The Advanced Writing Requirement in Mathematics

SECTION 1: The Sophomore Year

Proficiency in expository writing in mathematics is the goal of the requirement in the sophomore year. The standards for this type of writing are listed below. Essential parts of the writing process include writing for an audience of peers, acting as a peer editor, and revising papers in accordance with the suggestions made by the teacher and a peer editor. Thus, these aspects of writing will be incorporated into some of the assignments given during the sophomore year.

Writing Skills to be achieved at the sophomore level:

• Accuracy: The paper is free of major mathematical errors and mathematical terms are used correctly.
• Organization: There is a logical progression of the ideas. The thesis or main idea of each paragraph is evident.
• Clarity: The explanations of concepts and/or examples are easily understood. The purpose of the paper is obvious.
• Insight: The student is able to formulate a mathematical idea in her own words.
• Mechanics: There are few grammatical errors. There are no spelling errors. The paper is neat.

The mechanics of meeting the requirements:

At the end of the fall semester, each sophomore will submit a selection of her best writing; the precise nature of the selections is determined by the teachers of the sophomore courses. The teachers of sophomores will meet over the semester break to determine how the students are progressing in their writing. Each student will receive a written evaluation of her writing, noting, in particular, the aspects of her writing which need improvement. She should devote particular attention to solving these problems as she prepares her spring semester writing assignments.

At the end of the spring semester, each sophomore will again submit a selection of her best writing with the precise nature of the selections being determined by the teachers of the sophomore courses. The teachers of sophomores will meet again to evaluate the students' writing and to determine which students have met the departmental standards for sophomore writing. Each student will receive an evaluation of her writing, indicating if she has met the department standards as well as aspects of her writing which need improvement. The student will be notified of the decision by June 1. If a student's work is judged to be satisfactory, a sample will be placed in her portfolio. Any student whose writing is not yet satisfactory will be instructed either to revise an assignment completed during the sophomore year or to complete another assignment deemed appropriate by the instructors. The final submissions must be acceptable by the following fall break.

Consequences of missing the deadline for completion of the requirement:

If, by fall break of the junior year, a student does not meet the requirement outlined in her written evaluation, she will receive a notice of deficiency in ALL her mathematics courses. If she does not meet the requirement by the end of the fall semester, she receives an incomplete in all her mathematics courses.

Writing Home Page

Criteria for Good Writing in Mathematics

Mechanics of completing the Requirement

The Portfolio

The Process of Preparing the Fortfolio

Requirements and Mechanics for the Sophomore level (Current Page)
Requirements and Mechanics for the Junior level
The Senior Comprehensive Paper

Progress Reports

Overall Assessment
Standards

Resources for Mathematical Writing

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8/21/06