WRITING 20 COURSE
COMPETENCIES
& BENCHMARKS
Prof. Cora Agatucci, WR 20 CRN # 40737, Fall 2000
Shortcuts: Instructor's
Benchmark
Tracking Sheets
Student
Self-Assessment Survey
As revised and approved by the Humanities Department Composition Committee, 10 May 1999, nine course Competencies (or student learning Outcomes) have been defined for Writing 20 - Basic Writing I; and the following Benchmarks have been established for Writing 20 courses:
- Benchmarked Competencies are those numbered 1-7 below [i.e. those competencies prioritized as essential in measuring the educational effectiveness of a WR 20 course].
[I have grouped Competencies #1-3 under Paragraph Writing Skills, & Competencies #4-7 under Sentence Editing & Correction Skills]- Benchmarks are program-wide, as well as specific to each section of Writing 20.
- [One means of assessing the educational effectiveness of a Writing 20 course in enabling its students to achieve the targeted course Competencies, is to meet the following standards on designated assignments:]
 | 70% of students will perform
at minimum competency with a score of 75% (C) or better; |
| 30% of students will perform at advanced skill level with a score of 85% (B) or better; |
| 10% percent of students will perform at mastery skill level with a score of 95% (A) or better. |
WRITING 20 COMPETENCIES
#1-7
& BENCHMARK ASSIGNMENTS
[Competencies #1-3: Paragraph Writing Skills]
Competency 1:
Be able to produce stand-alone
paragraphs with a topic sentence and supporting details.
Competency 2: Be able to maintain focus and
coherence for stand-alone paragraphs of at least 200 words.
Competency 3: Be able to distinguish between
general support and specific evidence and to apply the distinction to one’s
writing.
[From Cora Agatucci's WR 20 Syllabus for Fall 2000:] "Writing 20 will introduce effective paragraph and essay writing skills, emphasizing the principles of focus, organization, and development. Textbook assignments offer introductions, examples, techniques, and topic ideas to guide students in developing their own writing. Students will apply what they learn through frequent skill-building exercises and graded writing assignments. Students will also learn to adapt and expand their paragraph skills to in-class timed writing and to composing short essays. To help students become self-reflective writers and independent learners, a series of short informal Writer’s Profiles (WP) will accompany major graded writing assignments. Writers Profile assignments will prompt students to recognize their writing strengths and sentence style, to identify their writing weaknesses, and to develop plans for improving their writing skills. At the end of the quarter, students will prepare a portfolio representing their best work, selected and revised from previous graded writing assignments; with a cover letter explaining their choices, reflecting on their learning experiences, and assessing their performance in meeting Writing 20 course competencies over the term."
Student performance on the following assignments will be instructor-assessed:
 | Paragraph #2 and In-Class Paragraph #3 [at midterm] |
| Portfolio: a.
Cover Letter-Essay (new) and b. two best (revised) writings [at end of term] |
Student
Self-Assessment
ratings of Competencies #1-3
have also been
compiled from Final Writer's Profile [ end of term]
[Competencies #4-7: Sentence Editing & Correction Skills]
Competency 4: Be able to produce paragraphs
containing a variety of sentence lengths and structures, including some complex
sentences.
Competency 5: Be able to edit one’s own
writing to avoid most major sentence errors.
Competency 6: Be able to edit one’s own
writing to avoid capitalization, spelling and confused word errors.
Competency 7: Be able to edit one’s own
writing for generally accurate use of commas, semi-colons, apostrophes, and
pronouns.
[From Cora Agatucci's WR 20 Syllabus for Fall 2000:] "
Textbook assignments will review the fundamentals of sentence structure and style. Exercises, directed class discussion, and quizzes will build students' skills in identifying and correcting common errors in grammar, usage, punctuation, and mechanics. However, emphasis will placed on students' ability to apply what they have learned in their own writing, by editing to improve their sentence style and by correcting sentence errors. Writers Workshops with other students, the instructor's editing comments on student writing assignments, and Writer's Profiles will help Writing 20 students develop these competencies."BENCHMARKS: COMPETENCIES #4-7
Student performance on the following assignments will be instructor-assessed:
| Paragraph #2 (all) and In-Class Paragraph #3 [at midterm] |
| Portfolio: a.
