Policy Number: I-7
Last Reviewed: March 24, 2022
Responsible Dept.: Vice President of Student Affairs
A signed copy of this policy is available in the President’s Office.
Purpose:
The purpose of this policy is to define the methods upon which Virginia Western will determine college readiness of applicants in English and mathematics.
Definitions (if applicable):
Dual Enrollment Students: Students attending high school in public, private or homeschool settings who are also taking college level courses through Virginia Western.
Policy
7.1 High School Graduates: 6 or more years since graduation
Students who graduated from high school or completed the GED or equivalent homeschool six or more years before applying to Virginia Western shall be placed into college level English and mathematics courses. After consultation with an advisor, students may request to enroll in co-requisite or prerequisite developmental education courses.
7.2 Dual Enrollment Students
Dual enrolled high school students must meet the participation criteria specified in Virginia Western’s Policy I-73 Dual Enrollment of High School Students and VCCS Policy 6.6.3.
7.3 International Applicants and ESL/ELL Students
Virginia Western will use the multiple measures for placement outlined in this policy to determine college level readiness for ESL students. International applicants may have additional assessment requirements as defined in Virginia Western’s Policy I-12 General Admissions and VCCS Policy 6.0.3.
7.4 High School Graduates: less than 6 years since graduation
Students who graduated from high school or the equivalent less than 6 years before applying to Virginia Western shall be placed into college level English and mathematics courses using the following means and measures:
- Any student who has earned an associate degree or higher or who has earned a C or better in college level English and/or math courses at a VCCS College or any other institution will be considered ready for college level English and math courses provided they meet the prerequisites for the respective courses in their chosen program of study.
- Any student who has successfully completed all required developmental education courses at a VCCS institution will be considered ready for college level English and math courses.
- Any student who has successfully completed developmental education courses at a non-VCCS institution will have their coursework evaluated for entry into college level math and English courses.
- Any student who placed into or attempted a college level math course, regardless of grade earned, at any other college may be placed into the equivalent VCCS math course.
- Student-reported high school GPA and highest math course will be used to determine readiness to enroll in college level English and math courses as shown in tables 7.4.1 and 7.4.2. High school seniors who have not yet graduated may be evaluated as of the completion of the first semester of their senior year to determine readiness for placement into college level courses.
- Official or unofficial GED, ACT or SAT score reports may be used to determine readiness to enroll in college level English and math course as shown in tables 7.4.1 and 7.4.2.
- The Virginia Placement Test (VPT) may be used only where external documentation of prerequisite or co-requisite developmental education courses is required or where otherwise stipulated in policy for specific group.
7.4.1 Measures for College Level Math Readiness
Student readiness for college level math courses will be determined using one of the following measures.
| Math Measures | Standard | Math Course Options | Student Information System (SIS) Groups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation from high school or an equivalent home school six or more years before applying to a VCCS College | VCCS Enrollment Survey | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167 | XDG 0-9, XMP1 & XMP2 |
| High School GPA and an Algebra-Intensive Course beyond Algebra II with Trigonometry | 3.4 or higher | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167, MTH 245, MTH 261, MTH 263 | XDG 0-9, XMP1 & XMP2, XCL1 & XCL2 |
| High School GPA and an Algebra-Intensive Course beyond Algebra II | 3.2 or higher | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167, MTH 245, MTH 261 | XDG 0-9, XMP1 & XMP2, XCL1 |
| High School GPA and an Algebra-Intensive Course beyond Algebra II | 3.0 to 3.19 | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167, MTH 245 | XDG 0-9, XMP1 & XMP2, XCL1 |
| High School GPA and Algebra II | 3.0 or higher | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167 | XDG 0-9, XMP1 & XMP2 |
| 2.0 – 2.99 | MTH 101-133, MTH 154 + MDE 54, MTH 155 + MDE 55, MTH 161 + MDE 61 | XDG 0-3, XMCB & XMCC | |
| Less than 2.0 | MDE 10 | XDG 0 | |
| High School GPA without Algebra II | 3.0 or higher | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MDE 60 | XDG 0-5, XMP1, XMCB |
| 2.0 – 2.99 | MTH 101-133, MTH 154 + MDE 54, MTH 155 + MDE 55, MDE 60 | XDG 0-3, XMCB | |
