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1 DMACC URBAN SYMPOSIUM Topic: English 105 Assessment Project (part 1) Date: September 20, 2013 Notes: The DMACC English department recently began an assessment project for English 105 (Composition I); as a department, we decided to review our students on competency 2 (“Practice reading as an active part of the writing process”), specifically, sub-competency 2.6: “Analyze the content, expression, and context of the writing.” We have expanded the sub-competency to include analysis of any text (such as a literary work, a film, an advertisement, an essay, research sources, etc.) to make it easier for instructors to use any existing assignment for this project. The English 105 assessment project will work as follows: All full-time faculty who teach English 105 are participating in the pilot assessment project this semester All adjunct DMACC faculty who teach English 105 will need to incorporate an assignment that meets the assessment criteria beginning with their Spring 2014 classes All concurrent enrollment faculty who teach English 105 will need to incorporate an appropriate analysis assignment into their classes beginning in the Fall 2014 semester Acceptable assignments will meet the following criteria: Must require analysis Must be 2-4 pages long Must be written outside of class Must be assigned and collected toward the end of the semester At the end of each semester, the department will collect a random, statistically relevant sample of these analysis papers, which will then be scored by a group of faculty in order to determine how well our students are mastering sub- competency 2.6. All identifying information (student name, instructor name, etc.) will be removed from the papers before they are submitted to the department; this assessment project is not intended to evaluate individual instructors but rather to give us a sense of how well our students are understanding and using analysis in their writing. For more information on the English 105 assessment project, please see pp. 13-15 of this document. The remainder of this handout presents seven different analysis assignments that would fulfill the requirements for this project.

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DMACC URBAN SYMPOSIUM

Topic: English 105 Assessment Project (part 1)

Date: September 20, 2013

Notes:

The DMACC English department recently began an assessment project for English 105 (Composition I); as a department, we decided to review our students on competency 2 (“Practice reading as an active part of the writing process”), specifically, sub-competency 2.6: “Analyze the content, expression, and context of the writing.” We have expanded the sub-competency to include analysis of any text (such as a literary work, a film, an advertisement, an essay, research sources, etc.) to make it easier for instructors to use any existing assignment for this project. The English 105 assessment project will work as follows:

All full-time faculty who teach English 105 are participating in the pilot assessment project this semester

All adjunct DMACC faculty who teach English 105 will need to incorporate an assignment that meets the assessment criteria beginning with their Spring 2014 classes

All concurrent enrollment faculty who teach English 105 will need to incorporate an appropriate analysis assignment into their classes beginning in the Fall 2014 semester

Acceptable assignments will meet the following criteria:

Must require analysis

Must be 2-4 pages long

Must be written outside of class

Must be assigned and collected toward the end of the semester

At the end of each semester, the department will collect a random, statistically relevant sample of these analysis papers, which will then be scored by a group of faculty in order to determine how well our students are mastering sub-competency 2.6. All identifying information (student name, instructor name, etc.) will be removed from the papers before they are submitted to the department; this assessment project is not intended to evaluate individual instructors but rather to give us a sense of how well our students are understanding and using analysis in their writing.

For more information on the English 105 assessment project, please see pp. 13-15 of this document.

The remainder of this handout presents seven different analysis assignments that would fulfill the requirements for this project.

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Documents attached: Pages ___________________

Literary Analysis Essay 3

by Matt Alberhasky

Module Four: Reading and Responding 4-6 by Shannon McGregor

Sources Analysis Project 7-8

by Bret Ross Assessment Sample 1 9 Assessment Sample 2 10 Assessment Sample 3 11 Unit 2: Synthesis essay 12 by Nicole Vogler

Tentative schedule for English 105 assessment project 13-14

Tentative scoring rubric for English 105 analysis papers 15

3

Literary Analysis Essay Matt Alberhasky

Write a 2-3 page literary analysis (double-spaced, 12 point font) on 1 of the short stories from our textbook. You will

need to develop a clear, arguable, and appropriately qualified thesis that focuses on the main theme of the story. You

will need to support your thesis and interpretation of the story with specific examples from text. No outside sources are

required. Use proper MLA citation for your examples from the text in your essay, and clearly state in your introduction

which story you are analyzing.