Cover Letter-Essay (new) and b. two best (revised) writings [at end of term] |
Student
Self-Assessment
ratings of Competencies 4-7
have also been
compiled from Final Writer's Profile [ end of term]
S:
This tracking sheet is an adaptation of the one approved for WR 121 by the Composition Committee, to be implemented in Fall 2000. I intend to pilot-test this tracking formula in my WR 20 in Fall 2000, as part of the Humanities Dept's preparation for accreditation. I have designed my Fall 2000 WR 20 Syllabus course description to address identified WR 20 competencies, and have tentatively identified some mid-term and end-of-term assignments to measure specific benchmarks.
Instructor: Cora Agatucci CRN: 40737 Term: Fall Year: 2000
[Paragraph Writing Skills]
| WR 20 Competency | Assignments | Date | Total Students | %A | %B | %C | %NE* D,F,0 |
Benchmark Met? (Y/N) |
| 1: Be able to produce stand-alone paragraphs with a topic sentence and supporting details. |
a Paragraph #2 |
10/16/00 |
18 |
39% |
39% |
5% |
17% 3/18 |
Y: 83%
at |
| b
In-Class Paragraph #3 |
10/27/00 |
17* |
6% |
47% |
23.5% |
23.5% |
76.5% at |
|
| c Portfolio: (new) Cover Letter / Essay |
(Final) 12/7/00 |
18 |
22% |
22 % |
33% |
22% |
78% at |
|
| d Portfolio: two best (revised) writing selections |
28% |
44% |
6% |
22% |
Y: 78% at |
|||
| 2: Be able to maintain focus & coherence for stand-alone paragraphs of at least 200 words. | a Paragraph #2 | 10/16/00 |
18 |
39% 7/18 |
39% 7/18 |
5% 1/18 |
17% |
Y: 83%
at |
| b Portfolio: (new) Cover Letter / Essay |
(Final) 12/7/00 |
18 |
22 % |
22 % |
33% |
22 % |
78% at |
|
| c Portfolio: two best (revised) writing selections |
28% |
44% |
6% |
22% |
Y: 78% at |
|||
| 3: Be able to distinguish between general support and specific evidence & to apply this distinction to one’s writing. | a Paragraph #2 | 10/16/00 |
18 |
78%
at Min. or Above 14/18 |
22% |
78%
at |
||
| b In-Class Paragraph #3 |
10/27/00 |
17* |
6% |
47% |
23.5% |
23.5% |
76.5% at |
|
| c Portfolio: (new) Cover Letter / Essay |
(Final) 12/7/00 |
18 |
22 % 4/18 |
22 % 4/18 |
33 % 6/18 |
22 % 4/18 |
78% at |
|
| d Portfolio: two best (revised) writing selections |
28% 5/18 |
44% 8/18 |
6% 1/18 |
22% 4/18 |
Y: 78% at |
|||
% *NE = % Not Evaluated (Incomplete or Late)
Student
Self-Assessment
ratings of Competencies #1-3
have been
compiled from Final Writer's Profile [ end of term]
[Sentence Editing & Correction Skills]
| WR 20 Competency | Assignments | Date | Total Students | %A | %B | %C | %NE/ D,F,0 |
Benchmark Met? (Y/N) |
|
4: Be able to produce paragraphs containing a variety of sentence lengths and structures, including some complex sentences. |
a Paragraph #2 |
10/16/00 |
18 |
72% at Min. |
28% |
72% at |
||
| b Portfolio: (new) Cover Letter / Essay |
(Final) 12/7/00 |
18 |
22 % |
22 % |
33 % |
22 % |
Y: 78% at |
|
| 5: Be able to edit one’s own
writing to avoid most major sentence errors [esp. fragments, comma splices, & run-on sentences] |
a Paragraph #2 | 10/16/00 |
18 |
28% |
16% |
28% |
28% |
Y: 72% at |
| b In-Class Paragraph #3 |
10/27/00 | 17* |
6% |
47% |
23.5% |
23.5% |
76.5% at |
|
| c
Portfolio: (new) Cover Letter / Essay |
(Final) 12/7/00 |
