Course Placement Overview

Fall 2013 Placement:

MARCH 1 – AUGUST 1, 2013

Note: If you are a student transferring from another university, you must see Core Curriculum (Clark Admin. building) first for writing placement. If you are an international student, you must see the IELC (Cain Hall) first.

Submissions must be RECEIVED NO LATER than AUGUST 1, 2013.

Please review all information given below. If after you have read this information, you require further assistance, please contact Brenda in the Core Writing office at 775-682-6790.

It's important that you begin your college education in the writing course that best fits your experience and ability. We use the ACT or SAT scores for initial placement into Core Writing Courses. International students from English-speaking nations who do not have ACT/SAT scores must utilize one of the Options for Evaluation below and do so by the placement deadline listed at the top of this page.

English Course	ACT	SAT
	English	Verbal / Critical Reading
English 098	≤ 17	≤ 430
English 100j & English 100i	18 - 20	440 - 500
English 101	21 - 29	510-670
English 102 (102H)	≥ 30	≥ 680

For information about AP credit, see below. For information about placement into other courses, please see the UNR General Catalog.

We recognize that your actual writing, not just your test score, should determine your final placement. If you don't believe your test score reflects your writing ability, you may request a placement evaluation.

Options for Evaluation:

There are two options for evaluation, and there is a $35.00 fee for either. (Make checks payable to the Board of Regents.) Your placement cannot be processed without payment of the fee. For this reason, faxes are not accepted. Portfolios and essays must be maintained in the English Department office and will NOT be returned. Your placement submission will be processed in approximately two business weeks.

Notes: It is important that you begin this placement process as soon as possible in order to ensure class availability. For information on AP and transfer placement, please read to the end of this page.

Keep in mind that your writing samples are used to place you in the course that best fits your writing ability. The evaluation process is not simply a way to challenge a course. Our goal in placing students is to ensure as best we can their success in writing. We place writers primarily according to sentence fluency and essay development.

• Sentence fluency: Your writing should not show recurring problems with basic sentence structure. However, occasional minor problems in usage will not necessarily place you in English 098 or in the English 100I series of courses.
• Development: Your writing should demonstrate an ability to develop a central idea with explanation, examples, and other kinds of support. Clear, well-organized writing generally leads to placement in English 101.

Note: If any work in a portfolio is plagiarized, the student will be placed into English 098 automatically. In addition, the student's work and evidence of plagiarism will be kept on file, and a copy will be sent to the Office of Student Conduct.

Option 1:

Bring or mail to the Core Writing office a portfolio containing three or four essays you've written in the past year. Submit clean, unmarked,  ungraded, polished essays that you wrote on your own (no group papers). Graded or marked papers will not be evaluated.  ONLY hard copies will be accepted. Electronic submissions will not be accepted. It is prudent to send copies and keep your originals as portfolios will NOT be returned.

Enclose a cover letter that includes the following:

a) Your full name, address, phone number, and an email address we can use to reach you.

b) Your student ID (NSHE) number.  Do NOT include your social security number.

c) A brief statement explaining why you believe you should be placed differently than your scores suggest.

d) A short description of what the essays in your portfolio show about your writing's strengths and weaknesses.

NOTE:  If you wish, you may state which course you think best fits your skills, but first read the Course Descriptions and Outcomes Statements:

• English 098 Course Description and Learning Outcomes
• English 101 & 113 Course Descriptions and Learning Outcomes
• English 102, 104, & 114 Course Description and Learning Outcomes

Send your portfolio, including the cover letter as outlined above and the $35.00 payment to:

Core Writing, English Department / MS 0098
Attn: Brenda / Placement Exam
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, NV 89557-0098

If you have chosen to have your results delivered by mail, remember to include the self-addressed, stamped envelope.

We recommend that students submit a portfolio rather than take the exam because a portfolio shows more about your writing than the timed essay exam, which gives you little time for reflection and revision.

Option 2:

Make an appointment by calling the Core Writing office to come in and write a placement essay. The essay exam must take place during normal business hours and is written in our office. Please have several options in mind for your appointment. You will need to allow for a two hour block of time. Bring your $35.00 placement fee to your appointment. An essay topic and all exam materials will be provided when you arrive.

Finding Out Results:

As is noted above, you will need to provide contact so we can notify you via email . Otherwise, you will need to contact the Core Writing office after two weeks and request your placement results.

AP Exam Placement:

For students in high school Advanced Placement courses, AP credit is awarded as follows:

For a score of 3 on the Literature and Composition or Language and Composition, you receive credit for English 101 (3 credits). You must take English 102.

For a score of 4 or 5 on the Language and Composition exam, you receive credit for both English 101 and 102 (6 credits).

For a score of 4 or 5 on the Literature and Composition exam, you may choose to receive credit for English 101 and English 297 (Introduction to Literature); you must then take English 102; OR, by completing English 104 (Investigative Writing, one credit) you can receive credit for both English 101 and 102 (6 credits in addition to the one credit for 104).

No more than six credits will be awarded for AP exams in English.

Transfer Placement:

Transfer students must contact UNR Core Curriculum ((775) 784-4710 or core@unr.edu) for placement in Core Writing. If your home institution does not have an articulation agreement with UNR, you will be asked to provide a course syllabus, course assignment descriptions, and copies of any major papers written (5+ pages) for the composition course that you wish to transfer to UNR for ENG 101 or 102 credit. A careful review of our Course Descriptions (see menu to left) and your provision of all of the materials listed above will facilitate an accurate initial placement.

If you wish to challenge the placement you receive by the above procedure, please follow these steps:

To challenge an ENG 101 placement, follow the steps above (Option 1 or 2) as stated. Placement deadlines do not apply for transfer students.

To request credit for ENG 102, you will must use our Credit by Exam procedure.

Every transfer student is entitled to one placement challenge. Thereafter, placement stands.