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Module Four: Reading and Responding Shannon McGregor

In college and work, students and employees have frequent assignments where they must read, evaluate, and respond, producing a report or paper or a presentation to offer a group of students, instructors, coworkers, or supervisors. When that happens, paying attention to details and reporting fairly and responsibly is crucial and may cost students grades or workers promotions and confidence in future projects. This assignment requests specific information for parts of the paper as well as a response to a focused concept. To begin the paper, each student must skim/read the following selections and choose one work to write a response:

1. Dick Gregory’s “Shame” (288-92) 2. Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” (see poem below) 3. Langston Hughes’ “Salvation” (228-30) 4. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Three Ways of Meeting Oppression” (465-8)

After choosing one work (see book and pages in the Works Cited at the end of this page), each student will identify an idea to respond, which will become the focal point of the paper.

1. For example, if one major issue exists in the work that revolves around money for the homeless, then the paper will focus on the one issue regarding money for the homeless relating to how the author offers that point. If two or three points address issues about money for the homeless, then a student could show how those two or three issues are flawed, but the student should not address a new topic in the argument.

2. Another example would be more of a literary analysis response, meaning that a student could study how a character reveals different levels of love throughout a work or study a symbol throughout the work.

The final paper will be a response to the work—not a summary of the work or retelling of the work, as anyone can read the work itself. It will analyze the ideas represented or flaws in the work, offering examples and description to help other readers see that concept.

1. The final paper must reach four pages in length and must include a Works Cited page with the work included on page five or beyond. The structure of this paper will be:

a. Introduction b. Summary of the work c. Three paragraphs that examine the idea/issue d. Conclusion e. Works Cited (on a separate page—listing the work studied)

2. Only the work named in the paper can be used for research. A student may not locate or use any other sources outside of that work and his or her singular brain. Therefore, the only resource allowed in the paper is the citation for the work itself (e.g., Hughes, Langston…).

3. Students must cite the author and the name of the work in the thesis or elsewhere introduction and conclusion.

4. One quote per page may be offered, so students may use up to four direct quotes from the work being studied in the paper, and each quote must use fewer than two typed lines of material to help argue points. Material beyond that must be paraphrased into the students’ words solely.

5. Both the direct quotations and paraphrases must cited parenthetically at the end of the quote, paraphrase, or sentence. Below are samples of how the in-text citations should appear with the quotes or paraphrases:

a. The speaker in the poem reveals the strained relationship when he was a young boy between himself and his father when he states, “Speaking indifferently to him, / who had driven out the cold” (Hayden lines 10-11) but through the memories of an older man.

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b. The idea of using violence to end oppression is long challenged by the non-violent movement that Gandhi and King followed: “Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral” (King 466).

Students must use the Works Cited entries below so that they do not have to worry about whether the entry is correct or not. They may copy and paste the entry for the reading used into the Works Cited page, using the MLA tutorial to create the hanging indents and double spacing on the Works Cited page.

Assignments

2/25-2/27, Reading Selections: Read the selections above and select one work to which you will respond. On the second

day, we will discuss these works, so bring your annotations and review “Chapter 2: From Reading to Writing” (43-77).

“Those Winter Sundays”

By Robert Hayden (1913–1980)

Sundays too my father got up early

and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,

then with cracked hands that ached

from labor in the weekday weather made

banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. 5

I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.

When the rooms were warm, he’d call,

and slowly I would rise and dress,

fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him, 10

who had driven out the cold

and polished my good shoes as well.

What did I know, what did I know

of love’s austere and lonely offices?

