Writing Assesment and Placement Program | Upcoming Writing Assessments
Whether you’re pursuing a career in nursing, education, business, criminal justice, or any other discipline here at Madonna, your ability to write clearly and effectively will have a direct impact on your success. Employers consider writing competency when they decide whether to interview job applicants. They also take writing into account during hiring decisions, evaluations, and reviews for promotions (National Report, 2004). This is why every new student at Madonna University must write an assessment essay.

Our Writing Assessment and Placement Program provides a “check-up” for individual students’ writing capabilities and places them in College Composition courses (or provides exemptions) based on perceived needs. Our motivation is to help every Madonna University student prepare for success.

National Commission on Writing for America’s Families, Schools, and Colleges. (2004). Writing: a ticket to work…or a ticket out: a survey of business leaders. New York: College Board.

How to sign up for the Writing Assessment
The class schedule booklet for each semester contains a list of group writing assessment sessions. To sign up for one of these sessions, call the Registrar’s Office at 734-432-5400. If you can’t make it to any of these sessions or if you need special accommodations, you may write the assessment essay in the MU Writing Center, Room 1407, Academic Building. Call 734-432-5304 for information.

Online Writing Assessment
Below are instructions for students taking the writing assessment online via Blackboard.

Log in to Blackboard.
•  Visit www.madonna.edu
•  From the Quick Links menu, select Blackboard
•  Click User Login
•  Enter your student number as your username
•  Enter your student PIN as your default password

If you have difficulty logging in, send an email to helpdesk@madonna.edu. Be sure to include your full name and student ID along with the fact you are trying to login to access the Writing Assessment Online.

Locate the area in Blackboard with the writing assessment.
Self enrollment: If you do not see the writing assessment title on your list of courses in Blackboard, please follow the following steps to complete the self enrollment process.
•  Log in to Blackboard
•  Click the Courses tab
•  Search for the keyword "assessment"
•  Find the course: Madonna_University_Writing_Assessment_Online / MU Writing Assessment - Online
•  Click the Enroll, Submit and OK buttons to complete the enrollment process

Click the Writing Assessment button in the upper left.
•  Read the general information
•  Complete and return the cover sheet with your personal information
•  Access and complete the writing assessment within the one-hour time limit

The cover sheet and writing assessment will be submitted by you to the writing center via Blackboard.

If you experience technical difficulties while completing the writing assessment, please send an email to ffitzgerald@madonna.edu and helpdesk@madonna.edu.

Results from the writing assessment
Upon submitting your writing sample, the Writing Center staff will receive your work. A notification with your writing assessment score will be sent to your Madonna University email within two weeks after your work is submitted.

Writing Assessment FAQs
Writing Assessment Handout