WPE
advising, class lead to increased testing
proficiency
By
Christi Sobodos
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
Before receiving a degree and taking a job in his or her chosen career, every
student at Cal State Long Beach must pass a 75-minute writing assessment also
known as the Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE). The number of students passing
has significantly increased from 59.3 percent in 2004 to 78.7 percent in November
2005.
According to Susan Platt, director of Testing and Evaluation Services, this
increase may be partly due to a policy started in 2004 that required all students
who failed the WPE twice to do sufficient work to improve their writing skills
and get approval from a WPE adviser prior to re-testing.
All students who do not pass receive a letter recommending they see a WPE adviser
in the Learning Assistance Center to evaluate their WPE essay and help students
plan the most efficient way to improve before the next exam.
Of the 21.3 percent of students who failed in November 2005, 78 percent spoke
English as a second language.
“
It is fairly easy to be able to speak in a foreign language,” said Carol
Itatani, Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement coordinator. “However
to be able to write in a foreign language takes considerably more time and
effort.”
After completion, the writing sample is read by three faculty members who each
give a score between zero and six.
According to the WPE scoring guide, in order to receive a passing score, the
paper must have reasonably developed and focused arguments and may have minor
errors that can be easily corrected by casual editing. A failing paper will
be one with weak sentence structure and inadequately formed arguments. In order
to pass the exam, two of the three faculty members must give the paper a score
of 4 or higher.
In addition to seeking advising in the Learning Assistance Center, there are
many other ways students can prepare before taking the exam. Two free, three-hour
workshops are offered within the two-week period before each exam day and no
pre-registration is required. While both workshops are open to all students,
one of them is particularly useful for students who speak English as a second
language. A WPE workbook must be brought to the workshop and can be purchased
at the copy center in the book store for $7. There are also two one-unit WPE
preparation and review classes offered each semester.
“
It was a lot easier than I thought it would be,” said film major Rachel
Bertram after taking the exam. “I picked up the review packet at the
book store and read through it before the test. Reading the examples of passing
essays and failing essays helped.”
“
It wasn’t too bad. I would just say to get it over with as quickly as
possible,” another student, Gina Luna said,
The test must be attempted by the time each student reaches 65 units. It is
offered twice each semester and once during the summer. To register, students
must mail in a check or money order for $25 along with the registration form
which is available online.
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