A complete guide to launching a writing placement assessment — from rubric design to proctoring to faculty review. The platform setup takes about a day; the preparation is where the real work happens.
Most institutions use 2-4 levels: Developmental Writing, ENG 101 College Composition I, ENG 102 College Composition II, and sometimes Exempt. Each level needs a clear shared understanding among faculty.
4-6 criteria weighted by importance. Common criteria: Thesis and Argument (25%), Organization (20%), Evidence and Support (20%), Grammar and Mechanics (15%), Style and Voice (20%). Define what each performance level looks like for each criterion.
Accessible to all students regardless of background. Ask students to take a position or argue. Clear about expectations. Not emotionally triggering. Consider 2-3 prompts with random assignment.
2-3 anonymized real student essays per placement level with explanations. Mark the best example as Primary. Calibration quality scales from 1/5 Minimal to 5/5 Excellent.
Create the assessment with name, configuration, prompts, and time limit. Generate access codes with expiration times. Students write in a proctored environment with integrity monitoring. Faculty review AI recommendations with confidence scores: High (80%+) needs quick review, Medium (60-79%) benefits from review, Low (below 60%) needs faculty review. Accept or override with documented reasoning.
Review placement distribution, faculty override rate, integrity flag rate, and student outcomes in placed courses. Export data for SIS integration. Improve calibration based on override patterns.
Timeline: Weeks 1-2 define levels and rubric. Week 3 platform setup (1-2 hours). Week 4 pilot with 20-30 students. Week 5+ full assessment. See our documentation for detailed instructions.