RGTE 0199C: REGENTS' WRITING SKILLS

Revised October 8, 2009

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

Freshman theme folder

Freshman theme paper

Blue or black ink pens, possibly a green ink pen

Instructors may choose one or two of the three following texts.

OPTIONAL MATERIALS:

No texts are required for this course; however, instructors may choose from the following texts.

                   Glenn, Cheryl, and Loretta Gray. Hodges= Harbrace Handbook. 16^th ed. Thomson-Heinle, 2007. Package ISBN:

                   1413048803

RECOMMENDED MATERIALS:

Paperbound ISBN: 0-385-33576-8

The Regents’ Writing Skills course is intended to ensure that all graduates of USG institutions possess certain minimum skills in writing. Students learn to evaluate their own writing strengths and weaknesses and work on improving their writing skills so that they are able to write an essay meeting the Regents’ criteria. Students registering for this course MUST also register for the essay section of the Regents’ test. (Institutional Credit)

The objective of RGTE 0199 is to prepare students to pass the essay component of the RTP.

Students completing RGTE 0199 toward any transfer degree should be able to

Students will

The class will meet twice a week for one hour and fifteen minutes each time or the equivalent thereof. The students will write a minimum of one essay a week and do other assignments designed to increase the students= writing, thinking, and organizational ability. The weekly essays (minimum of ten) equal 70% of a student= s grade. The final 30% of a student= s grade will be determined by the professor and listed in the professor= s syllabus given out the first day of class. Professors will typically assign more essays, require corrections, and revisions, work in the grammar text, grammar quizzes, and other appropriate work in weighting this 30%.

The following material, as well as an Overview, Sample Tests, a complete list of RTP topics, and other informational materials, may be found at the RTP website through the DSC homepage

(Click on Programs of Study, then Schedule, then Humanities, then RTP) or from http://www.gsu.edu/rtp.

3: The "3" essay shows distinction. It meets all and exceeds most of the criteria for a "2." The ideas are expressed freshly and vividly, and the essay arouses the reader’s interest to a greater extent that the typical "2" essay.

2: The "2" essay meets the basic criteria. It has a central idea related directly to the assigned topic and presented with sufficient clarity that the reader is aware of the writer’s purpose. The organization is clear enough for the reader to perceive the writer’s plan. The paragraphs coherently present some evidence or details to substantiate the points. The writer uses ordinary, everyday words accurately and idiomatically and generally avoids both the monotony created by series of choppy, simple sentences and the incoherence caused by long, tangled sentences. Although the essay may contain a few serious grammatical errors and several mechanical errors, they are not of sufficient severity or frequency to obscure the sense of what the writer is saying.

1: The "1" essay fails to demonstrate competence. It has any one of the following problems to an extraordinary degree or it has several to a limited degree: it lacks a central idea; it lacks a clear organizational plan; it does not develop its points or develops them in a repetitious, incoherent, or illogical way; it does not relate directly to the assigned topic; it contains several serious grammatical errors; it contains numerous mechanical errors; ordinary, everyday words are used inaccurately and unidiomatically; it contains a limited vocabulary so that the words chosen frequently do not serve the writer’s purpose; syntax is frequently rudimentary or tangled; or the essay is so brief that the rater cannot make an accurate judgment of the writer’s ability.

Each instructor has his/her own policy on make-up work and states that policy in the course syllabus.

The College Catalog, which contains the Student Handbook, addresses the topics of dishonest and disruptive behavior; the individual instructor may specify more specific penalties.

Each instructor will state his/her own plagiarism policy.

Instructors who wish to use turnitin.com to check for plagiarism should incorporate the suggested language for using turnitin.com found at the end of this document into their course syllabus.

Individual instructors will provide assignments for each course. The individual instructor may set additional policies, and additional information may be provided.

In the vocabulary books, units 1 and 3 will be covered during the fall semesters; units 2 and 4 will be covered during the spring semesters; and unit 5 will be covered during the summer semesters.

Each instructor will provide his or her own schedule of office hours.

Each instructor will set his/her own attendance policy and state it in the course syllabus. Some instructors count tardies and early departures as one-third of an absence; their specific policies will be stated in their syllabi.

1. The professor will inform the RGTE administrator in writing IMMEDIATELY when a student reaches the maximum number of absences.