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3/1-3/4, Online Video: In the Module Four folder, students will use the “Paraphrasing Exercise” and will read the “Learn

to Summarize, Paraphrase, and Quote from Your Sources” (241-5) and “57 Citing Sources; Avoiding Plagiarism (Hacker

and Sommers 464-8). For Monday’s class, students will record two direct quotes from the work they will study, type

them into the “Paraphrase This” worksheet, paraphrase, and cite them. Students will upload and print the

paraphrasing they completed. In class, we will peer review those paraphrases to check for plagiarism.

3/4-3/8, Outline Due:A formal outline with complete sentences at the I., A., and 1., levels or a draft of the paper must

be prepared. In the page after the end of the outline or draft, students must insert a page break and offer a Works Cited

page. Students will peer review the outline on day two and must keep the peer review sheet and peer-reviewed outline to

receive peer review points. In the outline, students must use the two quotes or paraphrases from the “Paraphrase This”

worksheet and two more quotes or paraphrases to help develop main ideas, citing the quote or paraphrase in the paper

and in the Works Cited page. Quotes and paraphrases should not appear as the topic sentences: Students must use them

as support or illustration but not main points for the paragraph.

3/11-3/13, Rough Draft Due: The first rough draft must reach three or more pages and must include the Works Cited

page, using the "Essay Cover Sheet" and the "Formal Spell Check..." guidelines to help review the paper before class. The

draft must be completed and printed before class to peer review the paper. The second must reach four pages plus

Works Cited on page five or six. Students will peer review these items and must keep the peer review sheets and peer-

reviewed papers to receive peer review points.

3/15, Final Paper Due: The final draft must at least reach the bottom of page four or continue onto page five with the Works Cited page appearing on the page after the paper ends. If the content of the paper reaches page six, then the paper should be narrowed and refocused. Students must adhere to items on the "Essay Cover Sheet" and turn in the initialed sheet with the final paper.

Works Cited

Gregory, Dick. “Shame.” Models for Writers: Short Essays for Composition. Ed. Alfred Rosa and Paul Eschholz. Boston:

Bedford St. Martin’s, 2012. 288-92. Print.

Hayden, Robert. “Those Winter Sundays.” Poetry Foundation. 2013. Web. 21 February

2013.<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/learning/guide/177415#poem>.

Hughes, Langston. “Salvation.” Models for Writers: Short Essays for Composition. Ed. Alfred Rosa and Paul Eschholz.

Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2012. 228-30. Print.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. “The Ways of Meeting Oppression.” Models for Writers: Short Essays for Composition. Ed. Alfred

Rosa and Paul Eschholz. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2012. 465-8. Print.

7

Sources Analysis Project Bret Ross

This time around you won’t be writing a formal “essay,” instead, you will be gathering and analyzing possible sources

which could be used in an essay, and writing a report in which you summarize each source, evaluate each source, and

reflect on the research process as a whole. Let’s get started!

To prepare for this writing project, imagine that you have been assigned to find credible library sources, using the

DMACC Online Library databases, to write an informative paper on a subject relevant to the reading you’ve done this

semester in The Element.

The writing assignment:

For this assignment, you will 1) use the DMACC Online Libraries website 2) choose and evaluate two sources found

through the DMACC Online Libraries databases (as well as another online source of your choice), 3) prepare a citation

and justification for each of those choices, and 3) reflect on the decisions behind your choices and the process used to

complete the assignment. Doing this will allow you to complete work relevant to the ENG 105 course goals (see course

syllabus), and you’ll gain confidence in your ability to use the DMACC library online resources and Noodle Tools, which

will definitely come in handy throughout your academic career.

STEP ONE: If you haven’t done so already, immediately activate your DMACC OneCard for use as a DMACC library card

(doing this allows you to access the DMACC Libraries Online resources from any computer with internet access). You

must complete this step to successfully complete this assignment. To activate your card, follow the directions found at

this link: http://go.dmacc.edu/library/Pages/createupdateaccount.aspx.

