College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) for First-Year Writing

In order to receive credit for WRT 150 course by taking the CLEP examination for First-Year College Writing, the following criteria must be met:

  1. Students may receive credit by examination only if they are not currently enrolled in or previously completed WRT 130 or WRT 150 at GVSU.
  2. Take and pass the College Composition or College Composition Modular examination with a score of 50 or higher.  (Note: GVSU is not currently offering CLEP testing for College Board CLEP (College-Level Examination Program). Please check the College Board CLEP website for other institutions offering CLEP testing).
  3. Submit a portfolio of your writing to the Director of First-Year Writing which must include the following:
  • Three nonfiction college-level essays written solely by the student and a "clean copy" (i.e., no grades, no teacher comments, no handwritten notes or corrections). Xerox copies are acceptable. Manuscripts should be double-spaced and include author's name, student ID, and title.
  • Drafts of each essay demonstrating substantive, global revision (not just corrections or proofreading changes). Drafts may be handwritten, marked up, etc.
  • One essay of the three must cite multiple sources available from the GVSU library and its online resources. Students may choose the most appropriate of the standard citation formats (for example, MLA, APA, CBE, or Chicago/Turabian) but are expected to demonstrate competence in that format.
  • A cover letter explaining the purpose and audience of each submitted essay, demonstrating or explaining library research skills, and highlighting the choices the writer made in revision and explaining the reasons for those choices.

To submit your portfolio for evaluation for CLEP WRT 150 credit, send your portfolio as a PDF or Word attachment to the Director of First-Year Writing at [email protected].

Evaluation Procedures

Portfolios will be read by the Director of First-Year Writing and up to two other faculty who regularly teach writing or SWS classes.

Portfolios will be scored as either PASSING (earning credit for WRT 150) or NOT PASSING (no credit for WRT 150). The criteria for PASSING will be the same as the criteria for A and B papers described in the WRT 150 handbook and in the Portfolio Grading Criteria on this website.

Readers will make no marks on portfolios or papers. The score, without comment, will be recorded separately. Agreement between two readers will determine whether the portfolio passes.

Results

The results from the multiple-choice section of the exam will be mailed to you separately from ETS. Once your portfolio is reviewed, you will receive a letter or e-mail explaining the results and whether you have received credit for WRT 150. This may take longer than the scoring for the multiple-choice portion of the CLEP exam.



Page last modified February 8, 2024