English Development Coursework
All students who score T147 or above on the EPT will be placed in English 134 (Writing and Rhetoric) or English 133 (Writing and Rhetoric for English as a Second Language Students).
All students who score below 147 on the EPT are required to enroll in Cal Poly's Writing and Rhetoric Stretch Program during their first year of coursework. Students who do not make adequate progress in completing the program during their first year of enrollment face disqualification from the University.
In the Writing and Rhetoric Stretch Program, students complete two quarters of coursework as a cohort with the same instructor. Coursework is taken in the following sequence:
- First, students enroll in either ENGL 102: Basic Writing or ENGL 113: Basic Writing for English as a Second Language Students
- After earning credit for either ENGL 102 or ENGL 113, students enroll in ENGL 103: Writing Lab Tutorial concurrently with either ENGL 134: Writing and Rhetoric or ENGL 133: Writing and Rhetoric for forEnglish as a Second Language Students.
Note: Failure to complete successfully ENGL 102/ENGL 113 or ENGL 103 results in a grade of F in ENGL 134/ ENGL 133.
Upon successful completion of the Writing and Rhetoric Stretch Program, students fulfill their remediation requirement and earn credit in GE Area A1.
For these concurrent English courses, English 134 or 133 is considered the co-requisite for ENGL 103. This means students must enroll concurrently in ENGL 103-01 and either ENGL 134 or ENGL 133 inCP REG.
ENGL 103 Course Description
ENGL 103 is a 1-unit, tutorial lab course requiring one hour per week working with a tutor in the University Writing Lab. In order to pass English 133 or 134, students must also receive a Credit grade (CR) in the lab course. English 103 is offered fall, winter, and spring quarters.
ENGL 103 Course Requirements
ENGL 103 begins the second week of classes. Students should come to the University Writing Lab in Building 10 (Erhart Agriculture), room 138, to make weekly appointments and pick up the course syllabus (a reminder email will be sent to all ENGL 103 students). The Lab hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; closed on Fridays. Students are required to work one hour a week (beginning the second week of classes) with a tutor and to complete the total required minutes by specified deadlines in order to earn credit for the course. Students who fail to meet these standards will earn no credit (NC) in ENGL 103 and receive a grade of F in ENGL 134 or 133—regardless of the grade they might have earned in 134 or 133.
Multi-lingual Students
Both English 133 and 134 meet the University General Education Requirements in Area A1 (written communication). However, English 133 offers multi-lingual students the opportunity to continue working on essay writing with a special emphasis on improving grammar and expression. Instructors in English 133 will specifically address issues such as English verb tenses, verb/subject agreement, syntax, word choice and idioms which often give non-native writers difficulty.
University Disqualification
Under a CSU Trustee mandate, students who do not complete required remediation within the first year of enrollment are subject to administrative probation and possible disqualification from the university. Do not delay taking the expository writing course and English 103.
Below T146: Two Quarters Remediation Required
Students who score below T146 on the English Placement Test are required to complete two quarters of English remediation within their first year of enrollment at Cal Poly. They must take and pass at least one 4-unit developmental writing course AND English 103 (Writing Laboratory) along with their GE Area A1 English (written communication) course to complete their milestone. (Multi-lingual students may select ENGL 133 instead of ENGL 134 for GE Area A1 if it is offered.)
Students who do not satisfy this requirement by completing the English Remediation Milestone within their first year are subject to disqualification from the university.
Interpretation of EPT Scores Below T 146
An EPT score below T146 usually indicates that a student will probably have difficulty in courses which lean heavily on reading and writing skills. These skills are very important in order to successfully complete college coursework. So such students can strengthen their English skills early in their academic careers, Cal Poly requires them to take one of the 4-unit courses listed below to prepare for college-level English coursework . Since they have two quarters of remediation to complete their milestone, they should make every effort to take their first developmental writing course during their first quarter at Cal Poly. The English Department offers the majority of these courses fall quarter because students should begin meeting this milestone right away.
Course Descriptions
All of these non-baccalaureate courses offer pre-college level instruction in writing English. English 102 is designed for students whose native language is English; English 112 and 113 are designed for multi-lingual/ESL students who need to continue working on written English grammar and expression. All courses are Credit/No Credit grading only. Students should select the course which covers their EPT score range and their English background.
ENGL 102 - (Basic Writing II) offers native speakers of English who score below T146 on the EPT instruction in the writing process. The course covers strategies of writing, revising, and editing paragraphs and essays with attention paid to focus, support, and organization.
ENGL 112 - (English Paragraph Development) offers multi-lingual/ESL speakers who score below T139 on the EPT instruction in thesis, paragraphing, and grammar.
ENGL 113 – (Essay Writing) offers multi-lingual/ESL speakers who score below T146 but above 139 on the EPT further instruction in writing with special focus on paragraph development and essay unity, as well as grammar review.
University Disqualification
Under a CSU Trustee mandate, students who do not complete required remediation within the first year of enrollment are subject to administrative probation and possible disqualification from the university. They should not delay taking their developmental writing course followed immediately by an expository writing course and English 103.
Three Quarters Remediation Required
Some students who have completed a 4-unit developmental writing course still need further instruction in writing English. On the recommendation of their instructors, they should complete another 4-unit developmental writing course within their first year of enrollment and before they take English 103 (Writing Laboratory) along with their GE Area A1 English (written communication) course to complete their milestone.
Students who do not satisfy this requirement by completing the English Remediation Milestone within their first year are subject to disqualification from the university.
Course Descriptions
All of these non-baccalaureate courses offer pre-college level instruction in writing English. English 102 is designed for students whose native language is English; English 112 and 113 are designed for multi-lingual students who need to continue working on written English grammar and expression. All courses are Credit/No Credit grading only. Students should select the course recommended by their previous developmental course instructor. (Native speakers may repeat ENGL 102.)
ENGL 102 - (Basic Writing II) offers native speakers of English who score below T146 on the EPT instruction in the writing process. The course covers strategies of writing, revising, and editing paragraphs and essays with attention paid to focus, support, and organization.
ENGL 112 - (English Paragraph Development) offers multi-lingual speakers who score below T139 on the EPT instruction in thesis, paragraphing, and grammar.
ENGL 113 – (Essay Writing) offers multi-lingual speakers who score below T146 but above 139 on the EPT further instruction in writing with special focus on paragraph development and essay unity, as well as grammar review.