STEP TWO: Read—with care—the information found in “Evaluating information Sources: Quality Counts!” which is

attached as a .pdf file with this assignment posting. You’ll want to print a hard copy of this information. You will use

the information found in this document, as well as information from found on pages 613-614 and page 619 in Writing: A

Guide, to complete this assignment.

STEP THREE: Choose three sources which could be used for an informative essay written about a topic of interest to you

that is relevant to the reading you’ve been doing in The Element. The particular topic choice is up to you, as long as it

clearly relates to some aspect of The Element (your “element,” a subject relevant to creativity, imagination and/or

critical thinking, an issue relevant to education, etc.) You must follow these rules when making your selection:

2 sources must be a FULL-TEXT magazine or journal article found by using a DMACC Libraries Online database

(accessed at http://go.dmacc.edu/library/Pages/col1findjournalarticles.aspx). For additional information on

how to use a library database, please read Chapter 19: Finding Sources in Databases (606-609) in Writing: A

Guide. NOTE: It is not acceptable to use a magazine or journal article found through means other than a DMACC

Libraries Online database. My goal here is that you learn to use the online DMACC resources available to all

DMACC students in all DMACC classes. Also, the article you find must be available in full-text (as a complete

article), NOT simply as an abstract (a summary of an article).

1 source must be another credible source found online, from a trustworthy source of your choice. You could

use something from an Internet website or another source available in the DMACC Libraries Online holdings.

For helpful information on how to find reliable sources on the web, please read Chapter 20: Finding Sources on

the Web (pages 610-615) in Writing: A Guide. NOTE: No matter which type of source you choose, this source

should be designed for an informative purpose, NOT a commercial one (such as a website selling a product).

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STEP FOUR: Once you’ve found three sources which meet these guidelines, you will need to analyze each source to

discover if it would work as source if you were writing an informative essay about a topic relevant to The Element.

Based on the information found in the “Evaluating Information Sources: Quality Counts!” file and the reading you have

completed in Writing: A Guide, why would you choose these sources? Take notes as you review your selections on

their potential strengths and weaknesses. During your analysis, evaluate each using criteria you’ve discovered from

your reading, such as authority, accuracy, fairness, scope, date (a.k.a. currency), etc.

STEP FIVE: Write a report which includes the following information about each source you have selected: 1) a citation

for each source formatted correctly according to MLA style; 2) a brief summary of each source ( 1 – 2 paragraphs or

less) written in your own words; 3) a rationale for each selection in which you discuss why, based on your careful

analysis, this particular source would be a particularly good choice to use in an informative essay. Again, make sure that

everything, other than the citation, is written in your own words in order to avoid plagiarism.

Here are the elements to include for each source

MLA citation of the source (use Noodle Tools and/or chapter 24 in Writing: A Guide and/or the citation

guides available at the DMACC Libraries Online website to help with this)

Brief summary of the source (written completely in your own words)

Rationale for your selection of this particular source (written completely in your own words)

In addition—and this part is important—once you have made your source selections, cited each, summarized each, and

explained your reasoning for the selection of each, you should reflect on the process of completing this assignment

(make your reflection a separate part of the discussion). Stumped for ideas to discuss? Think about what research tasks

were familiar to you, what were new; what things you think will help you in future academic assignments (or won’t) and

why; what you learned from this assignment (or didn’t); how this assignment helped you meet the course goals listed in

the syllabus (or didn’t); and anything else you think would be relevant to the discussion.

The audience for this assignment is me, your instructor. I am interested in what you have discovered while completing

this assignment and the credibility of your selections, as well as the process you went through to find credible sources.

(And with any audience, even your instructor, it’s probably a good idea to review the information found on pages 68-69

of Writing: A Guide.)

Let’s talk about format.

Since this assignment isn’t an “essay,” the way the final paper “looks” will probably be slightly different from other

writing assignments completed for this class. Here’s how to format your response to this assignment. PLEASE NOTE:

The example below appears as a one-page document; however, your actual report is likely to several pages in length.