| Less than 2.0 | MDE 10 | XDG 0 | |
| SAT – Math | 500 or above | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167 | XDG 0-9, XMP1 & XMP2 |
| 470-490 range | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161 + MDE 61 | XDG 0-5, XMP1, XMCC | |
| ACT – Math Subject Area Test | 18 or above | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167 | XDG 0-9, XMP1 & XMP2 |
| 17 | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161 + MDE 61 | XDG 0-5, XMP1, XMCC | |
| GED – Mathematical Reasoning | 165 or above | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161 + MDE 61 | XDG 0-5, XMP1, XMCC |
| 155 – 164 | MTH 101-133, MTH 154 + MDE 54, MTH 155 + MDE 55, MDE 60 | XDG 0-3, XMCB | |
| 154 or below | MDE 10 | XDG 0 | |
| VPT – Virginia Placement Test (Math) | Eight or more MTE competencies | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167 | XDG 0-5 + other XDG groups aligned with competencies beyond MTE 5, XMCC |
| Six or seven MTE competencies satisfied | MTH 101-103, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161 + MDE 61 | XDG 0-5 + XDG groups aligned with competencies beyond MTE 5, XMCC | |
| Four or five MTE competencies | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155 | XDG 0-4 +XDG5 demonstrated proficiency in MTE 5, XMCB | |
| At least three MTE competencies | MTH 154 + MDE 54, MTH 155 + MDE 155, MDE 60 | XDG0 + other XDG competencies within MTE 1-5, XMCB | |
| At least two MTE competencies | MTH 101-133 | XDG0 + other XDG competencies within MTE 1-5, XMCA | |
| One or fewer MTE competencies | MDE 10 | XDG 0 | |
| *Demonstrated competency in college level Pre-Calculus | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167, MTH 245, MTH 261 | XCL1 | |
| *Demonstrated competency in college level Pre-Calculus & Trigonometry | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167, MTH 245, MTH 261, MTH 263 | XCL1 & XCL2 | |
| *Virginia Western MTH 167 Challenge Exam1,2 | Advanced Algebra 73% | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167, MTH 245, MTH 261 | XCL1 |
| *Virginia Western MTH 167 Challenge Exam1,2 | Advanced Algebra 73% & Trigonometry 75% | MTH 101-133, MTH 154, MTH 155, MTH 161, MTH 167, MTH 245, MTH 261, MTH 263 | XCL1 & XCL2 |
*Virginia Western will not award college credit for assessed competency on these exams. These assessments are used solely for the purpose of determining readiness to enroll in MTH 263, MTH 261 and MTH 245.
1To qualify for the MTH 167 Challenge Exam, students who have graduated high school in the last six years must have completed an Algebra Intensive Course beyond Algebra II and have a cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or higher.
2Students who graduated from high school more than six years ago may be recommended for the MTH 167 Challenge Exam after consultation with an advisor about their academic history in mathematics.
7.4.2 Measures for College Level English Placement
Student readiness for college-level English courses will be determined using one of the following measures.
| English Measures | HSGPA or Score Range | English Course Options | Student Information System (SIS) Groups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation from high school or an equivalent home school six or more years before applying to a VCCS College | VCCS Enrollment Survey | ENG 111 ENG 115 ENG 131 | XE11 |
| High School GPA | 3.0 or higher | ENG 111 ENG 115 ENG 131 | XE11 |
| 2.0 – 2.99 | ENG 111 + EDE 11 ENG 115 ENG 131 | XEN3 | |
| Less than 2.0 | EDE 10 | XEN1 | |
| SAT – ERW | 480 or above | ENG 111 ENG 115 ENG 131 | XE11 |
| 400-470 range | ENG 111 + EDE 11 ENG 115 ENG 131 | XEN3 | |
| Below 400 | EDE 10 | XEN1 | |
| ACT – Subject Area Test English and Reading | 18 or above | ENG 111 ENG 115 ENG 131 | XE11 |
| 15-17 | ENG 111 + EDE 11 ENG 115 ENG 131 | XEN3 | |
| 14 and below | EDE 10 | XEN1 | |
| GED – Reasoning through Language Arts | 165 or above | ENG 111 ENG 115 ENG 131 | XE11 |
| Below 165 | EDE 10 | XEN1 | |
| VPT- Virginia Placement Test (English) | Placed in ENG 111 | ENG 111 ENG 115 ENG 131 | XE11 |
| Placed in ENF 2 or ENF 3 | ENG 111 + EDE 11 ENG 115 ENG 131 | XEN3 | |
| Placed in ENF 1 or lower | EDE 10 | XEN1, XEN0 |
7.5 Accepting Multiple Measures for Placement Across Colleges
Student-reported high school GPA and standardized test scores recorded in the Student Information System (SIS) at one VCCS institution shall be honored for placement by Virginia Western. Because placement decisions for MTH 261: Applied Calculus I, MTH 245: Statistics I and MTH 263: Calculus I based on high school GPA and highest-level math course are college-specific, students who attend multiple VCCS institutions may experience different placement requirements for these courses.
7.6 Exceptions to Multiple Measures Placement
Individual exceptions for higher-level placement must be approved by the chief academic officer or designee. Students may only be moved to a lower-level class at their request and with the approval of the chief academic officer or designee.
