University Writing CenterSince 1977, every campus in the CSU has been subject to the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement or GWAR. While all CSU campuses use the English Placement Test (EPT) for placing incoming students, the GWAR test is left to individual campuses to design. The language mandating the GWAR is now a part of Executive Order 665, which states:
Certification of graduation writing proficiency is an all-campus responsibility. Certification may rely on evidence of writing ability as demonstrated in written coursework, essay examinations, or other measures of student writing competence. Measures may be developed which best fit individual campus needs. However, certification by examination shall include a common essay written and evaluated under controlled conditions and scored by at least two faculty readers.
In February, 2001 the Chancellor’s Office released the results of a system-wide survey of GWAR implementations at 22 CSU campuses. Vice Chancellor David Spence says that the GWAR “certifies that students are prepared to address writing demands in the workplace or in graduate school, and ensures that all students in all majors have the opportunity to learn to write well.”
At Cal Poly Pomona, the GWAR is satisfied by the Graduation Writing Test or GWT. The GWT is a single essay written in 75 minutes under controlled conditions. The topics are designed for a general student population and do not require any specific knowledge. Students are required to write a thesis-driven college essay, supported by personal experience and any other knowledge or reasoning they can bring to the topic.
The GWT essays are scored by faculty from across the University. The chief reader starts the grading session by going over the topic and the six-point scoring guide. Then the graders score and discuss two sets of essays chosen as “rangefinders” or “anchors.” These essays represent the six score points on the scoring guide. These are followed by more sample papers. After each paper has been read, the chief reader asks how many people gave the paper a six, a five, a four, etc., and records the show of hands. When almost all the hands in the room go up at the same time, the graders are ready to grade.
Each paper is read by two readers and the scores are totaled. A passing score is “7.” If there is more than one number between the scores, for example if one reader gave the paper a “3” and the other a “5,” the paper is re-read by a third reader.
The grading sessions are very collegial and are quite interesting for the participants. Each session provides a rare opportunity for faculty from different disciplines to meet and discuss student writing.
Cal Poly’s GWT is very similar to GWAR exams on a number of other campuses. However, most CSU campuses also offer a course option to students who cannot easily pass the exam. In fact, only Humboldt, Long Beach, Northridge, and Pomona do not offer such a course. At Chico and San Marcos, there is no exam and the GWAR is met exclusively through courses.
Some campuses direct students who fail the GWAR exam into advanced composition courses in the English Department, or writing-intensive courses in the major. Others have a specific GWAR course. These courses are often graded by portfolio, which means that a folder containing a selection of revised and on-demand work is evaluated by graders other than the instructor of the course. Portfolios allow an evaluation of a wider range of written work than a single essay exam, and allow students to demonstrate their skills under a variety of conditions, topics and genres.
Instead of a writing course, students at Cal Poly Pomona are offered a chance to waive the GWT after they have failed it five times. To apply for a waiver, the student must write eight practice essays and go over them with writing tutors in the two quarters before the last attempt of the exam. Of course, the purpose of this work is to improve the student’s writing skills so that he or she will pass the exam.
However, if the student does not pass, he or she may decide to petition for a waiver by going to the Testing Office to pick up a petition form. This form is submitted, along with the eight essays and other documentation, to the GWT Appeals Committee, which will decide whether or not to grant the waiver. The disadvantage to the student is that once a waiver is granted, the student’s transcripts will say “Writing Competency Not Certified, Special Waiver Granted.”
The majority of students who apply for a waiver of the GWT requirement are non-native speakers of English, many of them international students. Students who need some help preparing for the test should be sent to the Writing Center, which offers workshops, practice topics, and one-on-one tutoring for the GWT.
