| Who We Are | Test Infor | Calendar | Online Reg. |
| Who We Are | Test Infor | Calendar | Online Reg. |
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San Francisco State University has a written English requirement which all
students must meet in order to graduate. All undergraduate students must
demonstrate upper division written English competence by taking the Junior
English Proficiency Essay Test (JEPET) AFTER completing English 114 and 214 or
equivalents and BEFORE completing 80 units. (For more detailed information, see
"When to take JEPET" section)
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Table of Contents To register online for: Junior English Proficiency Essay Test (JEPET)- SECURE ENCRYPTED. If your browser does not support security/SSL, a non-secure, non-encrypted version is also available. Dates and fees WHAT IS JEPET? WHY JEPET? WHEN TO TAKE JEPET? JEPET- WHEN AND WHERE? JEPET INFORMATION SESSIONS (For June 6, 2009) PREPARING FOR JEPET WHAT'S JEPET LIKE? JEPET RESULTS WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T PASS? HOW ARE JEPET ESSAYS SCORED? SAMPLE To register online for: Junior English Proficiency Essay Test (JEPET)- SECURE ENCRYPTED. If your browser does not support security/SSL, a non-secure, non-encrypted version is also available. |
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WHAT IS JEPET?
JEPET is an essay examination. Students are given one and a half hours
in which to construct a well-organized and developed expository essay
on a given topic of general interest. Papers are evaluated for organization
and content, as well as mechanics and sentence structure. Students who
do not pass JEPET may discuss their results with a JEPET counselor.
Counseling is usually available for six weeks after the test results
are out. Junior English Proficiency Essay Test Instructions
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WHY JEPET?A famous study of student writing abilities undertaken at Dartmouth showed that most students write best just after having completed their freshman writing courses and that their writing ability steadily declines after that. Requiring students to demonstrate writing proficiency during the junior year is a way of identifying those who need further instruction as upper-division students to bolster their skills. In other words, having passed a lower-division English class does not guarantee that one can write competently in upper-division courses. Moreover, many students transfer from other colleges whose writing courses vary widely (both from school to school and from class to class).
Students often object to taking JEPET or English 414 on the grounds that they
are receiving excellent grades on their written course work. Unfortunately,
this does not mean that their writing is competent. Some faculty will give good
grades for very badly written work so long as they can more or less figure out
what the student is trying to say. Employers are beginning to have job
applicants do essay tests before considering them for hiring.
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| WHEN TO TAKE JEPET?Continuing Students: 1) AFTER completing English 114 and 214 or their
equivalents; and 2) AFTER completing 48 units; and 3) BEFORE
completing 80 units. NOTE: If you come under the 48 unit G.E.
program, you must have completed English 114 and 214 (or their equivalents)
before signing up for JEPET. Transfer Students: Junior and
Senior transfers should take JEPET during their first semester of enrollment.
However, they must have completed English 114 and 214 (or their equivalents
e.g., First and Second Semester Composition) before taking JEPET. Transfer
students should go to the JEPET Office, HUM 209, with their "Advanced Standing
Evaluation" if they have questions about written English requirements and
JEPET. Second Baccalaureate Candidates: Candidates for a second
baccalaureate must show proof that they have fulfilled an upper division
writing requirement in their first degree program either by: 1) passed
JEPET or 2) passed "English 414 -Elements of Writing" at SFSU or
3) taken either a written English Proficiency essay test comparable to
JEPET OR an UPPER DIVISION composition course equivalent to English 414.
NOTE: It is essential that students eligible to take JEPET do so as
soon as possible. Since all students must meet the upper-division written
proficiency requirement before they graduate, delay in meeting this requirement
may postpone graduation and/or require an extra semester of coursework.
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JEPET INFORMATION SESSIONSThe JEPET Office offers question and answer information sessions the week of the exam, before the Fall and Spring tests.June 6, 2009 Information Sessions:
NOTE: THESE ARE NOT JEPET TEST DATES!!!
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| PREPARING FOR JEPET
NOTE: Since the publication of these books JEPET time has been extended from 1 hour to 1.5 hours. Both books are out of print but are available on reserve in the campus library. Ask for call numbers LB1631. B62 1990x and/or PE1471. C36 1991. In addition, there is Barron's California State University Writing Proficiency Exams (call number: PE 1411.027 1998) on sale in the campus Bookstore and on reserve in the Library. This book also has JEPET as 1 hour rather than the current 1.5 hours. The two biggest mistakes students can make in taking this test are to write below their natural ability or to try to write above it. The student who decides to write too simplistically in order not to make any mistakes will fail-we are testing for college-level ability, not eighth-grade ability. On the other hand, students who try to impress the readers with polysyllabic words and pretentious sentences ("It has been observed by many authorities in the field that . . .") will often fail because they have misused their big words and gotten tangled up in their sentences and, as a result, haven't said anything coherent. The best thing to do is write in your own normal style, keeping in mind the principles of organization and development that you learned in your last composition class. Don't try to do things you aren't used to doing. Don't be afraid to begin sentences with "And" or "But" or to end them with prepositions. Don't be afraid to use "I" or to use contractions, concrete nouns and strong verbs in your sentences.
