Proposal to:                  Prof. Amy Johnson, Chair
Faculty Senate Undergraduate Studies Committee

 

From:                           Steve Bernhardt, Chair
English

 

Subject                         ENGL100 Exemptions

Date:                            January 5, 2007

 

The English Department wishes to eliminate any exemptions from E110 (Critical Reading and Writing) on the basis of SAT or other standardized tests. I am making this request with the full support and encouragement of Prof. Melissa Ianetta, our Director of Writing, and John Jebb, our Assistant Director.

 

The SAT does not test for the skills taught in E110, namely college-level, researched writing. Further, UD requires only a single, three-hour writing course, unlike many campuses that require a sequence of two or more courses. We do not think it wise to exempt students from their only writing course. E110 is the one place where students are taught about expectations at UD for academic work, where they learn how to use campus research sources, including the internet and the library. We teach them how to document sources, what is considered plagiarism, and how we deal with it. We teach them how to read college level material with a critical perspective. Thus, there are important skills conveyed in this one required course, skills that are intended to serve the students in all UD courses.

 

Successful writing requires research, drafting, revising, and editing. The new writing component of the SAT and ACT exams do not allow for these activities. Instead, students are expected to respond to an impromptu question in 25 or 30 minutes, with one handwritten draft. This is essentially “top-of-your-head” writing and has no place in E110. Our national association, the Writing Program Administrators (WPA) rejects the use of SAT or ACT exams for exemption or placement in writing because the exams include only a one-draft sample, written quickly; it is inappropriate, they maintain, to use these samples for placement in college writing courses. The exams do not reflect the process used in real writing situations and do not reflect the test taker’s ability to produce writing under real-world circumstances. The exams lack content validity.

 

We would continue to allow transfer students to exempt based on evidence that they have the experience and skills taught in E110 and can demonstrate so with proof. We exempt students each term based on their portfolios of researched writing and documentation that they have taken equivalent courses. Our Department offers academic credit for AP English exams, up to six hours for a score of 5. But no exemption from 110 accompanies an AP score. In the 1960’s, UD required two composition courses. When the requirement shrank to one course, the policy became that AP did not remove the requirement for that one course. Furthermore, most students who arrive with AP English credit do so on the basis of literature AP courses, not composition. It would not be appropriate to exempt a student from a composition course on the basis of historical or critical knowledge of literature.

 

For the past several years, exemption was granted for an SAT II Writing exam with a score of 710 or higher. The SAT II Writing Exam was taken only by a small, self-selected group of students. This test is no longer offered by ETS. The issue arose last spring (2006) whether students should be exempted from E110 if they attain certain score levels on the new SAT, which now has three parts, including a short impromptu writing task. We do not think this is a good idea, and said so at the time, but to avoid a problem with too few seats, we agreed to exempt students at a certain score level. Cindi Shenkle of Arts and Sciences inserted temporary language in the Catalog.

 

We said we would deliberate the issue this year. We have discussed the issue with Honors (Katherine Kerrane), Admissions (Louis Hirsch) the Registrar’s office (Joe DiMartile), and the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s office. The primary issue for all concerned is providing the additional seats needed if no exemption is offered on the basis of an SAT score.

 

We estimate the total cost in seats to be between 100-150. We would need to budget for 5-7 additional sections of E110. The Department and College will work out staffing the necessary sections.

 

Exemptions under SAT II Writing Exam

2001:   56 students exempted; 37 were in Honors

2002:   92 students exempted; 58 were in Honors

2003    86 students exempted; 57 were in Honors

2004    103 students exempted; 65 were in Honors

2005    121 students exempted; 92 were in Honors

2005    the last year for that exam.

 

Exemptions this year under new SAT

2006: Using the Writing Portion of the standard SAT, the exemptions swelled to 169.

 

Here is current language, showing language we would strike:

 

UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS

ENGL 110 Critical Reading and Writing

(minimum grade C-) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ENGL 110 will be taken by all students as freshmen. , except by students who have

otherwise demonstrated the skills taught in that course. A score of 710 or higher

on the SAT-II Subject Writing Test will be a satisfactory demonstration of basic

writing skills. Also, on a one-year trial basis during the 2006-2007 academic

year, a score of 710 or higher on the Writing section of the SAT Reasoning Test

will qualify students for exemption from ENGL 110. ENGL 110 must be completed

by the time a student has earned 60 credits. Students who transfer into the College

of Arts and Sciences with 45 credits or more must complete this requirement within

two semesters.

 

Add: Transfer students who have completed college-level courses in research writing should check the English Department website to see if they qualify for exemption: http://www.english.udel.edu/transfer.htm