The Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) must be met by every student at CSULB in accordance with Executive Order 665. If students transfer to CSULB as graduates of another CSU, they have already met the requirement. Otherwise, CSULB undergraduate students must attempt the GWAR by the time they have reached 65 units. Transfer and graduate students must attempt the GWAR in their first semester of enrollment.
The current GWAR Policy at CSULB stipulates general options for meeting the requirement. Specifically, the GWAR at CSULB can be met in the following ways:
| Scoring 11 or above on the CSULB Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE) |
| Scoring 4 or above on the analytical essay of the GRE or GMAT |
| Completing a GWAR-Certified course and earning a passing score on a 4500-word minimum portfolio |
Students who are required to meet the GWAR at CSULB must first attempt the WPE before they can try other options. The WPE is administered by Testing & Evaluation Services in the Division of Student Services.
Tables below contain WPE pass rates for the 2007-2008 academic year, and complete portfolio results from fall 2005 to fall 2008. For more information concerning the GWAR, please visit the GWAR website or contact Dr. Linda Sarbo, CSULB GWAR Coordinator.
| WPE Pass Rates from September 2007-July 2008 | |||
| Cohort |
# Test Takers |
# Pass |
% Pass |
Native English Speakers |
6582 |
6188 |
94.0 |
Non-native English Speakers |
3509 |
2110 |
60.1 |
College |
|||
The Arts |
1114 |
902 |
80.1 |
Business Administration |
1667 |
1268 |
76.1 |
Education |
514 |
464 |
90.3 |
Engineering |
969 |
634 |
65.4 |
Heath & Human Services |
2021 |
1721 |
85.2 |
Liberal Arts |
2345 |
2099 |
89.5 |
Natural Sciences & Mathematics |
752 |
592 |
78.7 |
Note: self reported membership in cohort and college; cases may be missing Total number of students attempting the WPE in 2007-2008 = 10,544 with a pass rate of 81.8% |
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WPE Pass Rates from September 2007- July 2008 by College and Native versus Non-Native English Speakers |
||
| College | % Native English Speakers |
% Non-native English Speakers |
| The Arts | 93.4 |
53.2 |
| Business Administration | 91.1 |
53.2 |
| Education | 93.9 |
63.8 |
| Engineering | 88.2 |
49.8 |
| Health & Human Services | 94.2 |
65.1 |
| Liberal Arts | 95.9 |
72.2 |
| Natural Sciences & Mathematics | 94.9 |
57.4 |
WPE Pass Rates for September 2008 through February 2009 by College and Native versus Non-Native English Speakers |
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College |
# Native ENGL |
% Pass Native ENGL |
# Non-native ENGL |
% Pass Non-native ENGL |
| The Arts | 529 |
96.2 |
209 |
62.7 |
| Business Administration | 612 |
94.9 |
352 |
60.8 |
| Education | 222 |
96.8 |
115 |
77.4 |
| Engineering | 246 |
93.1 |
306 |
48.4 |
| Health & Human Services | 870 |
96.6 |
346 |
73.4 |
| Liberal Arts | 1151 |
96.5 |
351 |
82.1 |
| Natural Sciences & Mathematics | 291 |
95.2 |
181 |
70.1 |
| Total | 3921 |
95.9 |
1860 |
67.3 |
Please note: WPE Results for academic years from 2004-2008 can be viewed on the Testing & Evaluation Services test programs page.
Portfolio Results
Students who have not been successful passing the WPE can choose to take a GWAR-Certified course and complete a 4500 word minimum portfolio. Portfolios are evaluated by instructors of the GWAR-certified courses and additional readers, if necessary, who have been trained in using the portfolio rubric. Portfolio results from fall 2005 to fall 2008 are given in the table below:
| Portfolio Results from Fall 2005-Fall 2008 | ||
# Students Submitting Portfolios |
# Pass |
|
Fall 2005 |
22 |
19 |
Spring 2006 |
44 |
41 |
Summer 2006 |
19 |
15 |
Fall 2006 |
62 |
61 |
Spring 2007 |
82 |
78 |
Summer 2007 |
76 |
76 |
Fall 2007 |
127 |
122 |
Spring 2008 |
261 |
257 |
Summer 2008 |
74 |
74 |
Fall 2008 |
218 |
195 |
Total |
985 |
938 |
