Writing Competency


The Simpson College faculty view writing not simply as a technical skill, but as a method of learning and a mode of achieving self-understanding, self-expression, and intellectual growth.  Competency in writing is approached not as a one-time achievement, but as something students develop in increasingly complex situations throughout their college careers.  Specifically, the Writing Competency program has two distinct stages, known as "Writing Competency I" and "Writing Competency II."            

 Writing Competency I.  All new freshmen (and transfers who have not taken the equivalent) must pass English 102:  Composition and Rhetoric II or English 103, Honors Composition, with a minimum grade of C-.  Before taking English 102 or English 103, students must pass English 101: Composition and Rhetoric I or pass out of it with an appropriate ACT score.             

Writing Competency II.    All students, during the seventh semester, must submit a portfolio containing four pieces of writing they have done after completing English 102 or its equivalent, plus a brief reflective essay that discusses how the pieces in the portfolio illustrate their development as a writer.  Students may include whatever writing they feel best demonstrates their intellectual and personal growth.  The contents of the portfolio must, however, meet the following minimal requirements:                  

1.       The portfolio must contain writing from four different courses in at least two different departments, plus the reflective essay.

 2.       At least one of the papers submitted must be from a course taken as part of the student’s major.  To insure that fulfilling this requirement is possible for all students, each major shall   designate one or more of its 200 or 300 level courses in the major as a “Writing Portfolio (WCII) course”  in the course schedule book.  Such courses shall include a  paper suitable for submission as a portfolio item.      This requirement will go into effect with the class of 2005,  though it will be encouraged for classes prior to that.

   3.       With the exception of the reflective essay:

 a)    Each of the items must be at least 500 words long;                                 

b)    At least one item must be at least 1500 words long;                                 

 c)     Each item must bear a professor's grade of at least C-, its numerical equivalent, or the professor's written statement that the item meets portfolio standards;

  d)    At least one item must demonstrate the student's ability to use some form of secondary sources and document them according to one of the three commonly used scholarly forms of documentation:              Turabian, MLA, or APA.

                  4.       Papers may be included in the form that they were   returned to the student.  They need not be revised or retyped.  However, revisions are encouraged, especially where they have been suggested by the professor.  Revisions must be accompanied by the original graded assignment, and, if the original grade was less than C-,  must bear the professor's certification that the revision  merits at least a C- grade.                 

 5.       Papers must have been written after the completion of English 102 or its equivalent.                 

6.       Transfer students may include writing done at other schools, as long as the writing meets the other portfolio  requirements.  The following kinds of writing are appropriate for inclusion in the portfolio: research papers; critical essays on a particular text or topic; book reviews; personal essays or other forms of imaginative prose; take-home examinations; lab reports; newspaper articles or other journalism assignments; and internship or co-op education reports.              Detailed instructions for preparing the portfolio, including specific guidelines for the reflective essay, are available at the Hawley Academic Resource Center. 

World Language Competency

Full-time students admitted to Simpson College mustssatisfy a minimal competency in a world language equivalent to one  year of college study (equal to two semesters of the same language)
in one of the following ways:  

·               Students with three or more years of the same foreign language in high school will automatically meet the competency requirement, if the final grade was a C- or better.

·               Other students may take a placement test by which they may demonstrate competency or pass appropriate beginning language course(s) with a minimum grade of  C-.  Students with two years of a high school foreign language may not take that same language at the 101 level for credit.

·           International students, not permanent residents or citizens of the United States, whose native language  is other than English, will be credited with meeting this requirement. Any Simpson student who is admitted as a part-time degree candidate does not have to satisfy the language competency requirement, even if she/he later becomes a  full-time student.  Any student admitted as a full-time student who later changes to part-time status must  satisfy the language competency requirement. 

Quantitative Literacy Competency (QLC)

QLC Mission Statement:  We understand that quantitative skills are essential for negotiating our technological society, for understanding how to solve problems in many disciplines and for understanding the mathematical elements relevant to public issues.  The courses which satisfy the Quantitative Literacy Competency requirement use innovative teaching methods to enable our students to develop confidence in their quantitative reasoning skills, to succeed in subsequent courses in the cornerstone studies and major programs and to continue to use those skills throughout their lives.             

It is understood that the needs of students vary depending on their program of choice.  Those students who intend to enter a technical field will satisfy the QLC by completing the prerequisites for the courses in their major. To prepare students in non-technical fields for courses in the Cornerstone Program and majors that require quantitative analysis, the QLC program includes coursework to help our students  
 ·           to think logically and reason critically

·           to develop and interpret the mathematical models used in  problem solving

·           to make sense of numerical data and information encountered in daily life,

·           to communicate mathematical ideas to others both orally and in written communication,

·           to make connections between visual, verbal and  quantitative representations of mathematics

·           to use technology appropriately as a tool for problem  solving.  A student may fulfill the Quantitative Literacy Competency by                       

·           scoring a 22 or higher on the mathematics section of the ACT or a 530 or higher on the mathematics section of the SAT;

·           making a C- or better in Math 105 Quantitative Reasoning or    Math 130 College Algebra;

·           passing one of the equivalence exams, Math 105T or Math 130T; or

·           transferring in a C- or better in a course equivalent to any mathematics course offered at Simpson or a 3-hour course covering Finite Mathematics. A student should take Math 105 Quantitative Reasoning or Math 130 College Algebra during the first year of enrollment at Simpson College if he or she has not satisfied the QLC by equivalency exam or transfer credit.  The choice of course to fulfill the QLC should be made based on the student’s program of choice as described below: 

·             A student who must take Math 140, Math 151 or Math 180 as part of their major should choose Math 130.

·             A student who must take Math 116 or Psyc/Soc 210 should  choose Math 105.             

·             Other students can choose either Math 105 or Math 130.

·             It is highly recommended that any student with a Math ACT    score of 18 or lower should take Math 105 before taking  Math 130.