2011-2012 Archived Catalog Information

Assessment

The College of Arts and Sciences requires all degree, diploma, program, and certificate candidates to possess competence in written and spoken English. It reserves the right to require a student to demonstrate those language skills by successfully passing assessment testing as a condition for receiving an academic degree.

The English reading and writing skills of all undergraduate freshman and transfer students are evaluated prior to the beginning of their first semester of study through a review of their standardized testing and secondary school transcripts or transfer credits. In addition, each student must complete a writing sample at matriculation and at the beginning of each of the English courses required for the degree. Students needing extra help may be directed to add writing workshops to their current class assignments or may be required to enroll immediately in a developmental English course to help them to improve their reading and writing skills. (Students who are directed to enroll in developmental English must pass that course before resuming their progress through the standard English courses.) Students who disagree with an initial placement may request that a second writing sample be reviewed by contacting Linda Foley-Vinay in Second Language Services or Dr. Richard Miller in the English Department. Students will be assessed periodically for writing and critical thinking proficiency in order to inform decisions made about the curriculum.

Each instructor must give at least one evaluation (an examination, paper, project, lab report, or similar activity) to each student in each course by the beginning of the seventh week of the semester. Students who are experiencing academic difficulty should be referred to the Counseling Center and/or Learning Center for assistance as soon as possible. Evaluations should be completed and reported to students well before the last date for course withdrawal without penalty of an “F” grade.