Online Writing Assessment 2021

Writing skills are essential for your academic success at Brandeis. To give us a sense of where you currently are as a writer, we have created an Online Writing Assessment.

This will allow us to determine the writing skills you already possess, as we plan to enhance and develop these skills in your first-year writing courses (Composition and the University Writing Seminar). We will review your writing assessment in advance of registration activities, which start in mid-June, and will notify you by email regarding your placement in the first-year writing courses.

This assessment will also provide baseline information as we measure the development of undergraduate writing skills over four years of study at Brandeis.

You will be receiving an email in early May, inviting you to participate in the online writing assessment, which will be open from May 4-19. All assessments must be completed by May 19. Students who do not complete the assessment by the May 19 deadline will be automatically assigned to a Composition course prior to summer registration.

What to Expect

Before you take the Online Writing Assessment, please complete the following:

• Read all the instructions on this page. This will help you complete the assessment with fewer complications.

• Locate your Sage ID in DEIS Connect.

• Create a Brandeis Login. Please allow two business days for your Brandeis account to become active. Enrollment in the assessment LATTE course may take up to one additional business day upon the activation of your account, so please plan accordingly — this means that you need to set up your account at least three days before you plan to take the writing assessment. Once this process is complete, you will be able to view and access the writing assessment on LATTE. If you require any help setting up your account, contact the Technology Help Desk at 781-736-4357 or help@brandeis.edu.

• Using your Brandeis username and password, log into LATTE. This is where you will complete your writing assessment. Look under "Special Courses" for a link to your writing assessment.

• The writing assessment consists of one long essay. You will have 45 minutes to complete the assessment.

• Watch this video for step-by-step instructions on how to take the online first-year writing assessment.

Precautions to Take

Make sure you allow enough time before you begin. Once you begin the assessment, the timer starts and will not pause even if the window is minimized or closed. If you accidentally close the window, log back into LATTE immediately to reduce time loss.

Results of the Assessment

Your assessment will be reviewed by the Office of University Writing, and you will be informed via email about an appropriate writing course on or before June 3.

Contact

For technical questions, please contact the Technology Help Desk at 781-736-4357 or help@brandeis.edu. Please note that the Help Desk cannot expedite the creation of your Brandeis login under any circumstances.

For questions about the content of the assessment and/or results, please contact uwp@brandeis.edu.