English 111 & 112 Overview:
Goals, Competencies, Overall VCCS
Assessment Results
ENG 111 & 112: Goals Overview
 English 111 & 112 use an integrated reading/writing approach
to develop students’ critical thinking and analytical writing
skills.
 111 & 112 emphasize the writing process and help students
understand that writing develops through experience and
varies among individuals
 Both courses help develop students’ ability to analyze and
investigate ideas and to present them in well structured prose
appropriate to the purpose and audience.
111 introduces students to the specifics of academic writing.
Performance goals include demonstrating the ability to
 Adhere to the conventions of Standard Written
English (SWE)
 Demonstrate basic comprehension of the nature of
essays and essay writing,
 Demonstrate basic competence in the fundamentals
of analytical/argumentative writing;
 Demonstrate basic competence in the fundamental
practices of research and research writing;
111 Performance Goals cont.
 Demonstrate basic competence in the use of MLA
(parenthetical) style documentation;
 Demonstrate a basic awareness of the worthiness,
reliability, bias, etc. of various websites, databases, etc.;
 Effectively summarize source material and incorporate it
into their writing, and
 Demonstrate a basic capacity to analyze various texts and
inter-relate their ideas and experiences with those
advanced by a text.
112 furthers the development of the writing skills
mastered in ENG 111. Specific performance goals
include the ability to:
 Respond to a specific issue and address a
specific reader/audience;
 Demonstrate competence in the principles of
analytical/argumentative writing;
 Demonstrate competence in the principles of
research and research writing;.
112 Goals cont.
 Summarize source material and appropriately
incorporate source material into their writing
 Apply methods of research using primary and
secondary sources;
 Identify the merit and reliability of sources;
 Examine subjects from multiple perspectives and
express their own perspective.
Assessment Practices
 The primary means of assessment in almost
all writing courses is referred to as holistic
scoring.
 Holistic scoring is a method by which trained
readers use a common rubric to evaluate a
piece of writing for its overall quality.
 The VCCS & CVCC each employ comparable
scoring rubrics for assessing writing
VCCS Scoring Rubric – 6 point scale
CVCC Scoring Rubric – 5 point scale
“A”: Superior - demonstrates superior writing but may have minor
flaws. An essay in this category addresses a reader and is carefully
organized from beginning to end (VCCS score = 6)
“B”: Strong - demonstrates clear competence in writing. The 5 essay
may have occasional errors but the errors are not distracting and do
not inhibit reader comprehension. An essay in this category addresses
a reader and has a good organizational structure: (VCCS score = 5)
“C”: Adequate –demonstrates adequate writing. There may be some
error that is distracting to a reader but the errors do not significantly
inhibit comprehension. An essay in this category addresses a reader
and exhibits a logical pattern of organization and development: (VCCS
score = 4)
CVCC Scoring Rubric – 5 point scale
cont.
“D”: Marginal –demonstrates developing competence but the essay is
flawed in one or more significant ways. An essay in this category
acknowledges a reader but is generally poorly organized and/or
developed (VCCS score = 3)
“F”: Very Weak –An essay in this category demonstrates serious
weakness in one or more of the following areas: (VCCS score = 2 or 1)
Note: CVCC rubric employs specific descriptors
as follows:
‘A’ Essay: exhibits the following qualities:



•
Addresses a reader and is carefully organized from beginning to end:
o establishes a rhetorical context that provides a clear introduction to the
topic/subject of the paper;
o presents a strong, well developed discussion of issues relevant to the topic,
points are competently supported by relevant quotes, summaries, and/or
paraphrases from reliable and scholarly source material;
o presents an effective counterclaim/argument that is well supported by relevant
quotes, summaries and/or paraphrases from reliable and/or scholarly source
material;
o the concluding sections brings the essay to an effective and efficient end;
o Uses effective transitions that logically move a reader through the various parts
of the essay;
o Has a readily identifiable arguable thesis/claim that is solidly supported by
appropriate/logical reasons and well chosen evidence/examples
Uses words, phrases, and sentence structures that enhance the communication of
ideas
Demonstrates a thorough understanding of MLA formatting, parenthetical citations
are carefully integrated into the text of the essay, and the Works Cited page is well
constructed
Is generally free of error in mechanics, usage, or sentence structure
‘C’ Essay - adequate has some distracting errors but errors do
not impede comprehension



•
Addresses a reader and exhibits a logical pattern of organization and development
o establishes a rhetorical context and provides an introduction to the
topic/subject of the paper;
o present a sufficient discussion of issues relevant to the topic, points are
adequately supported by relevant quotes, summaries, and/or paraphrases
from reliable source material;
o presents a reasonable counterclaim/argument that is supported by relevant
quotes, summaries and/or paraphrases from reliable source material;
o Uses effective transitions that logically move a through the essay;
o Has a readily identifiable arguable thesis/claim that is supported by
appropriate reasons and well chosen evidence/examples
Has an arguable thesis that is supported by appropriate reasons and evidence –
the reasons and evidence may be simplistic or repetitive in nature
Demonstrates an understanding of MLA requirements – generally cites sources
material in an appropriate manner; the Works Cited page and works cited page
entries are properly formatted but individual entries may be incomplete
Has some errors in mechanics, usage, and sentence structure, but generally
demonstrates the writer has control of those elements.
CURRENT PROCEDURE:
Representative Essays
All Faculty - All Programs/contexts – seated,
online, early college, high school dual
enrollment, etc. submit representative ‘A,’ ‘B,’ &
‘C’ graded/annotated essays & appropriate
evaluation guide each semester for general
review:
Fall – all 111, classes, Spring – all 112 classes
VCCS/CVCC writing assessment
results: June 2011 assessment
Based on students completing an Associates
Degree or finishing studies and transferring:
CVCC Results – reflects total college experience
not just 111/112 experience
Out of 50 students overall in the post test the
mean score (average?) for those students was
4.01 out of a possible 6.0 which equals a 'rough'
average of 67% equivalent to a 'D+'? And, out of
35 students seeking an associates degree, the
mean (average) post test score was 4.10 out a
possible 6.0 yielding a 'rough' average of 68% (A
score of 4.0 is generally considered a ‘passing’
score)
Question
Is an overall C-/D+
score for the college
acceptable?
Things that can be done: Concept
Writing fosters critical thinking
and enables students to
organize their thoughts.
Things to do: practical things that
make a big difference
 to encourage class discussion, have students spend a
few minutes freewriting about the topic before
initiating the discussion.
 use a prompt question and allow students to write
about a particular reading assignment.
- A math instructor could have a student write out how
he/she approached a problem. Being aware of the
student's thought process might help the instructor
when explaining how to do the problem.
- A science teacher could have students do some
preliminary research/writing about a famous scientist.
Other Things to do:
Sequence English 111 & 112: require students to
complete both courses in 1st year
Don’t allow students to take reading/writing intensive
courses until they have completed 111
Don’t let writing stop at the 111/112 classroom door –
require some significant type of writing assignment in
each class
Establish and require a writing intensive course in each
program
Don’t accept bad writing; it enables the problem
Acknowledgments:
My many thanks to Peter
Dorman and Lana Velez for
their advice, assistance, and
ideas!!.