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Final Exam for ENG 105 Assessment Sample 1 Using David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech (198-209) and a second essay from chapter 14 in They Say/I Say, explain how each works to communicate its message. In addition, you will discuss which text communicates best with its intended audience. To get started, reread the texts and work through the attached handout. Then consider your position on the effectiveness of the texts. Take time to freewrite your thoughts. Which essay was more appealing to you? Are you a part of the intended audience? Make sure to read the introductions for each text that They Say/I Say’s editors have provided. Your introduction should identify the larger conversation and provide signal phrases to introduce each text. In addition, your introduction should include an analytical thesis statement. Your analytical thesis will state which text is most successful in communicating with the intended audience and your reasons. For example: Bob Herbert’s article, “Hiding from Reality,” may prove to be a downer for Americans in denial; however, Cal Thomas, in “Is the American Dream Over?”, captures his readers’ attention and reaffirms their conservative values, resulting in a more effective essay. Note that in this example, it is clear which article is argued to be the most effective based on two reasons – capturing the readers’ attention and reaffirming the readers’ values. Once you have written an analytical thesis, consider ways to organize your analysis. I suggest limiting your points in the essay. It’s best to limit your points and be specific, than to offer too many vague points. Choose points that help to explain how the text is written. Use the text to provide you with evidence and support. For example, you may choose to discuss how Wallace uses anecdotes throughout his speech to illustrate abstract concepts. Your essay should, then, refer to the anecdote, summarize it, include a quotation from it, explain how it works in the essay, and discuss whether or not it was effective for his intended audience. For suggested organizational methods and for an example essay, see page forty-one in The Little Seagull Handbook. When drafting, be sure to provide adequate context, by using the sandwich method (Graff 42-48). Do not expect the reader to make the connections; you have to do the work for them. Not only do quotations, summaries, and paraphrases need to be framed (put in context), they also need to be properly cited within and without the essay (use MLA guidelines). Write section by section and use your outline to guide you and keep you focused on the purpose of the assignment.

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ENG 105 Final Exam Assessment Sample 2

Compare the context, the content, and the expression in the Pink Floyd video “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2” with

Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall.” Discuss how the content of one or both contributes to your definition of

community.

The Boone Campus English Department is currently assessing critical reading skills. This assessment will not affect your

grade in any way. The exam, however, counts for 10% of your semester grade.

To ensure privacy, please print two copies of your exam. For one, put the traditional header in the upper left corner.

This will be my copy. For the second, delete the header.

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English 105, Paper #6 Assessment Sample 3

For this last graded paper, write an evaluative comparison of “Mind Over Mass Media” (640-42) and “I Tweet, Therefore

I Am” (644-46) to determine which article is the better written one. Notice that you do not have to determine which is

the better argument—that you may save for an English 106 paper. For this exercise, you need only compare the two

articles on their use of the writing strategies we’ve discussed in English 105, namely

Narrative Strategies: sensory details, dialogue, anecdotes, etc.

Explanation Strategies: definitions, examples, analogies, comparisons, etc.

Style: tone, figurative or technical language, etc.

Organization: balance, paragraphing, transitions/coherence, etc.

One other key consideration in your judgment should be the writer’s audience for both articles: Is each author writing

to essentially the same group of people or do you think the audience for each article differs?

You may use any reasonable criteria (e.g., see writing strategies listed above) to help you determine which article is the

better written one, limiting your criteria to 2-4 of these writing standards. Then once you’ve determined the criteria,

write a comparative evaluation of both papers, using a whole-to-whole or part-to-part organizing strategy.

I will evaluate your final paper on these key criteria:

1. Is the paper well-focused and your reasons for a judgment made clear to readers?

2. Have you cited evidence from the articles to adequately support your evaluative points?

3. Is the material organized effectively for your comparison?

4. Are paragraphs unified and coherent?

5. Is the expression clear and error free?

Finally, since you will have plenty of time to complete this final assignment, be sure to proofread and edit carefully.

