New essay now required of incoming freshmen

Beginning this fall, all incoming TAMIU freshmen will submit a writing sample during orientation.According to Dr. Ellen Barker, Director of the First Year Writing Program, the essays will be used to determine which English course is appropriate for each student.Barker explained that TAMIU students arrive with various levels of fluency in English and writing, which standardized tests cannot always gauge correctly. She and the instructors in the First Year Writing Program “felt that some students were unprepared to meet the demands of college level writing and could benefit from work with their writing by taking additional coursework in developmental writing.”Freshmen will have one hour to compose a 500-word narrative. Volunteers from the Department of Language and Literature will evaluate their writing and determine whether the students belong in English 1301, Developmental English, or an ESL section of English 1301. Students will still be able to test out of freshman composition, but Barker strongly urges students to take these courses in order to improve their writing.By assigning students to courses appropriate for their skill level, Dr. Barker and her colleagues hope to enhance the first year experience of TAMIU’s freshmen.”Placing students where they can meet with success learn to become confident writers in all disciplines, and find joy in the experience of writing has obvious importance,” she said.Barker added that in spring 2008, another important change in placement will be implemented: TAMIU will raise its THEA, TCOMP, and ACCUPLACER entrance scores. This move will align TAMIU’s entrance requirements with those of LCC. Dr. Barker and the composition instructors believe raising the scores will give the university a more accurate picture of students’ current writing ability. “Meeting students where they are at,” she says, “is the first step in the right direction to ensure student success in college.”