FAQs about completing the DSP survey
College is expensive. Shouldn’t I just place myself into the most advanced course so I have to take fewer writing courses?
We understand this temptation– college is expensive. However, you’re not helping yourself by placing yourself into a course you are not prepared for. Placing into a course you are not ready for may cause you to struggle and receive a low grade, to fail the course and have to retake it; and/or to struggle in future writing courses. (UCSC requires writing in all majors, known as the “disciplinary communication,” or DC, requirement). Be as honest as you can be with yourself and in the survey.
What is the most important part of this DSP process?
There are no right or wrong answers in this placement process. Instead, the most important part of this process is honesty. If you answer the questions honestly, you will be preparing yourself for success in your college career by identifying the course sequence and/or resources best suited to your individual needs and goals.
Where do I find my placement?
The information about where you placed yourself via the DSP process or test scores is in your student portal. Please be patient in waiting to receive your placement.
Which courses do most students who complete the DSP process place into?
The majority of domestic students will place into Writing 1, 1E, or Writing 2, while most international students who are acquiring English will place into Writing 25 or Writing 26. This is because most students benefit from more than one quarter (10 weeks) of college-level writing instruction.
What if I need disability accommodations to complete the DSP process?
If you need disability accommodations to complete the DSP survey, please reach out to the Writing Program at writingplacement@ucsc.edu and specify what accommodation you need to be successful. Your request will remain confidential. (Note that there is no time limit for the DSP process, so requests for extended time aren’t needed. Also, there are no “correct” answers– this is not an exam.) If you would prefer, you can work with UCSC’s Disability Resource Center (DRC), which will coordinate with the Writing Program to provide your accommodation.
I’m having trouble understanding the DSP process. Who should I contact?
If you need help, reach out via email to writingplacement@ucsc.edu. (Note that your placement via DSP or test scores is final.)
What happens with the reflective writing I submit during this placement process? Will this writing be assessed to determine my placement?
No, the writing you’ll do in the placement process—marked in the process as “reflections”—will be read by the Writing Program to see what you have to say, but it will not be “assessed” (for writing style, grammar, etc.). These reflections are required so that you really take the time to consider each step of the DSP process rather than rushing through it. Also, note that you should not expect feedback on any of the reflections you write in the DSP process. However, these short-answer responses will be saved and shown to you again with your course recommendation.
FAQs about testing and exams (AP/IB/SAT)
What is the role of my SAT or ACT, AP, and IB scores?
If you received certain scores on these tests, you will be placed into Writing 2, and your course recommendation will reflect this and offer resources based on your DSP responses.
What should I do if I have scores to satisfy ELWR (from AP/IB/SAT), but they aren’t yet in my student portal?
You have two options: (1) You can look at your test scores, and if you are sure that you meet the ELWR criteria, and select Writing 2 as your placement. (2) Or, if you feel Writing 1 is best for you and are not totally sure your scores meet the ELWR criteria, you can place yourself in Writing 1. If your scores do end up meeting the ELWR criteria, you will have be automatically re-placed into Writing 2.
What if my scores (AP, etc.) come in after I’ve completed DSP? Will my placement recommendation be adjusted if I become ELWR satisfied after having completed the DSP survey?
If you become ELWR satisfied after completing the DSP survey and receiving your placement recommendation, your placement recommendation will automatically be updated to Writing 2. Check your student portal for details. Please note that the Writing Program has no control over when AP and other scores are submitted and recognized by the university, and it’s the student’s job to make sure they are properly submitted.
What happens if I already took a California community college course in English composition?
If you have taken an approved community college course, you may not need to take Writing 1 or Writing 2. If you know that you already took courses that meet Writing 1 and Writing 2 and are just waiting for your transcripts to be processed, do not enroll in Writing 1 or Writing 2.
FAQs for Faculty
What guides the development of DSP?
Directed Self-Placement (DSP) is a process through which students make educated decisions about which course is right for them. DSP has been thoroughly studied by Writing Studies/Rhetoric/Composition scholars (Wardle & Downs, 2007) and is considered a best practice (see Blakesley, 2002; Coleman & Smith 2021; di Gennaro 2016; Elliot 2016; Elliot et al., 2012; Estrem et al., 2018; Kenner 2016; Moos & Van Zanen, 2019; Poe et al., 2014) and a particularly important alternative to placement via standardized testing (Isaacs & Molloy, 2010).
At UCSC, the Writing Program uses a multi-part process that teaches students about their course options; has them review real readings, assignments, and student-produced writing from those courses; and asks them to answer questions about their readiness and support needs. Students’ answers to these questions are scored and reviewed by faculty to generate a course recommendation that considers ELWR status. ELWR-required students weigh that recommendation to ultimately select the course that is right for them. Students who are ELWR-satisfied are placed directly into Writing 2. (We do receive requests from ELWR-satisfied students to take Writing 1, but we have no institutional support to satisfy such requests.)
Should students who are strong in College 1 (or another course) take Writing 1 or skip it?
Writing 1 is not a remedial course to be “skipped.” In fact, UCSC is unusual in having many students take only one writing-focused course (Writing 2). Further, students make their course selections based on a complex set of factors, including a recommendation that was generated by their answers to survey questions and reviewed by Writing Program faculty. This recommendation accounts for things like course pace, desired support, and other elements that matter in deciding what an “appropriate” placement is.
It seems like more students are taking Writing 1. Is this due to DSP?
More students are taking Writing 1, and it is not due to DSP. More students are coming in ELWR-required due to UC going test-optional, which means that fewer students are submitting test scores that make them ineligible for Writing 1 (like AWPE and SAT scores). When ELWR-required students are given the option for the enhanced writing support offered in Writing 1, they are opting in.
It seems like ELWR/Writing 1 has changed. What’s different now?
In recent years, two important shifts have occurred. We have more clearly articulated ELWR as a support structure available to those who want to take advantage of the resources for success, rather than articulating ELWR as a gatekeeping mechanism. Additionally, the Writing Program has collaborated with the colleges to establish the Academic Literacy Curriculum (ALC), which shifted what was the “C1” requirement out of the colleges and into the Writing Program, with a concomitant shift to focusing on genre. (The ALC was discontinued in 2024.) Now, Writing 1 is a course for any student who wants support in their writing before moving on to the fast-paced academic research demands of Writing 2.
What happened to the AWPE?
The AWPE, previously the Subject A exam, placed students in writing courses for many years. Like many universities, UCSC had been working on an equitable, research-based alternative before the pandemic began. The pandemic accelerated our efforts as the AWPE, which was only offered in-person with blue books, was canceled due to Covid-19. UCSC, UCSB, UC Davis, and UC Irvine, and later UC Merced, responded by developing versions of directed self-placement. (UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Riverside, and UCSD continued with the AWPE in an online form.) In 2022, the University of California announced that the system-wide AWPE would be discontinued in 2023.