UW Colleges English Department Placement Guidelines
(April 2013)
In 2010, the UW Colleges English Department formally approved a) revised cut scores
for the Wisconsin Placement test, b) a process for placing students into composition
courses based on multiple measures of college readiness, and c) a new process for
English 102 exemption. In 2012, the English Department adopted guidelines that
campus placement teams use for placing students into developmental English skills
courses. On campuses that use a multiple measures placement process, a
student’s composition placement is based on the placement team’s assessment
of multiple indicators of readiness for college reading and writing, not Wisconsin
Placement Test scores.
The following guidelines supplement previously approved English Department
placement policies to help each campus develop a consistent and effective placement
process.
Placement Assessment Training
All members of campus placement teams should receive appropriate training in
placement assessment. English Department Associate Chairs or designated campus
placement coordinators should work with the Composition Committee Co-Chairs and
Developmental Reading and Writing Program Coordinator to ensure that campus
placement team members receive effective and sufficient training. All placement team
members should participate in an annual campus placement training session that
includes a review of approved placement guidelines, a discussion of recent revisions to
the first-year writing or developmental programs, and a placement norming session.
ACT Ranges for Multiple Measures Placement
English Department placement teams should use the following score ranges as a
general guideline for evaluating ACT English and Reading scores as part of a multiple
measures placement process:
● English 098 (or 097) and LEA 106--0 to 17
● English 101--18 to 24
● English 102--25 or higher
ACT scores are only one indicator of college readiness and should not be used as a
standalone placement measure for UWC composition courses.
Placement in a Higher Level Composition Course with Required Support Courses
Campus English Department placement teams sometimes move a student to a higher
level composition course with a required composition tutorial, reading course, and/or
learning skills class. Students who choose not to take required support courses must
enroll in the lower level course; they do not have the option to take the higher level
composition course without required non-degree support courses.
Retaking the Wisconsin Placement Test
1 Newly admitted students may retake the placement test if the English
Department or an advisor has specific evidence that the placement test results
might be inaccurate (for example, if a student who qualifies for accessibility
services for a disability takes the WPT without accommodations). The student
must retake the placement test before the first day of class in his or her first
semester.
2 Students may not retake the placement test after the start of their first semester.
Adjustments to a student’s placement that take place on or after the first day of
class should be based on a multiple measures assessment of the student’s
learning needs and must go through the formal process for reviewing and
appealing composition placement.
3 A student may not retake the placement test as a substitute for successfully
completing a composition course or to avoid re-enrolling in a failed course. The
placement test is an inaccurate indicator of a continuing student’s readiness for a
higher level course, especially in comparison to an instructor’s assessment of the
student’s graded coursework. Therefore, students who do not pass a
composition course with the required grade of C or higher must retake the
course.
Guidelines for Required for Non-Degree Learning Support Courses
● A campus may choose to require or recommend non-degree reading
coursework, learning skills classes, and composition tutorials as a condition of
admission for first semester students, readmission for suspended students,
continued enrollment for students who appeal suspension, and as part of a
program for students on probation.
● Required reading, learning skills, and tutorial coursework for first-semester
students should be based on multiple measures and not on the Wisconsin
Placement Test as a standalone placement measure.
● Campuses with programs that offer a set of recommended or required courses
for developmental writing students should base placement in those programs on
multiple indicators of a student’s readiness for college coursework.
● Campuses should avoid automatically placing all English 098 or LEA 106
students into required reading classes or other learning support courses,
especially when placement is based entirely on the Wisconsin Placement Test.
Although most students in developmental writing courses benefit from taking
reading classes, some students who need support with academic reading are
proficient and sometimes even advanced college readers.
● Whenever possible, campuses should also make reading courses and tutorials
available to students who are placed into credit-bearing English but need support
with reading and/or writing process work. Similarly, developmental courses
should be open to continuing students benefit from additional reading instruction
or other academic learning support.
● For significantly at-risk students, campus placement teams may make a
recommendation that a student take a full year of developmental reading or
English language learning coursework.
Nontraditional Students with Previous College Writing Coursework
When a student who has previously received credit for a college writing class returns to
school after a long absence, the English Department recommends giving the student
the option to have her or his placement reviewed to determine the most appropriate
writing course for the student’s learning needs.
Process for Reviewing and Appealing
Composition and Learning Support Placement
Process for Requesting a Placement Review
Appeals for an initial placement into a composition or learning resources course must
go through the campus English Department. Campus administrators and staff do not
have the authority to change a student’s placement. Changes to a student’s placement
should always be based on an assessment of multiple pieces of evidence and should
include a writing sample.
On campuses that do not have a multiple measures placement process, a student,
advisor, or instructor may request a review of the student’s first semester composition
and/or learning support course placement by making a formal request in writing to the
campus English Department Associate Chair through e-mail or a letter that specifically
states the reason(s) for the request, along with relevant written documentation to
support a potential change in placement. UW Colleges instructors and staff should
initiate a placement review process only when there is sufficient documented evidence
to suggest that a student has not been placed in an appropriate writing course.
On campuses that have a multiple measures placement process, the campus English
Department Associate Chair or designated placement coordinator determines the local
process(s) that students and advisors use for initiating a request for a review of a
student’s composition and learning support course placement. Options for initiating a
placement review include:
● a formal written request from a student
● a placement review from members of the placement team during
registration
● an arranged meeting or phone conference with the placement team
● another type of campus placement review process that takes place
through collaboration between the English Department placement team
and campus Student Services.
English Department Associate Chairs, campus placement team coordinators, or another
designated member of the English Department should work with Student Services to
develop an effective campus placement reconsideration process.
Placement Review Teams
Placement review teams should consist of two or more English Department members
who have experience and training in multiple measures placement.
1 On campuses that have a multiple measures placement process, the campus
placement team conducts a second assessment of the student’s placement in
consultation with the campus English Department Associate Chair.
2 On campuses that do not have a multiple measures placement process,
designated members of the UWC Composition Committee who have training and
experience in placement assessment should review the student’s initial
placement assessment records and evaluate any new supporting documentation
in consultation with the campus English Department Associate Chair.
3 When a placement appeal requires a review of transfer credit, the UW Colleges
English Department Chair must evaluate supporting documentation (for example,
a course description, syllabus, and select assignments) to determine transfer
equivalency courses; the Department Chair usually with the Composition
Committee for transfer decisions related to writing courses.
Deadline for Appealing Requesting a Placement Review
Placement appeals must take place before the 10th day of class during a student’s first
semester at a UW Colleges campus or in the online program. However, the English
Department strongly recommends that placement appeals take place before the first
day of a student’s first semester. Students who leave the UW Colleges without taking a
composition course may also request a placement review before the first day of class
during the semester when they return to the Colleges, especially if they have transfer
credit that requires a departmental review.