Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC)

ERWC is a curriculum written by CSU faculty, high school teachers, and school administrators to better prepare twelfth grade students for the rigor of college writing. It focuses on rhetorical writing strategies with a focus on expository texts and authentic writing tasks. (For more information, click here).

In an effort to support the greater Bay Area in preparing students for college, the Alameda County Office of Education proudly serves as the Region IV ERWC lead. We support seven counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Solano, San Francisco, and San Mateo in certifying 12th grade teachers to teach this course, as well as all other secondary-level teachers in implementing modules that are aligned to ERWC. We also offer trainings for teachers who would like a refresher and updates on the curriculum.

Update

ERWC 2.0 was officially archived on September 1, 2021. This means that the readings are no longer be available (online or in print) and the modules are no longer be updated. The expectation is that all ERWC teachers will have transitioned to ERWC 3.0 in their classrooms.

ERWC 3.0 has many more choices for teachers, many more opportunities to engage with different genres, the ability to adopt both at the 11th and 12th grade levels, and various ways to meet the Common Core State Standards. All 3.0 modules are enhanced with universal design for learning, inquiry-based approaches, support for emergent bilinguals, assets-based and culturally- and linguistically-sustaining pedagogies, and more! Also, some 2.0 modules have been updated and enhanced and now appear in 3.0.

Please reach out if you have any questions, and make sure to sign up for an Update Course to be trained in ERWC 3.0!

Summer/Fall 2021 ERWC Training Dates (ALL Virtual)

Please join us for one of our upcoming Region IV ERWC courses:

Introductory Course (for teachers who have never been certified in ERWC):

• Hosted by Cal Maritime
  
  • Week 1: August 23–29, 2021
    Week 2: August 30-September 5, 2021
    Week 3: September 27-October 3, 2021
    Week 4: October 28-November 3, 2021
  • Synchronous (live) session is on the first day of each "week" listed above, from 4:00-6:00 p.m.
  • Register here; registration closes at 8:00 a.m. on August 9, 2021. 
  • Questions? Contact Matt Tener at mtener@csum.edu or 707-654-1081.
    
    

• Hosted by San Mateo County Office of Education
  
  • Week 1: September 13–16, 2021
    Week 2: September 20–23, 2021
    Week 3: October 18–21, 2021
    Week 4: October 25–28, 2021
  • Synchronous (live) session is on the first day of each "week" listed above, from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
  • Register here; registration closes at 8:00 a.m. on August 30, 2021. 
  • Questions? Contact Gwenn Lei at glei@smcoe.org or 650-802-5624.

3.0 Update Course (for teachers who have been previously certified in ERWC 2.0 and need to be certified in the updated, 3.0 curriculum)

• Hosted by Alameda County Office of Education
  • Week 1: October 7-13, 2021
    Week 2: October 14-20, 2021
  • Register here; registration closes at 8:00 a.m. on September 30, 2021. 
  • Questions? Contact Rebecca Vester at rvester@acoe.org or 510-670-4190.
    
    

• Hosted by San Mateo County Office of Education
  
  • Week 1: November 1-4, 2021
    Week 2: November 8-11, 2021
  • Synchronous (live) session is on the first day of each "week" listed above, from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
  • Register here; registration closes at 8:00 a.m. on October 25, 2021. 
  • Questions? Contact Gwenn Lei at glei@smcoe.org or 650-802-5624.

Please note that:

• Trainings are now offered as "weeks," where the first day of the week will include a synchronous (live video) learning session, and the rest of the week will be devoted to asynchronous, self-paced online learning and production.
• Participants may register for any regional training, regardless of the county office or CSU that is hosting.
• We recommend that school sites/districts all register for the same training so that they can be part of the same online learning cohort.
• Introductory courses are for educators who have not been previously trained in ERWC and therefore need to be certified.
• Update courses are for educators who have previously been trained in ERWC but need to become certified in version 3.0 (which was released in 2019).

In addition, the CSU hosted summer webinars to assist ERWC teachers in offering the course virtually. View a video on how to access new materials here; then view the recorded webinars here.

Mini Module Reader Now Available for Purchase

Visit this website to order your copies of the mini module reader; 20 copies minimum per order.

Wondering how the Expository Reading and Writing Course helps 12th graders in their first year at a CSU?

• View the California State University's Academic Preparation: Maximizing Student Success booklet to learn about first-year course placement and the Early Start Program
• View the Office of the Chancellor's Academic Preparation for Success presentation on CSU policy changes
• View CSU East Bay's Freshman Placement Pathways presentation to understand the application of these policy changes at the local level
  
  

How Many ERWC Modules Should I Teach in One Academic Year?

• Our University of California Office of the President-approved course description requires 5-6 full modules and 5 mini modules (2 portfolio modules and 3 concept/skill minis). Please see the course overview on page 1 of the course description.