2. Professors will use the grading scale employed by the RTPB essay grades of 1, 2, and 3.

Although the RTP office explicitly avoids equating these three grades with numerical scores, for purposes of this course, a 1 is an F, a 2 is a C or B; a 3 is a B or A . Corrections, and revisions are mandatory for each essay.

3. The course begins the first week of the semester and runs for ten weeks, except in the summer term. The date of the RTP should be listed in each syllabus. That date in the eleventh week of the term signals the end of this course.

4. Students who do not have a 70 average at the end of the course will not be permitted to take the Regents= Test. Professors will give a student a grade of S (if the student passes the Regents= Test) or U (if the student does not pass the Regents= Test).

5. Realizing that the RTP is a physical and psychological experience, professors will provide support for those who fail and enable them to pass if they choose to do the work.

6. There are three reasons that someone would take RGTE 0199:

7. Students should visit the library. Most of the books on writing and grammar are located in the stack ranges PE 1404B PE 1408. The Media Center has a good collection of videocassettes about grammar and writing. The WorldWide Web contains an ever-changing mix of writing information; there are links to many resources from the Dalton State College web site in Course-Related links and on the Humanities pages.

8. On reserve in the library are six copies of the RTP essay test topics. Students may wish to peruse and use this list. Professors may use some of these topics or choose some of their own for students= writing exercises. Six copies of a Reading Test are also available, along with a key.

9. A student who has taken and failed the essay portion of the RTP will be allowed to see the failing paper with some commentary added by the professor. Teachers must send a list of 0199 students to the Division chair to access these essays in the first week of the term. Sending a xerox of the class roll will allow the administrator to find the papers faster. After the teachers have reviewed papers with students, they must return the essays to the Department chair.

Students with disabilities or special needs are encouraged to contact Disability Support Services in Academic Resources. In order to make an appointment to obtain information on the process for qualifying for accommodations, the student must contact the Disability Support Specialist.

Contact information:

Andrea Roberson

Pope Student Center, lower level

706/272-2524

aroberson@daltonstate.edu

DROP/WITHDRAWAL POLICY: Revised October 8, 2009

Students may not drop or withdraw from the remediation courses without withdrawing from all other courses.

COMPLETE COURSE WITHDRAWAL: Revised June 25, 2007

The proper form for withdrawing from all classes at the college after the official drop/add period but before the published withdrawal date is the Schedule Adjustment Form. Students who are assigned to the Academic Advising Center for advisement must meet with an advisor or staff member at the Academic Advising Center (107 Liberal Arts Building) to initiate the withdrawal process. All other students must meet with a staff member or advisor at the Office of Academic Resources in the Pope Student Center to initiate the withdrawal process. After meeting with the staff member or advisor, all students will then finalize the withdrawal process in the Financial Aid Office.

If a student receiving aid administered by the DSC Workforce Development Department drops this class or completely withdraws from the College, the schedule adjustment form must be taken to the Workforce Development Office first. The office is located in the Technical Education Building, Room 214, and students can contact Mr. McNabb at 706-272-2635 from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. He is in the Georgia Department of Labor office on Wednesdays and Thursdays and can be reached at 706-272-4412.

This information is provided for faculty only and should not be included in the student syllabus for RGTE 0199.

Specialized Remediation for Students Who Have Taken Regents= Writing Remediation Classes Multiple Times

Students who have already taken the Regents= test three or four times and who have twice completed the regular remediation courses to the satisfaction of the instructors will receive specialized remediation that is more personalized than is currently offered in the regular skills course. The primary activity of the specialized remediation will be reading and/or writing under the direct supervision and guidance of the instructor.

During the drop/add period, Regents= remediation instructors will check their class rolls to determine whether any students have completed RGTE 0199 twice.

If there are such students, the instructor will check with the previous instructor(s) to determine whether the students completed the remediation courses A to the satisfaction@ of the instructor(s). Note: Students who did not attend class regularly, who never attended class, who quit coming to class, or who did not complete assignments should not be considered to have completed the course A to the satisfaction of the instructor.@

If any students did complete the regular remediation courses twice to the satisfaction of the previous instructors, the current instructor will then develop a more personalized plan for these students.

The development and implementation of the personalized plan will be considered a A high@ service or A high@ teaching goal.