Writing/Communication Gen Ed Outcomes
Writing and the MAPP
The MAPP assesses student writing using the three levels of rubric in the left-hand column below. I would view
Level One as representing Basic Competency, and Level Three as representing College-Level Competency.
Note that Level Three incorporates the competencies of the elements of Levels One and Two.
MAPP Writing Competencies
Level One
To be considered proficient at Level 1, a
student should be able to:
 recognize agreement among
basic grammatical elements
(e.g., nouns, verbs, pronouns,
and conjunctions)
 recognize appropriate transition
words
 recognize incorrect word choice
 order sentences in a paragraph
 order elements in an outline
Level Two
To be considered proficient at Level 2, a
student should be able to:
 incorporate new material into a
passage
 recognize agreement among
basic grammatical elements
(e.g., nouns, verbs, pronouns,
and conjunctions) when these
elements are complicated by
intervening words or phrases
 combine simple clauses into
single, more complex
combinations
 recast existing sentences into
new syntactic combinations
Level Three
To be considered proficient at Level 3, a
student should be able to:
 discriminate between appropriate
and inappropriate use of
parallelism
 discriminate between appropriate
and inappropriate use of
idiomatic language
LSSU Writing Competencies (ENGL111)
Rhetorical Knowledge
By the end of ENGL111, students should be able to:
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Establish a clear purpose for writing and develop
strategies that sustain that purpose throughout an
innovative, comprehensive, research-driven project
Analyze and respond to the various audiences,
constraints, and purposes presented in a range of
rhetorical situations
Combine and apply multiple modes of discourse to
present their research and communicate their
expertise
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing
By the end of ENGL111, students should be able to:
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Analyze and evaluate the rhetorical strategies and
logic of their own thinking and that of others
Incorporate into the writing process the finding,
evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing of
appropriate primary and secondary sources
Recognize and apply the standards required to
develop and present ethical research
Engage critically with the work of other writers, from
peers to published authors, to demonstrate an
understanding of writing and reading as dialogues
among people who possess differing ideas, beliefs,
and values
Processes
By the end of ENGL111, students should be able to:

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Practice writing as an ongoing process that uses later
invention and re-thinking to revise a text
Employ the collaborative and social aspects of
writing processes, i.e., balance relying on formal and
informal authority figures with accepting
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recognize redundancy
discriminate between correct and
incorrect constructions
recognize the most effective
revision of a sentence
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responsibility for doing their part
Critique their own and others' works
Work through multiple drafts to create and complete
a successful research-driven persuasive text
Demonstrate flexible strategies for researching,
drafting, revising, editing, and proof-reading
Knowledge of Conventions
By the end of ENGL111, students should be able to:

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Practice the methods of inquiry and citation expected
of university-level writing
Employ university-level standards of syntax,
grammar, punctuation, and spelling
Legend:
Addressed by MAPP:
Partially addressed by MAPP:
Not addressed by MAPP:
Minimalist Gen Ed Outcomes and MAPP

Analyze, develop, and produce rhetorically complex texts

Communicate competently in a variety of contexts (Communication Outcome)
Summary Comments/Recommendations
Writing/English: The MAPP measures, at least in part, two of the three components of the Writing/English Gen Ed
outcome (partially measures the ability to analyze and produce, but not the ability to develop). It would be a
minimally acceptable tool that should be supplemented by an embedded holistic writing assessment on the senior
level.
Communication: In its current form, the MAPP does not appear to address the Communication outcome. In
consultation with Professors Balfantz, Denger, and Belanger, some basic questions could be developed and added.