Writing Placement

Overview

Writing and critical reading are important skills for students to develop. Proficient writers succeed in their disciplines, their jobs, and their roles in their communities. At Commonwealth, we take writing seriously, and we trust that you have a strong sense of your abilities as a writer and a reader.

There are two possible paths to complete your first-year writing requirement.  You can start directly in WRIT 103, or, if you would like more support in transitioning to writing at the college level, you can first take WRIT 100 and then take WRIT 103.

We use a placement process called Directed Self-Placement (DSP), which asks students to weigh in on their placement into first-year writing courses. Research suggests that students often have a stronger sense of their writing abilities than their GPAs or placement tests might offer.

For students with a H.S. GPA of 3.25 or higher (4-point scale), we will make an initial placement directly into WRIT 103, but you are free to change that. We ask you to take a short survey that will give you added perspective on what first-year writing course best suits your needs.

At any point in the process you may contact Jimmy Guignard at jguignar@commonwealthu.edu or Ted Roggenbuck at trogenb@commonwealthu.edu for more information about first-year writing or to talk through your options.

Take the Writing Placement Survey

Course Descriptions

Here are descriptions of the courses.

• WRIT 100: Reading and Writing introduces approaches, strategies, and experiences for students to acquire and value college-level literacy. It offers reading and writing strategies to give students experiences with college-level reading, thinking, drafting, and revision. Students who have already successfully completed WRIT 101 or WRIT 103 are not eligible for this class. 3 credits. This class counts toward degree completion but does not satisfy the general education writing requirement.
• WRIT 103: Foundations in Composition offers opportunities to compose a variety of texts for different situations with attention to purpose, audience, context, and conventions. Students practice critical reading, thinking, and analysis. The class emphasizes college-level research skills and refines students’ processes for reading, writing, and research. 3 credits. WRIT 103 satisfies the general education writing requirement.

After completing the survey above, choose the course that you feel is appropriate as soon as possible. Courses often fill, which means you may not find the section you prefer.

If you think you are placed appropriately, then you do not need to take any action. If you have questions related to first-year writing, please contact Dr. Jimmy Guignard at jguignar@commonwealthu.edu or 570-662-4592 or Dr. Ted Roggenbuck at troggenb@commonwealth.edu or 570-389-4736. Expect a response within one to two days.