Academic Program Assessment/Placement Testing
Degree-Seeking Undergraduates
All degree-seeking students are required to complete assessment in reading, writing and math. Once assessment is completed, students will be eligible to register for classes.
Depending on placement, students are required to enroll in courses in reading, writing and math, as outlined in the Reading, Writing-Intensive and Mathematics Placement policies.
First-time, full-time students are required to enroll in courses in reading, writing and math, as appropriate, in the first semester they register for classes. Full-time students must complete the quantitative skills requirement by the end of their first two semesters.
First-time, part-time students are required to enroll in a writing skills foundations course (ENG 101, ENG 104, ENG 108 or ENG 180) and ENG 095, as appropriate, in the first semester in which they register. Part-time students must complete the quantitative skills requirement prior to earning 24 semester hours.
Full-time transfer students are required to enroll in the appropriate courses in reading, writing and math, as indicated by placement results, in the first semester they register for classes.
Depending on placement results, part-time transfer students are required to enroll in a writing skills foundations course (ENG 101, ENG 104, ENG 108 or ENG 180) and ENG 095 or an English 100-level writing-intensive course and ENG 095, as appropriate, in the first semester in which they register. Transfer students who have not met the quantitative skills requirement must enroll in the appropriate course in their first semester at Wilson (or the first semester the appropriate course is available).
Transfer students who bring in transfer credits for mathematics but score below the level of the courses transferred in on the placement exam will be advised to retake certain transferred-in courses, depending on the need for such courses as prerequisites and/or courses required in the major.
International exchange students will be assessed by the English language learners (ELL) instructor to determine the appropriate level of English composition. Students must enroll in English composition in the first semester in which they are registered. Students who complete ENG 104 are required to enroll in ENG 106 the next semester.
Students will be required to complete the math assessment only if math is prerequisite to a course the student would like to enroll in.
Accommodations
A request for accommodations as well as any paperwork required for disability accommodations must be submitted to the Academic Support Center at least two weeks prior to the testing date.
Appeals
An appeal to placement results must be submitted in writing and clearly explain the basis for making the request. The English or mathematics departments will review the request and make a determination as to whether the situation warrants that a student retake one or more sections of the initial assessment.
Mathematics Placement Policy
Students will be placed in the appropriate mathematics course, based on high school courses, grades, and SAT or ACT scores.
Students will not be placed at a level higher than MAT 103: College Algebra. Students may challenge their mathematics placement by completing a written mathematic assessment. The score on the mathematics assessment will determine whether a student is qualified to move into a higher-level mathematics course.
Students who have been out of high school for five years or more and do not have an appropriate math course to transfer will be required to complete a written mathematics assessment to determine the level of placement.
Full-time students must complete the quantitative skills requirement by the end of their first two semesters. Part-time students must complete the quantitative skills requirement prior to earning 24 semester hours. Transfer students who have not met the quantitative skills requirement must enroll in the appropriate course in the first semester at Wilson (or the first semester the appropriate course is available).
Reading Placement Policy
Students will be placed in ENG 095, based on high school courses, grades and SAT or ACT scores. All students initially placed into ENG 095 will be required to take a reading comprehension assessment to determine whether they are required to complete ENG 095 in the same semester in which they are enrolled in the foundations course in English composition.
Students who have been out of high school for five years or more and do not have transfer credit will be required to complete a reading comprehension assessment to determine whether ENG 095 will be required in the same semester in which they are enrolled in the foundations course in English composition.
Writing Intensive Placement Policy
Every undergraduate student entering Wilson College without a foundations English course is required to take one in their first semester. Students who are native speakers of English will be placed into foundations English, depending on high school grades, test scores and experience. These students will then be placed at mid-term into the appropriate, follow-up writing-intensive course in their second semester of study by the English faculty, who will notify the registrar of the determination.
Students who are non-native speakers of English will complete placement during orientation, which may result in placement into ENG 103/ENG 104 (designated for non-native speakers of English) or into a regular foundations English course. Students who place into ENG 103/ENG 104 will automatically take ENG 106 in their second semester of study.
Foreign Language Placement Policy
Students will be placed in the appropriate foreign language course, based on the number and level of high school foreign language courses completed. Consideration will also be given to the number of years that students have not had exposure to the language.
Students will not be placed at a level higher than 205: Intermediate. Students may challenge their foreign language placement by completing an oral interview with the appropriate faculty member. This interview will determine whether a student is qualified to move into a higher-level foreign language course.
Students who choose to learn a foreign language different from the one that they studied in high school will be placed into the appropriate 101 course.
Challenging Placement Level
A student may only challenge his/her placement in order to be placed above, not below, his/her placement level.
The registrar’s office should be notified regarding a student’s intention to challenge his/her placement level. The challenge must then be completed no later than two weeks before the start of the semester in which the student plans to take the requirement in question.