Important Notes: In order to continue my research project involving English 105, please print off two copies for

submission. One copy, the one I’ll grade, should have your name and date at the top of the paper. The second copy will

be seen by other instructors, so it should be anonymous—please leave only the date on this copy.

Finally, please submit both copies after completing your in-class work on them.

12

Unit 2: Synthesis Essay Nicole Vogler

Having discussed the basic elements of writing a well-structured paper in Unit 1, you will now apply the principles of

good organization, expression, and content to a different type of paper—the synthesis essay. Unit 2 serves as the

transition from narrative writing (Unit 1) to research-based argumentation (Unit 3). Therefore, in this unit you will

practice using quotations and paraphrases from various essays, summarizing texts succinctly, and weaving together

information from several sources to defend a thesis statement of your own. There are many types of synthesis, but you

will be writing a comparison-contrast paper, which requires you to note the similarities and differences in the ways that

the authors approach a shared topic.

In your 3-page paper, compare and contrast essays from one of the categories below:

1. FAMILY or FRIENDS: Read “Irreconcilable Dissonance” (308), “Childhood” (222), “The Story of an Hour” (395),

“The Company Man” (451), “What Are Friends For?” (470), “White Lies” (381), “Momma, the Dentist, and Me”

(386), and “And the Orchestra Played On” (407). Choose three essays from this list and explore the similarities

and differences in how these authors depict family relationships or friendships. You may want to narrow down

your focus to one aspect of family life: marriage, childhood, parenthood, etc.

2. SELF: Read “Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Heel” (154), “White Lies” (381), “Salvation” (228), “Shame”

(288), “Yarn” (412), “What’s in a Name?” (376). Choose three of the essays from this list and explain how the

authors’ view of self/identity compare and contrast with each other.

3. THE AMERICAN DREAM: Read “Childhood” (222), “Buying a House” (137), “I Have a Dream” (553), “The

Declaration of Independence” (547), “Who Says a Woman Can’t Be Einstein?” (505), and “Two Ways to Belong in

America” (493). Choose three of these essays. How do the authors identify and describe the American dream?

Do these visions conflict or agree with each other?

In order to write this paper, you should carefully read and annotate the chosen essays. Earlier in the unit, you will have

an in-class summary assignment that is worth 100 points. It is worth your while to study the readings closely until you

feel that you have a solid grasp of the essays’ content and can summarize accurately the main points of each essay.

However, in your synthesis paper, you should focus on comparing, contrasting, and synthesizing the essays; any

summary should be limited and should serve merely to introduce the essays’ content and context. You may assume that

your reader is already familiar with the essays.

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English 105 Assessment—Tentative Schedule for Phase One

1. Data Generation—Fall Semester 2013

For the purposes of this assessment, only full-time faculty teaching English 105 need to assign an English 105 paper

during the fall semester that analyzes some form of professional or non-professional writing. The subject of the

students’ analysis may arise from most any text: literature, scripted movies or speeches, personal narratives or other

expository essays, advertising—anything you feature in English 105 should work as the basis for the student analysis.

Designing the Assessment Assignment

First, know that this is a student assessment; it is neither an assessment of any instructor’s course or her/his approach to

teaching. Second, we assume that most instructors have probably already developed exercises and assignments that

will work for this assessment. If, however, an instructor needs to adjust an extant analytical assignment or create a new

one, please also know that the instructor will have plenty of latitude in designing/re-designing it. In fact, we encourage

all instructors to experiment with different assignment ideas that focus students’ efforts on analysis of text. We also

encourage instructors to focus assignments on those aspects of communication that are important to their individual

courses: Which expository, persuasive, or contextual elements about reading and/or writing do you want your students

to remember after completing English 105? Answering questions like this one should help guide the creation of

assignments that will generate good student material for this assessment. (Note: More help for designing this

assignment may be found in English 105 textbooks which often feature analytical questions after readings or at the end

of chapters.)

