On Feb. 23, the California State University system authorized the temporary suspension of the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR). They also reported that any high-stakes examinations be suspended. 

Sonoma State University’s Advising Center announced to students that the GWAR is now temporarily suspended, making the Writing English Proficiency Test (WEPT) cancelled this semester and the Writing Intensive Curriculum (WIC) requirement no longer applicable towards graduation. Students who will apply or applied to the Spring 2021, Summer 2021, Fall 2021, and Spring 2022 terms will not be required to fulfill the GWAR in order to graduate.

Before the temporary suspension, students who reached the level of junior standing were considered to be eligible to take the WEPT or can choose to take WIC courses to complete the GWAR

The WEPT was designed at SSU to test students on their ability to write persuasive articles, essays, or letters on a selected topic that the university chooses. While other CSU campuses require writing portfolios, university wide English exams and WIC courses, SSU developed their own exam, the WEPT, for students to have an option in order to fulfill the GWAR. The test is scored based on its structure, content, clarity and expression. To receive a passing score to graduate, students must rank a score of eight or higher out of 12 points. 

Additionally, WIC courses will not count as a graduation requirement in correspondence with the GWAR, but the course’s units will still count towards the required number of total units in order to graduate. These courses are all upper-division classes that aim to expand the writing skills of students due to the CSU Board of Trustees noticing a decline in students’ writing skills. The GWAR required every campus in the CSU system to have all students demonstrate writing proficiency at the upper-division level.

Although students are temporarily not required to take the WEPT or WIC courses to fulfill the GWAR, the The Learning and Academic Resource Center (LARC) still encourages students to keep writing and strengthen their writing skills for the future. Director of the Learning and Academic Resource Center (LARC), Loriann Negri stated in an email, “Good writing skills can make the difference between getting a job or not, enhancing personal relationships, and communicating with elected officials. Therefore developing writing skills, especially writing skills relevant to a student’s specific field of study or major is beneficial both personally and professionally.”

The Learning and Academic Resource Center (LARC) plans to coordinate with the school’s registrar to clear the GWAR from the Academic Requirement Reports (ARR) of students who are eligible for graduation during the semesters referenced above. Students who are eligible will be notified from the school once this task is completed and the status of the semesters beyond Spring 2022 is still being determined by the Chancellor’s office. 

The Chancellor of the California State University decided to temporarily suspend this graduation requirement across all CSU campuses as a response to help students graduate during the COVID-19 pandemic and to follow social distancing guidelines. According to Executive Vice Chancellor of the California State University, Loren J. Blanchard, her memorandum states, “The temporary suspension is sought to facilitate student progress toward degree completion while faculty redesign curricula to ensure students have the instruction and practice needed in order to achieve university writing outcomes without the use of in-person testing.”

In relation to the California State University’s Graduation Initiative 2025, the CSU aims to help students graduate by dismantling procedures and policies that are seen as administrative barriers. According to the California State University’s web page for Graduation Initiative 2025, “Administrative barriers can include unnecessary or overly burdensome policies and procedures that may delay the graduation process.”

The SSU Advising Center encourages students to contact their advisor with any questions regarding plans for graduation. 

With the WEPT being cancelled during this semester, the university plans to refund the fees back to students who have paid and notify all test-takers from this semester about the cancellation. The LARC’s web page for the WEPT states, “All Spring 2021 WEPT exams have been canceled and all test-takers will be notified and have their fees refunded.”

To find more information or to get in touch with an advisor, visit the SSU Advising Center’s website (http://advising.sonoma.edu/).