The mission of the United States Military Academy Preparatory School is to provide focused academic, military and physical instruction in a moral-ethical military environment in order to prepare and motivate candidates for success at the United States Military Academy. The English Department’s specific goals are that each cadet candidate will do the following:

A. develop an ability to write both in-class and out-of-class college-level argumentative papers which reflect a logical thought-process, a clear thesis, adequate support, and meet West Point Plebe writing standards. The ultimate goal is to develop independent writers who are able to summarize and synthesize ideas from a broad range of sources.

B. achieve college freshman independent reading and vocabulary recognition levels.

C. demonstrate in own writing an understanding of and ability to use correct grammar according to the principles of standard formal written English.

D. develop and maintain good listening, notetaking, and studying skills to enhance success in all academic courses at West Point.

E. demonstrate the ability to give oral presentations consistent with English Department standards.

F. learn and use correct documentation standards in own writing.

Student Conduct During Class

A. Before class begins, students are to have pencils sharpened, books and homework out on desk. When students have not completed their assigned homework without any acceptable mitigating circumstances, the instructor will submit a DR, (Delinquincy Report).

B. Students are to remain in the classroom except for official appointments, sickness, or other valid emergencies.

C. Students are to raise their hands before asking a question or speaking unless otherwise directed by the instructor.

D. Both students and instructors are not allowed to chew gum or tobacco, smoke, drink beverages, or eat food in class.

E. A student who is late for class should quietly enter the room, go to his/her seat, and quietly get the class materials out on his/her desk. The section leader or assistant section leader (whoever is filling out the absent slip for the period) should mark the time of arrival of the late student. After class, the late student should explain why he/she was late as a courtesy to the instructor. Later, the student will have to explain why he/she was late to the TAC when the TAC processes the late arrival indicated on the absent slip.

Grading Standards for Compositions

A basic tenet of the USMAPS writing program is that students’ compositions will communicate a whole message in a particular tone to a known audience for some stated purpose. The grade will be based upon how well the writer achieves control over the specific writing elements listed below. Ultimately, we must ask this question: “How well does this writing accomplish the given purpose for the given audience?”

“A” Papers

are superior compositions which reflect a clear focus on the subject matter throughout. Papers illustrate a full development of the main idea. Topic sentences are clear, interesting, and effective; word choice is vivid and accurate. Papers reflect a clear and complete organization. Transitions occur whenever appropriate, and the sentence structure is varied and effective. Grammar is excellent: punctuation, capitalization, and spelling are correct. Format of paper follows all requirements explicitly.

"B" Papers

are good compositions which reflect a generally clear and consistent focus throughout. Papers illustrate an adequate development of the main idea. Topic sentences are acceptable; word choice is generally accurate. Paper overall reflects a good organization with correct transitions and complete sentences. A few grammatical errors may exist; few, if any, format errors exist.

"C" Papers

are adequate compositions which reflect a minimally acceptable focus and development of main idea. Some topic sentences or word choice may be vague or ineffective. Parts of composition may lack clear or complete organization. Some transitions or sentence structure may be weak or ineffective. Some grammatical errors exist in paper. A few format errors may also exist.

"D/F" Papers

are inadequate compositions which reflect lack of clear focus or incomplete development of the main idea. Some topic sentences are vague or missing; word choice is not always effective. Paper’s organization may be weak; transitions and sentence structure are also weak or missing. Numerous grammatical errors exist, especially in punctuation and spelling. Format errors may also exist.