For the purposes of our assessment, however, certain constraints should be applied to this assignment:

1. The students’ papers should be 2-4 pages long (double-spaced).

2. The analytical paper should be an out-of-class assignment.

3. The students’ papers should be due sometime during the last part of the semester. (Use of this

paper as a revision assignment for the “final exam” is acceptable.)

2. Data Collection—End of Fall Semester 2013

The logistics of this assessment have yet to be worked out, but essentially the process should follow the logistics of the

portfolio assessment a few years ago:

1. 105 student papers will be chosen at random for the assessment session.

2. To preserve anonymity, neither the student’s name nor the instructor’s name should appear on the

paper.

3. The papers should be “clean,” devoid of instructor’s comments or marks.

4. Once the instructor gathers these papers (approximately 3-5 per class), they should be delivered to

Bret Ross’ office for coding via campus mail.

14

3. Data Assessment—Beginning of Spring Term 2014

Jim Stick has been presented with three options for the assessment sessions:

Option 1: We could hold assessment sessions on Saturdays as we did for the portfolio assessment sessions a few years

ago. The main advantage here is that we wouldn’t have to rearrange our work weeks. A main disadvantage may be

decreased participation in the assessment process (i.e., difficulty finding qualified readers) because compensation issues

(e.g., gas prices, winter travel, summer vacations, tax rates, etc.) preclude attendance.

Option 2: We could utilize current meeting/conference dates, specifically, President’s Day in February and MESH in June

for assessment sessions. The main advantages here are that the number of qualified readers is virtually guaranteed and

we don’t disrupt our work weeks. Disadvantages may include lack of adequate compensation and other important

sessions or information during President’s Day or MESH may be missed.

Option 3: We could set aside one day during spring semester for an English faculty retreat. The assessment session(s)

could be held in the morning, then related issues (e.g., revising English 105 and English 106 competencies) could be

discussed in the afternoon. Potentially, we could hold two concurrent assessment sessions, covering a whole year of

student assessments in the morning. If not, we may be able to hold the second assessment session during MESH. The

main advantages here are increased unity among faculty and meaningful progress toward solving major departmental

issues. The main disadvantages may include disruption of our work weeks and increased administrative expenses.

Logistics for the Assessment Session

Whichever option is chosen, we will need 15-20 readers (preferably full-timers for phase one) to read approximately 200

student papers twice. Norming of the readers should take approximately 40 minutes to an hour. After norming, twenty

coded folders containing 10 coded student papers and two score sheets (Reader I; Reader II) will be distributed to

twenty readers. For the first reading of the folder, readers will place scores of student work on the Reader I score sheet.

When finished with the folder and Reader I score sheet, the folder and Reader I score sheet will be submitted to the

session coordinator where the reader will pick up an already scored folder (obviously, a brief delay may occur here). In

it, the reader will find 10 papers and only a Reader II score sheet. The reader will then score the 10 student papers in

the folder, placing scores on the Reader II score sheet. When finished, the reader will bring the folder and the Reader II

score sheet to the coordinator, where it will be matched-up with the appropriate folder and Reader I score sheet for

data analysis. Approximate reading time for both folders: 1 hour.

4. Data Analysis—Spring 2014-Spring 2015

The data will be analyzed by the English 105 Assessment Committee to determine 1) how well the assessment rubric

works and what adjustments to it are necessary, 2) patterns in student reading of text, and 3) patterns in student writing

when asked to analyze text. Progress reports will be the responsibility of the Committee Chair and will be presented as

needed. Initial findings will be presented by the 105 Assessment Committee to English faculty on President’s Day

February, 2015.

