The Writing Proficiency
Requirement
To graduate from
Millsaps College, all students must complete the Writing Proficiency
Requirement. In other words, before you can receive your diploma, the Writing Proficiency Requirement must be completed.
The Writing Proficiency
Requirement consists of two parts:
1. Completing the Writing
Portfolio by submitting 6 papers by the end of your second year; and
2. Receiving a rating of Proficient
from the Writing Program. (See "Evaluation
Form")
Part 1: Four Steps to
Completing Your Writing Portfolio:
Year 1, First semester:
- Complete and pass the required Core 1: Introduction to Thinking and Writing (IDST 1000/1050), AND submit clean copies of papers 1-3 to your instructor.
The instructor will then assess (See "Evaluation
Form") and submit them to the Writing Program Office to begin
your Writing Portfolio.
- If you do
not pass Core 1, you will be required to repeat the course the next
time it is offered (See "Further Guidelines
and Procedures").
- If you complete
Core 1 but your writing has been assessed "below proficient," you
may be recommended to complete an additional writing course, WritProg 1000: Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric (See "Further Guidelines
and Procedures").
- If you complete
Core 1 but your writing has been assessed "well below proficient,"
you will be required to complete WritProg 1000: Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric (See "Further Guidelines
and Procedures").
Year 1, Second Semester:
- First-year
students required to take Core 3 or Heritage must submit
a clean copy of a 4th paper to your instructor,
who will then assess (See Core3/Heritage
evaluation form) and submit it to your portfolio in the Writing
Program Office;
- Any student
NOT required to take Core 3 or Heritage must submit
a 4th paper with a completed cover
sheet to the Writing Program Office in John Stone Hall (See
below or click here for more information).
Year 2, Semesters
3 and/or 4:
All students must submit papers
5 and 6 with completed cover sheets to the Writing
Program Office in John Stone Hall.
- One paper
must have been written in Core 6-9 or any appropriate course in
the Science Division or Else School of Management.
- The remaining
paper may come from any other course taken at Millsaps College.
NOTE: When
you have submitted the required 6 papers, Part 1 of your Writing Proficiency Requirement (completion of your Writing Portfolio), is satisfied. However, to fulfill Part 2 of the Writing Proficiency Requirement, your portfolio must also be assessed as proficient.
Part 2: Portfolio
Assessment
- Proficient: If your Writing Portfolio is assessed "Proficient," you
will be notified through email, and your portfolio will be returned
to you in Senior Seminar. (See Evaluation Form and Assessment Procedure below.)
- Below Proficient: If your Writing Portfolio has been assessed "Below Proficient,"
you will be notified through email and given instructions on how
to proceed. (See Evaluation Form and Assessment Procedure below.)
NOTE: If
you fail to complete this process as outlined, your pre-registration
and/or registration process may be blocked. For further Explanation
of Guidelines and Procedures, see below.
(See "Evaluation
Form"): Also see "Assessment Procedure"
below.
Explanation of
Guidelines and Procedures:
Year 1, First Semester:
During your first semester at Millsaps, you will attend the required Core 1 course - either IDST 1000 (for first-year students), or IDST 1050 (for non-traditional
and transfer students). In Core 1, you will write
at least 3 papers. Your Core 1 professor will ask you to submit clean
copies of these 3 papers at the end of the semester. Your Core 1
professor will then assess (See Core 1 Evaluation Form) your writing on a scale ranging from "Well
below" to "Well above Proficient" and submit your folder (provided
by the Writing Program), containing the 3 papers and completed evaluation form, to the Writing Program Office in John Stone Hall.
Note: A copy of the assessment is also sent to your advisor, whom you may ask for insight into your initial writing proficiency status.
