Portfolio Use in the Reading and Writing Department

Writing Skills III Portfolios: All Writing Skills III sections use portfolios for mid-term and final assessment. Mid-term portfolios must include a typed cover letter (written in class), an essay of the student's choice (timed or revised--if revised, a clean copy), and the Mid-term Portfolio Review Comment Sheet. The final portfolio must include a typed cover letter (written in class), a timed essay, a peer-edited essay, and a teacher-edited essay. Some instructors will encourage students to include an optional piece of writing. One essay must be a reading-based essay. A reading-based essay should at minimum state the name(s) or the author(s) and the title of the work in the introduction, and it should include a summary of the reading. A summary of a reading, although a skill discussed and practiced in the course, cannot be submitted for creit in the final portfolio. Final portfolios should also include the following forms: the Final Portfolio Review Comment Sheet and the Evaluation Form. If a student fails the final portfolio, he/she fails the course.

Writing Skills II Portfolios: Writing Skills II sections also require both a mid-term and final portfolio. Mid-term portfolios must include a typed cover letter (written in class), a revised essay and a draft of that essay, and a grammar sheet. Final portfolios must include a cover letter (written in class), a timed essay, a revised essay (a clean copy), and a grammar sheet (at least one of the two essays must be in a five-paragraph essay form). If a student fails the final portfolio, he/she fails the course.

Writing Skills I Portfolios:
For the writing I midterm portfolio, students include one revised paragraph along with a graded draft of the same assignment. The midterm portfolio also includes a reflection sheet (to be completed by the student) and an assessment sheet (to be completed by the portfolio reviewers). For the writing I final portfolio, students include a reflection sheet along with a revised draft of one paragraph. Students will also included a graded draft of the paragraph they have chosen. The final portfolio will also include a timed essay, written in class sometime during the semester.