HIGH SCHOOL OUTREACH PROGRAM
Inland Area Writing Program
University of California, Riverside

COLLEGE READINESS PREPARATION

Over the past twenty-eight years, the Inland Area Writing Project (IAWP) has successfully operated its High School Outreach Program. The goal is to help schools and instructors prepare students for the rigors of academic reading and writing by using the UC’s Analytical Writing Placement Examination (AWPE) as a lens

In this program, high school juniors take a practice AWPE which is then assessed analytically by University of California professionals teaching college-level composition courses. Students receive personalized analytical feedback on their paper as well as individualized recommendations for further improvement. Students and instructors also gain access to a recorded presentation with information about the AWPE as well as with suggestions and strategies for meeting college-level expectations for reading and writing competence based on the specific practice exam.

The High School Outreach experience can be highly beneficial to students, teachers, and university instructors alike, particularly when we work with high-school juniors. It is important to note that the focus of this program is not test preparation. We concentrate our effort on high-school juniors so that they will have a full year of study and practice before attending a college writing course or taking actual placement tests. Furthermore, this program helps students improve their reading and writing skills as well as do better on timed writings in their high school classes.