If your Core 1 professor
has serious concerns about your writing proficiency status at this point,
you may either be recommended or required to take an additional writing course, WritProg 1000: Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric (See "Further
Guidelines and Procedures"). Note: If you have not been recommended or required to take WritProg 1000 but want to
continue working on your writing, you can choose to take WritProg 1000. In addition, at any point in your writing process - while taking any course or writing for any purpose, including personal statements for graduate school - , individual tutoring sessions are available
in the Writing Center.
Year 1,
Second Semester:
Students required
to take Core 3 or Heritage: During your second semester at Millsaps,
you will enroll in either a Core 3 Topics course or the second semester
of Heritage. In each course, your professor will designate a paper
as the one to be assessed for the portfolio. Your professor will then
assess (See Core3/Heritage evaluation form)
this paper, consulting your Core 1 assessment in order to see if your writing
continues to improve. Both this paper and its assessment will then be
added to your portfolio on file in the Writing Program Office.
Students
NOT required to take Core 3 or Heritage: Students from IDST 1000 (for first-year students) or IDST 1050 (for transfer students) who have completed their Core requirements elsewhere must submit
3 papers written at Millsaps to their Writing Portfolios, in consultation
with the Director of the Writing Program. The 3 papers may come from any courses taken at Millsaps, including a Core 6-9
or any appropriate course from the Science Division or the Else
School of Management. These 3 papers, in addition to the 3 submitted from IDST 1000 or IDST 1050, will complete your portfolio. However, to fulfill the Writing Proficiency Requirement, your portfolio must also be assessed Proficient.
Year 2,
Semesters Three
and Four:
You will need to
submit two papers. At least one of those papers
must come from a course in Core 6-9 or any appropriate course from the
Science Division or the Else School of Management. The other paper may
come from any course taken at Millsaps College. These 2 papers, in addition to the 3 from Core 1 and Core 3 or Heritage, will complete your portfolio. However, to fulfill the Writing Proficiency Requirement, your portfolio must also be assessed Proficient.
Procedure
for Submitting Papers:
1. Select the paper[s] that you would like to submit to your writing portfolio.
2. Print out a cover sheet for each paper, or pick them in the foyer of John Stone Hall.
3. Complete your portion of the cover sheet.
4. Ask your professor to sign the cover sheet and to include any additional information.
5. Submit your paper with the cover sheet to the Writing Program Office, JSH.
NOTE: The responsibility
for submitting the required papers to your portfolio is yours. If your
portfolio has not been completed by your 5th semester, your
pre-registration or registration may be blocked. In addition, if your
Writing Proficiency Requirement has not been met by your senior year,
you may not be permitted to take Senior Seminar, and ultimately, you
may not be allowed to graduate.
Assessment
Procedure (See "Evaluation Form"):
Once your writing portfolio is complete (contains the 6 required papers), it will be assessed by the Assistant Writing Program Director.
- If your portfolio is found to be "Proficient," you will be notified by email that you have completed the Writing Proficiency Requirement. The Office of Records will also be notified.
- If your portfolio is assessed “Below Proficient,” you will be offered a choice: you may either submit an additional paper, one you think better represents your writing abilities (which will require a completed coversheet), OR you may make an appointment to review your portfolio with the Assistant Writing Program Director.
- Second Assessment: If your portfolio is reassessed “Below Proficient,” you will be required to make an appointment to review your portfolio with the Assistant Writing Program Director to discuss areas that require focused attention and strategies for improving your writing, and you will again be offered a choice: either to submit another paper, one you think offers evidence of writing proficiency, OR to revise a paper already in your portfolio.
- Third Assessment: If your portfolio is again assessed “Below Proficient,” it will be forwarded either to the Writing Program Director or to the Director of the Core Curriculum, who will assess your portfolio and instruct you on how to proceed.
NOTE: If your Writing
Proficiency Requirement has not been met by your senior year, you may
not be permitted to take Senior Seminar, and ultimately, you may not
be allowed to graduate.
Writing
Portfolio Coversheet
Microsoft Word format | Wordperfect
format | Adobe Acrobat