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| WHAT'S JEPET LIKE?
Your essay must be EXPOSITORY; essays which are basically narrative (stories) or are written in excessively simple, "primer-style" prose will be considered unacceptable.
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| JEPET RESULTS
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| WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T PASS?
If you have questions about your performance on the test, you may request an appointment with a JEPET counselor. We encourage you to make these appointments as soon as possible. To do so, call the JEPET office at (415) 338-2128
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| HOW ARE JEPET ESSAYS SCORED?
Each essay is read twice; the evaluations are independent (the first reader covers his/her score before the second reader gets the essay). The readers-all of them faculty at SFSU-use a scoring guide with four categories: 4=Superior; 3=Competent, 2=Weak; 1=Inadequate. Scores of 4 and 3 represent passing work; scores of 2 and 1 suggest that the writer needs to improve his/her writing. The total of the two readings determines the actual score: if each reader gives an essay a 4 or 3, it is a "clear pass," and if each reader gives an essay a 2 or 1, it does not pass. In some cases, one reader will score the same essay with a 3, the other with a 2; these essays get a third reading which determines the final score. PASSING SCORES What is a "superior" response? The essay opening, though very brief, defines the context and purpose of the essay , and indicates the writer's point of view. The body of the essay develops for the writer's stance logically and coherently. The writer demonstrates an awareness that this problem is complex - citing relevant facts and information, providing analysis, and offering clear or common-sense reasons for claims made. The writer uses fluent and idiomatic English with few mechanical errors. Style reveals syntactic maturity, clear and direct, and is not choppy. Occasional spelling or punctuation errors may be easily attributed to hasty transcription under pressure. What is a "competent" response? After a very brief opening that establishes context and purpose, the writer develops his or her case with few lapses in coherence, but may have somewhat less clear organization or less explicit transitions than a top-score paper. It may have less convincing logic or a slightly less-well-reasoned discussion than a 4 essay, but the essay will include some evidence, as well as some analysis of, and/or reasons for, key claims. The writer uses fluent and idiomatic English but may make minor ESL errors (e.g., preposition errors, misused or omitted articles); infrequent errors (e.g., an occasional verb ending problem); or repeat a single error (e.g., not punctuate possessive nouns). The presence of such errors is offset by the writer's demonstrated ability to produce mechanically correct, syntactically mature prose. NOT-PASSING SCORES What is a "weak" response? The writer makes simplistic suggestions not supported with reasons, fails to cite key facts, offers little analysis of the problem, and/or shows a limited grasp of the situation. The writer may copy or simply list the given information, failing to integrate this information into his/her argument. Points may be random or repetitious. The writing may be consistently flawed. Numerous sentences may be badly focused, with careless use of abstract language resulting in predication errors or illogical sentences. ESL and/or mechanical errors are frequent enough to be distracting or sentences may be choppy. What is an "inadequate" response? Essays given a 1 will contain most if not all of the problems that may characterize a 2 essay, but some or all of these will appear in severe forms.
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| SAMPLEJUNIOR ENGLISH PROFICIENCY ESSAY TEST INSTRUCTIONS
B. Read the topic carefully. Your essay must be on the subject. C. Organize your ideas logically and support your generalizations with at least some of the specific evidence provided you. You don't have to use quotation marks unless the information provided is already in quotation marks. Note: You're also welcome to draw on your own knowledge and experiences to support your generalizations. Do not make up facts. Also note: essays that do nothing more than simply summarize or restate the given information will not receive passing scores. D. Essays which are basically narrative (stories) or are written in excessively simple, short sentences will be considered unacceptable. E. Your writing will be evaluated for its organization and content as well as for spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. F. Write in ink. You may make corrections if you take care to keep your writing legible. The Problem: The residents of Bay City, a city of 2 million people, have to decide whether to vote for a new NFL, national football league, stadium for their home team, The Bay City Bandits. The city is sharply divided over the issue and several members of the city council are undecided. Your Task: Decide whether or not Bay City should build their football team a new stadium. Write an essay defending your position, supporting your ideas with specific information and clear explanation. (Essays that do nothing more than restate or summarize the facts will not receive passing grades.) Some Facts and Information to draw on: (Remember, essays that do nothing other than restate or summarize the facts will not receive passing grades.)
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