Advanced Standing Assessment
Students may not earn credit by exam or advanced standing for courses they have already attempted.
1157 Advanced Standing Assessment
Most students eligible for 1157 advanced standing credit earn it through ACT or SAT scores. These students need only to request the credit through their advisor and then by emailing fwp@uno.edu.
Students who take the Accuplacer exams, students with Scholastic Amnesty, and some transfer students may be eligible to take the 1157 Advanced Standing Assessment which can earn the student bypass credit.
There are two options for 1157 ASA. In either option, students must demonstrate that they are able to produce organized essays that logically communicate a central idea through narrative description.
Option One: Students may take a 60 minute Advanced Standing Examination (essay exam). Upon arrival to the scheduled exam, students will be asked to respond to a prompt in essay form using personal examples to illustrate their central point. We see the most success with this option.
Option Two: Students may submit a portfolio of two to three essays of up to about 3000 words total that they have previously written that will be submitted along with a cover letter essay, written in-person in the English office, in which students introduce the contents of their portfolios. Portfolios should demonstrate the student’s ability to compose detailed, organized essays that focus on a central point.
Both options are assessed by the First-Year Writing Committee to see if they exhibit mastery of the Student Learning Outcomes of 1157.
1158 Advanced Standing Assessment
To try for 1158 advanced standing credit, students should already have 1157 credit. All students who try for 1158 bypass credit must do so through Advanced Standing Assessment.
There are two options for ASA. In either option, students must demonstrate that they are able to produce logically organized, academic essays that incorporate library and non-library research in MLA format.
Option One: Students may take a two-hour Advanced Standing Examination (essay exam). Once a date for the exam has been scheduled, the First-Year Writing Program will provide students with reading materials – scholarly articles, essays, etc– in advance of the exam. After receiving the materials, students have up to two weeks to read and prepare to take the exam. If the exam is not taken within two weeks, the student loses the opportunity for bypass by exam. During the exam they will write an essay, based on a prompt given by the English department, which asks them to compose an essay that responds to the reading material they received previously. This essay should be organized, logical, have a clear central point, and integrate the provided secondary research materials.
Option Two: Students may submit a portfolio of up to three essays they have previously written that will be submitted along with a brief cover letter essay, written in-person in the English office, in which students introduce the contents of their portfolios. Portfolios should demonstrate the student’s ability to compose sustained, logical research essays that demonstrate argumentative or persuasive writing.
Both options are assessed by the First-Year Writing Committee to see if they exhibit mastery of the Student Learning Outcomes of 1158.
Please note:
Results for portfolios and exams will be available within two weeks of submission. If the attempt is successful, a request will be sent to the Registrar and Bursar. Students who need to earn credit by assessment before they enroll should allow up to six weeks for credit to post.
Students may not earn credit by exam after they have earned 60 hours at UNO or if they have already received a grade for the course. If credit is earned after the first day of class in a student's second UNO semester, it will be assessed a $300 posting fee by the Bursar's Office.