15

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clea

r

Has

an

an

alyti

cal

thes

is s

tate

men

t

Has

an

an

alyti

cal

thes

is s

tate

men

t; m

ay

also

fore

cast

tech

niq

ues

to

be

exp

lore

d i

n p

aper

Has

an

in

sigh

tful

anal

yti

cal

thes

is

stat

emen

t

No

use

of

anal

yti

cal

term

ino

logy t

o

des

crib

e o

r in

terp

ret

the

text

May

in

clu

de

som

e

anal

yti

cal

term

s, b

ut

term

s ar

e m

isu

sed

to

des

crib

e te

xt

May

un

der

stan

d

anal

yti

cal

term

s, b

ut

do

es n

ot

cite

tex

tual

evid

ence

of

thei

r u

se

Un

der

stan

ds

anal

yti

cal

term

s, b

ut

des

crip

tion

of

text

is

hap

haz

ard

or

wea

k

Un

der

stan

ds

anal

yti

cal

term

s an

d

des

crib

es t

ext

gen

eral

ly w

ell;

adeq

uat

e u

se o

f

textu

al e

vid

ence

Has

co

mm

and

of

anal

yti

cal

lan

gu

age

to

des

crib

e te

xt;

use

s

inte

rest

ing t

extu

al

evid

ence

No

in

terp

reta

tio

n a

nd

do

es n

ot

incl

ud

e an

y

refe

ren

ce t

o a

tex

t at

all

No

in

terp

reta

tio

n:

Mat

eria

l is

do

min

ated

by s

um

mar

y o

f th

e

text

or

per

son

al t

aste

asid

es

Un

clea

r

inte

rpre

tati

on:

may

try t

o a

nal

yze

, b

ut

end

s u

p w

ith b

road

sum

mar

y o

f p

oin

ts o

r

per

son

al t

aste

s

Inte

rpre

tati

on

of

tex

t

is a

pp

aren

t b

ut

no

t

dev

elo

ped

ad

equat

ely

Inte

rpre

tati

on

of

tex

t

is g

ener

ally

th

oro

ugh

,

bu

t m

ay h

ave

iso

late

d

logic

al g

aps

in

dev

elo

pm

ent

Inte

rpre

tati

on

of

tex

t

is t

ho

rou

gh

an

d

con

sist

ent;

may

exce

ed a

ssig

nm

ent

exp

ecta

tio

ns

Ex

hib

its

no

wri

tten

con

sid

erat

ion

of

text’

s au

die

nce

,

pu

rpo

se,

or

conte

xt

Has

lit

tle

con

sid

erat

ion

of

the

text’

s au

die

nce

,

pu

rpo

se,

or

conte

xt

Has

lit

tle

con

sid

erat

ion

of

the

text’

s au

die

nce

,

pu

rpo

se,

or

conte

xt

Ex

hib

its

som

e

con

sid

erat

ion

of

the

text’

s au

die

nce

,

pu

rpo

se,

or

conte

xt

Ad

equ

atel

y c

onsi

der

s

the

text’

s au

die

nce

,

pu

rpo

se,

or

conte

xt

Wea

ves

aud

ien

ce a

nd

con

tex

tual

con

sid

erat

ion

s in

to

anal

ysi

s se

amle

ssly

Mat

eria

l la

cks

suff

icie

nt

dev

elo

pm

ent:

pap

er

app

ears

to

be

short

answ

er e

xer

cise

s, o

r

may b

e o

nly

a

par

agra

ph

or

two

in

len

gth

Mat

eria

l la

cks

focu

s,

org

aniz

atio

n,

and

clea

r ex

pre

ssio

n

Mat

eria

l h

as c

lear

init

ial

focu

s, b

ut

dev

iate

s; l

acks

clea

r

org

aniz

atio

n a

nd

exp

ress

ion

Mat

eria

l is

fo

cuse

d,

bu

t o

ccas

ional

wea

k

exp

ress

ion

and

org

aniz

atio

nal

pro

ble

ms

occ

ur

Mat

eria

l is

wel

l

focu

sed

, org

aniz

ed,

and

ex

pre

ssed

, b

ut

isola

ted

pro

ble

ms

exis

t

Su

per

fici

al e

rrors

may e

xis

t, b

ut

anal

ysi

s sh

ow

s st

ron

g

com

po

siti

on

skil

ls

over

all