LEARNING SUPPORT PROGRAM
ENGLISH, READING, AND MATH
Mission Statement
The mission of the Learning Support program is to provide special assistance to students who have deficiencies in the areas of reading, mathematics, and/or English. The goal of Learning Support is to assist students in achieving entry-level college proficiencies.
A student’s Learning Support requirements are determined on the basis of SAT/ACT scores, college preparatory curriculum deficiencies, and/or college placement exams scores.
The college placement exam, COMPASS, is a computerized placement exam that tests reading, writing, and math skills.
Placement Exams
The verbal section of the COMPASS tests reading and writing skills and is required for students with college preparatory curriculum deficiency in English and for students who do not have a SAT verbal score of 430 or higher or an English ACT score of 17 or higher, depending on the test the student has chosen to determine COMPASS placement exam requirements.
The mathematics section of COMPASS tests algebra skills and is required for students with a college preparatory curriculum deficiency in mathematics and for students who do not have a SAT math score of 400 or higher or a Math ACT score of 17 or higher, depending on the test the student has chosen to determine COMPASS placement exam requirements.
Students scoring below 78 on the reading portion of the COMPASS must enroll in and successfully exit Learning Support Reading by passing the course(s) and scoring 78 or above on the reading portion of the COMPASS.
Students scoring below 65 on the English portion of the COMPASS must enroll in and successfully exit Learning Support English by passing the course(s) and scoring 65 or above on the English portion of the COMPASS.
Students scoring below 42 on the math portion of the COMPASS must enroll in and successfully exit Learning Support Math by passing the course(s) and scoring 42 or above on the math portion of the COMPASS.
Students who transfer with an ASSET reading score below 41, ASSET English score below 43 and ASSET math score below 45 must enroll in and successfully exit Learning Support by passing the course(s) and scoring 78 or above on the reading section of the COMPASS, 65 or above on the English section of the COMPASS and 42 or above on the math section of the COMPASS.
Students who transfer with a CPE reading score below 77, CPE English score below 76 and CPE math score below 81 must enroll in and successfully exit Learning Support by passing the course(s) and scoring 78 or above on the reading section of the COMPASS, 65 or above on the English section of the COMPASS and 42 or above on the math section of the COMPASS.
Students for whom English is a second language (ESL) may enroll in ESL English and reading. Students scoring below 92 on the reading portion of the COMPASS/ESL placement test must enroll in and successfully exit Learning Support ESL reading by passing the course and scoring 78 or above on the reading portion of the COMPASS. Students scoring below 88 on the English portion of the COMPASS/ESL placement test must enroll in and successfully exit Learning Support ESL English by passing the course and scoring 65 or above on the English portion of the COMPASS.
COMPASS Exit Test
Learning Support students who have met the class expectations will be eligible for the COMPASS exit tests, given at the end of each semester.
The Learning Support English student may exit the Learning Support program by earning a minimum grade of “C” in ENGL 0099. The student must also pass 3 in-class essay writings, must pass the writing sample exit test and score 65 or better on the exit COMPASS test. The student must receive 3 passing essay grades in order to be eligible for the writing sample exit (which, in turn, must be passed in order to be eligible for the COMPASS exit test). For the writing sample exit, the student must write a 4 or 5 paragraph essay, focusing on criteria such as addressing the topic and staying on the topic, proper development of introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs, and correct grammar usage. Exit sample graders include the learning support faculty and the English department.
The Learning Support reading student may exit the Learning Support program by earning a minimum grade of “C” in READ 0099 and must score a minimum of 78 on the exit COMPASS test.
The Learning Support math student may exit the Learning Support program by earning a minimum grade of “C” in MATH 0098 or MATH 0099 and must score a minimum of 42 on the exit COMPASS test.
Credit
Credit earned in Learning Support courses is strictly institutional. While it is counted toward the number of credit hours for which a student is enrolled in any semester, it does not count in a student's grade point average and does not count toward graduation.
Note: A complete list of “COURSES APPROVED FOR STUDENTS IN LEARNING SUPPORT” may be found immediately after the “COURSE DESCRIPTIONS” section of this catalog.
Policies
The Learning Support program is governed by the policies listed below.
- Required Enrollment:
- During each semester of enrollment, a student must first register for all required Learning Support courses before registering for other courses. This policy also applies to part-time students.
- A student who is required to take Learning Support courses may not register as a non-degree student in an effort to defer taking required Learning Support courses.
- Students with three Learning Support requirements must enroll in the Gordon College First Year Experience course.
- Because all Learning Support courses are offered Fall and Spring semesters on the Barnesville campus in the daytime and evening, students who may prefer to take off-campus courses only are not exempt from taking required Learning Support courses, even if these courses are not available at an off-campus location.
- A student who is required to take Learning Support courses in an area (English, reading or mathematics) may not register as an auditor in any such course in that area.
- 20-Hour Rule: Students who accumulate 20 semester hours or more of college credit and have not successfully completed required Learning Support courses may enroll only in Learning Support courses until all requirements have been successfully completed. Students with transfer credit or credit earned in a certificate or prior degree program who are required to take Learning Support courses for their current degree objectives may earn up to 20 additional hours of college level credit.
- Withdrawal: Students with Learning Support requirements who are concurrently enrolled in Learning Support courses which meet their requirements and in college-level credit courses may not withdraw from a required Learning Support course unless they also withdraw from all college-level credit courses.
- Overloads: Learning Support students may not register for more than 18 semester hours in any given semester. Overloads will not be approved.
If you have questions concerning these policies, see your Academic Adviser