Composition Forum 16, Fall 2006
http://compositionforum.com/issue/16/

Succinct Assessment Report from “Embracing the Exit”

Joseph Eng

This is a succinct version of the assessment report including the Eastern Washington University English Composition Program goal, its assessment instrument, scores, and recommendations, a supplement to “Embracing the Exit: Assessment, Trust, and the Teaching of Writing.”

Our Major Program Goal:

By the end of E101, students should be able to produce a variety of essays based on effective rhetorical skills, including focus, development and support, organization, and mechanics, through constant practice, revision, and reflection.

I. Assessment Instrument with Scoring Rubric

As a common end-of-term requirement, the Exit Writing Portfolio calls for the following items, which are holistically assessed and trade-read, using the Holistic Scoring Guide:

A reflection essay (the second part of Appendix C)
A major paper chosen and revised by the student (Shared Criteria scored)
An in-class, timed essay on an assigned Program prompt (Shared Criteria scored)

The Program seeks to maintain validity and reliability based on the following:

All sections follow the Exit requirement
Instructors are normed for each of the two holistic readings during the term
All readers follow The Holistic Scoring Guide as the rubric in use (see “Interpretation of Results”)
The Holistic Scoring Guide is based on the Shared Criteria underscoring Focus, Development and Support, Organization, and Mechanics.
All portfolios are trade-read by all instructors. Final Exit Portfolios are trade-read at least twice, with a chief reader (usually the Composition Director or an experienced lecturer) making final decisions on splits.

II. Summary of Scores

Based on a pass rate at 90 % of all submitted finals in the Winter ’03, the most recent run, the majority of enrolled students met the requirements calling for writing abilities and skills achieved through revision, reflection, and practice.

III. Interpretation of Results

Based on the impressive pass rate cited above, the overwhelming majority of our enrolled student writers have achieved either

High Pass: With the Good Exit Portfolio exhibiting most of the following characteristics:

Well organized folder, containing all required items
Almost all papers exhibit very good quality in writing and have received high scores based on the Shared Criteria: Focus, Development/Support, Organization, and Mechanics
The Reflective Essay is thoughtful/somewhat insightful, with few mechanical errors.
The in-class argument is a passing paper.

or, Pass: With The Adequate Exit Portfolio:

Well organized folder, containing all required items.
Most papers are acceptable, but together they represent a mixed bunch based on the Shared Criteria.
The Reflective Essay is basically clear with examples; errors should not block comprehension.
The in-class argument is either marginally passing or failing.

The assessment indicates that 10% of all students completing the course exhibit the following characteristics—

Fail: With an Inadequate Exit Portfolio—

The folder misses one or more content items
Although a single item might be acceptable, the other pieces are inadequate based on the Shared Criteria
The Reflective Essay leaves much to be desired; it lacks focus, examples, and clarity
The in-class argument may be passing or failing

As mentioned above, the Program has instituted the Exit Portfolio as a common requirement. The consistently high pass rates have repeatedly reflected the high commitment and dedication shared among our instructors, who are mostly TAs and lecturers. (Other first-year programs average a much lower pass rate; Math, for instance, has an average pass rate at 50%.) Based on the recent student and instructor surveys (Appendixes D, E), the transition from the previous single-essay exit measure to our currently practiced writing-portfolio measure is also seen as a smooth and positive one.

IV. Recommendations

Information is used in several ways:

Pass rate is published every term to all instructors
Failed students are advised to retake the same course as soon as possible
All instructors are advised to continue reviewing their syllabi in order to build in the Program Goal/Objective, which emphasizes on-going practice, revision, and reflection
In-service seminars on writing pedagogy, scholarship, and strategies continue to be made available for teaching assistants and interested faculty

Since the Exit Portfolio has been adopted as a common, holistic measure for only two years, it is too early for the Program to make concluding comments. The Program made several records, however, during the implementation year:

Student and instructor surveys show extremely positive feedback regarding the exit practice
The Director of Composition presented a paper titled “Assessment Politics: Exit Practices, Assessment Rubrics, and Writing Program Administration” at the Annual Western States Composition Conference in Seattle, WA, in October, 2002
With three lecturers, the Director co-facilitated a refereed half-day workshop at the Conference of College Composition and Communication in NYC in March, 2003. The workshop introduced to 28 college teacher and administrator participants our system of exit assessment and was a huge success. At the same time, we benefited from their feedback including to concerns about potential needs from ESL/FL writing students.

Succinct Assessment Report from “Embracing the Exit” from Composition Forum 16 (Fall 2006)
Online at: http://compositionforum.com/issue/16/embracing-exit-report.php
© Copyright 2006 Joseph Eng.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.

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