PORTFOLIO EXAMINATION FOR ENGL 100, 101, 102
Please follow the directions in the appropriate section below.
* Section One is for incoming first-year undergraduates only.
* Section Two is for incoming transfer students only.
Current UNC rising sophomores, juniors and seniors are not eligible to submit a Portfolio Examination.
1. FIRST-YEAR UNDERGRADUATES ONLY
Most students are placed into or exempt from ENGL 100, 101, 102 based upon standardized test scores. However, in rare circumstances, these scores might not reflect a student’s ability and preparation. Students thus have the option of submitting electronically a “Portfolio Examination” to the Director of Placement within the UNC Writing Program.
This site is provided for students (1) to determine if they should submit a portfolio and (2) to follow instructions for submitting a portfolio, if they elect to do so.
I. Should a Student Submit a Portfolio Examination?
Only first-year undergraduates can submit this Portfolio Examination. Incoming Transfer Students should consult Section 2 on this web page.
Each first-year undergraduate can elect to complete and submit a Portfolio Examination, but, before doing so, the student should carefully consider four issues:
1. ENGL 100, 101, 102 each help prepare students for college writing, speaking, and research. Thus, exempting or placing out of one or more of these courses might seem expedient in the short run but is most likely unhelpful in the long term. All students at all levels benefit from intensive work on their writing, speaking, and research.
2. Standardized test scores are a fairly good indicator of a student's placement in UNC’s writing courses. Only an unusual and obvious discrepancy between a particular student’s test scores and his or her ability and preparation warrant a Portfolio Examination. A student has little to gain “rolling the dice” of the Portfolio Examination, unless a discrepancy is fairly obvious.
3. The Portfolio Examination is a more accurate measure of a student's preparation for UNC's composition classes than any standardized test score. The result of the Portfolio Exam could be a placement below that of a standardized test score. Although UNC honors the highest score if you take more than one placement test in a single subject, we strongly recommend that you take the course into which the Portfolio Exam places you. Your chances of success in UNC's Writing Program will be greatly enhanced if you do.
4. The Portfolio Examination is a rigorous exercise, which cannot be completed successfully in short order. It requires significant thought, effort, and hours of careful preparation. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
II. Instructions for Completing a Portfolio Examination
Submission and Deadlines
Send all questions and materials through email (bhammer@unc.edu) to Dr. Brad Hammer, Director of Placement. MSword format is preferred, and PDF format is acceptable. Deadlines for CTOPS/Orientation evaluation are 48 hours before the student’s CTOPS session begins. The final deadline to submit for evaluation is 11:00 pm Friday, August 21, 2009.
Incomplete portfolios will not be reviewed under any circumstances, and their submission may very well negatively affect a student's placement.
After the placement committee has granted permission to submit a portfolio examination, a student has one week in which to compile all documents and submit them.
Portfolio Examination Instructions
Overview:
Students are responsible for downloading portfolio requirements from the placement website prior to the posted deadlines. Electronic submission allows for evaluation to occur prior to students’ arriving for orientation so that the students can register for the proper courses during CTOPS. All Portfolio Examination is done by a committee of writing faculty and the placement decisions of the committee are final.
The Portfolio Examination focuses on the processes of both composing and reflection. The texts submitted will serve to assess the student’s preparatory knowledge in college-level argumentative discourse. The documents contained in the portfolio will serve as the sole mechanism for evaluation, supplanting the application of all standardized test scores.
Portfolios will be reviewed holistically by a committee of three readers. Each student must self-select participation in the portfolio assessment process with the understanding that his or her placement could rise, fall, or remain the same based on the committee’s evaluation. The portfolio assessment process is offered to help students produce a more nuanced and accurate assessment of their preparation for college-level writing.
Portfolio Examination Submissions Must Include Five Documents:
1. A research-based or argumentative sample of 5+ pages (minimum 1250 words) that the student composed in high school, including a copy or transcript of the original assignment prompt.
2. A critical self-reflection of 2+ pages (minimum 500 words) of the “effective” and “ineffective” elements of the essay in specific terms. Do not simply reference an observation or criticism but rather point to exact moments in your text which illustrate your points. As part of this self-reflection, students must define both the intellectual limitations of the essay as well as the specific methods employed in their writing.
3. The argumentative essay of 5+ pages (minimum 1250 words). In this section of the portfolio, you are asked to make use of what you already know regarding "effective" academic writing by responding to the prompt below. Once you have read the prompt, visit the Carolina Summer Reading Program (http://www.unc.edu/srp/) for more information on the reading required to answer the prompt.
4. A second self-reflection 2+ pages (minimum 500 words) that defines the student’s “methods” and “goals” for writing the argumentative essay.
2009 Argumentative Essay Prompt:
The 2009 Summer Reading Program Book Selection Committee has chosen "A Home on the Field" by Paul Cuadros, for the program. "A Home on the Field", published in 2006, explores issues related to social class and ethnic conflict. In your reading of the text, analyze (do not merely report) the significant social and immigration hurdles that act upon the lives of Latino immigrants coming to North Carolina. Further, in your response, relate your reading of the text to a current (analogous) social issue in your own community and consider how and why "outsiders," while seeking better lives, often encounter significant resistance.
5. Explanation (brief) of what preparation you have to follow proper citation rules and avoid plagiarism.
2. ENTERING TRANSFER STUDENTS ONLY
Entering transfer students have the option of submitting electronically a “Portfolio Examination” to the Director of Placement within the UNC Writing Program.
This site is provided for students to indicate the instructions for submitting a portfolio examination.
Students are responsible for contacting the Director of Placement, Dr. Brad Hammer (bhammer@unc.edu), prior to submitting any placement materials, to obtain consent to submit a Portfolio Examination.
Instructions for Completing a Portfolio Examination:
Send all questions and materials through email (bhammer@unc.edu) to Dr. Brad Hammer, Director of Placement. MSword format is preferred, and PDF format is acceptable. Deadlines for TSOP/Orientation evaluation are 48 hours before the student’s TSOP session begins. The final deadline to submit for evaluation is 11:00 pm Friday, August 21, 2009.
Incomplete portfolios will not be reviewed under any circumstances, and their submission may very well negatively affect a student's placement.
After the placement committee has granted permission to submit a portfolio examination, a student has one week in which to compile all documents and submit them.
All Portfolio Examination is done by a committee of 3 readers of the writing faculty and the placement decisions of the committee are final. The documents contained in the portfolio will serve as the sole mechanism for evaluation, supplanting the application of all standardized test scores.
Submissions Must Include Three Documents:
1. A writing sample from a prior college class. The paper must include the original “professor comments” and grade. Four pages minimum. The paper must be research-based, analytical and/or argumentative with bibliography attached. Include a copy of the original assignment prompt if available.
A critical self-reflection of 2+ pages (minimum 500 words) of the “effective” and “ineffective” elements of the essay in specific terms. Do not simply reference an observation or criticism but rather point to exact moments in your text which illustrate your points. As part of this self-reflection, students must define both the intellectual limitations of the essay as well as the specific methods employed in their writing.
2. Demonstration of 4 previous credit hours in a writing focused course. Along with your college transcript, write a 200-word description of your prior writing intensive courses taken as a college student (no AP/IB credit).
3. Explanation (brief) of what preparation you have to follow proper citation rules and avoid plagiarism
**All submissions due by 11:00 p.m., Friday, August 21, 2009 for consideration for the upcoming academic year.