18 |
22 % |
22 % |
33 % |
22 % |
Y: 78% at |
|
| d Portfolio: two best (revised) writing selections |
(Final) 12/7/00 |
18 |
28% |
44% |
6% |
22% |
Y: 78% at |
|
| 6: Be able to edit one’s own writing to avoid capitalization, spelling and confused word errors. | a Paragraph #2 | 10/16/00 |
18 |
39% at Min. |
61% |
N:39% at |
||
| b Portfolio: (new) Cover Letter / Essay |
(Final) 12/7/00 |
18 |
22 % |
22 % |
33 % |
22 % |
Y: 78% at |
|
| 7: Be able to edit one’s own writing for generally accurate use of commas, semi-colons, apostrophes, & pronouns. | a Paragraph #2 | 10/16/00 |
18 |
28% 5/18 |
16% 3/18 |
28% 5/18 |
28% 5/18 |
Y:72% at |
| b Portfolio: (new) Cover Letter / Essay |
(Final) 12/7/00 |
18 |
22 % 4/18 |
22 % 4/18 |
33 % 6/18 |
22 % 4/18 |
Y: 78% at |
|
| c Portfolio: two best (revised) writing selections |
28% 5/18 |
44% 8/18 |
6% 1/18 |
22% 4/18 |
Y: 78% at |
|||
% *NE = % Not Evaluated (Incomplete or Late)
Self-Assessment ratings of Competencies #4-7As additional skills are covered
sequentially over the term, they were added to evaluation criteria.
Normally I weigh student
performance in all these evaluation criteria to determine the overall assignment
grade. Thus, the overall letter grades
for the targeted assignments are not necessarily good indicators of student
performance in specific competencies. When possible (and in future), in order to track student
achievement of specific competencies, I have or plan to (a) revise my evaluation
criteria categories to isolate specific competencies, and (b) give sub-ratings
(with letter grade equivalencies) in specific competency categories on the
graded assignments targeted to track benchmarks.
NOTE: FOCUS
IS ON BEING ABLE TO perform competencies IN student WRITING (I.E. I DON'T USE QUIZZES AS
BENCHMARK assignments)
WRITING 20 COMPETENCIES
#8-9
Not Targeted to be Benchmarked
While Competencies #8 & #9 have not been targeted to be Benchmarked in 2000-2001, they will be addressed and informally assessed in my WR 20 course during Fall 2000, as described below.
[The Writing Process:]
Understand the principles of the writing process in its basic form: generating ideas, organizing ideas, drafting, revising and editing.
[From Cora Agatucci's WR 20 Syllabus for Fall 2000:] "Textbook and course instruction will emphasize the value of an effective writing process to producing a successful finished composition. Each major writing assignments will be approached as a step-by-step process, from generating and organizing ideas, to drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading. Process-oriented assignments and activities will include "pre-writing" preparation, preliminary drafts and Writers Workshops with other students, revision and editing, instructor feedback, Writers Profiles, and the Portfolio."
| WR 20 Competency | Assignments | Date | Total Students | %A | %B | %C | %D,F, NE* |
Benchmark Met? (Y/N) |
8: Understand the principles of the writing process in its basic form: generating ideas, organizing ideas, drafting, revising & editing |
a Paragraph #2 |
10/16/00 |
18 |
78% at Min. |
22% |
78% at Min. |
||
*NE = % Not Evaluated (Incomplete or Late)
[Writer's Workshops:]
