She identifies those samples for the readers, while submitting her complete portfolio. She will definitely include an in-class writing sample because that serves readers as a quick diagnostic. These in-class writing topics are typically announced in advance and students may bring notes and outlines to class, but they write the essay in the classroom within one class period. In addition to the in-class essay, the student chooses her two best pieces of work from the semester, at least one analytic sample and another that may be more narrative, personal, or imaginative. Successive drafts are always included in chronological sequence behind the final submission so that readers can see the evolution of the paper over time.
Students also attach a copy of the writing topic to all three of their submissions.
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.