention to purpose, audience, context, and conventions. Students practice critical reading, thinking, and analysis. The class emphasizes college-level research skills and refines students’ processes for reading, writing, and research. 3 credits. WRIT 103 satisfies the general education writing requirement.

Choose the course that you feel is appropriate as soon as possible. Courses often fill, which means you may not find the section you prefer.

If you think you are placed appropriately, then you do not need to take any action. If you have questions related to first-year writing, please contact Dr. Jimmy Guignard at jguignar@commonwealthu.edu or 570-662-4592 or Dr. Ted Roggenbuck at troggenb@commonwealth.edu or 570-389-4356. Expect a response within one to two days.