Erin Workman
Writing Assessment and Response
in the Age of Digital Technologies
Portfolio Appeal Prompt
ENG 101 Challenge Examination Prompt
In addition to the portfolio assessment rubric (PAR), the UMaine English Department uses two other standardized: the appeal prompt, and the challenge exam. Annotated versions of those documents are provided on this page.
The appeal prompt is printed on the back of the PARs that are returned to students with their portfolios. If a student's portfolio is failed, both the student and the student's instructor have the opporunity to appeal the decision, and their letters must address the points raised in this prompt. The appeal letters are initially read by the Director of Composition and her assistant, and they decide whether or not the portfolio warrants reconsideration. Portfolios with acceptable appeal letters are passed on without the appeal letter to the appeals committee, which is made up of five readers whose interrater reliability numbers are highest. The portfolio is read by two committee members--a third if it receives a split decision--and the decision those readers make is final.
ENG 101 instructors inform students about the challenge exam during the first day of class. Students are given the opportunity to complete the challenge exam during the first week of classes. Approximately 2-3 students are successful each semester, though many more exams are submitted. The challenge exam places most emphasis on reflective awareness of writing processes and abilities, and in this way it differs from the PAR. The challenge exam prompt suggests that readers look primarily at the reflection and read the attached texts only to verify the claims made in the reflection, a process that is strikingly similar to Ed White's Phase II Scoring.