At the end of the semester a committee composed of writing teachers and recruits from across the college spend the first morning of exam week evaluating portfolios from all W classes. Two readers of each portfolio apply as uniform a set of standards as possible in recommending W certification. Past teachers of W courses have developed a consensus about the criteria for W certification. These elements of composition are not ranked in terms of overall instructor goals and interest, in which case the order might be reversed, but rather in terms of what teachers can realistically expect students to accomplish in a semester or two. Each reader reviews the three sample papers holistically and quickly.
Readers also fill out a form indicating the weak spots in the student's writing.
The final decision about awarding the W rests with the class teacher who will send to the directors the numbers of students who passed and failed.