Developmental Education Programs
Background
Developmental education is designed to prepare students for college-level coursework through instruction in reading, writing, mathematics and student success strategies. By taking developmental education courses, academically underprepared students have an opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to succeed in college courses.
Exempt Students
Effective in November 2013, students who entered the ninth grade in a Florida public high school in the 2003-2004 academic year, or any year thereafter, and earned a standard Florida high school diploma, and students who are currently serving as active duty members of any branch of the United States Armed Services will not be required to take a common placement test and to enroll in developmental education courses (per Senate Bill 1720, State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.0315). These students are considered exempt (do not have to take the common placement test and do not have to enroll in developmental education coursework). However, these students may choose to take developmental education courses if they, in consultation with an advisor, believe that doing so is in their best academic interests. Students are advised to review the section on Financial Aid for Developmental Education closely.
Non-Exempt Students
Students who entered a Florida public high school prior to 2003-2004, earned a GED® or other high school equivalency, were home-schooled, graduated from an out-of-state public high school, or graduated from an in-state or out-of-state private high school are not exempt from the requirements of common placement testing and may be required to take developmental education based on their placement test scores. These students are considered non-exempt (have to take the common placement test and may have to take developmental education coursework).
Assessment and Placement for Developmental Education
Non-exempt students will be advised to complete the Accuplacer Next Generation, Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT), or another common placement test. The purpose of the placement tests is to assess students’ skill levels in reading, writing and mathematics for proper placement in these courses.
A common placement test is not a pass-or-fail test. Instead, the scores are used to determine the beginning reading, writing, and mathematics courses most likely to lead to success as a student enters Florida State College at Jacksonville. This test is administered to all incoming non-exempt students who do not have valid or recent placement scores or college-credit courses.
Students should see an advisor for guidance with interpreting their placement scores and registering for the appropriate developmental education course(s).
Exempt students who opt to take a placement exam and subsequently receive placement into a developmental education course remain eligible to enroll directly in a gateway (ENC1101, ENC1101C, MGF1106, MGF1107) or college-level course (MAT1033), despite the placement score. Should an exempt student opt to take a developmental education course and not pass it with a C or higher, the student is advised to attempt the course again to gain the necessary competencies. However, the student remains eligible to claim the original exemption and to enroll directly in the appropriate gateway or college-level course.
Note: Students who enter the College with English language needs should refer to the section for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) within the College Preparatory catalog page. Developmental education courses cannot replace required EAP courses.
Developmental Education Course Offerings
Compressed Courses
Many developmental education courses at the College are taught in a compressed, seven-week format, including the following:
REA0017 - Critical Reading Strategies - 4 Credit Hours
ENC0025 - Essentials in Writing II - 4 Credit Hours
MAT0018 - Basic Mathematics - 4 Credit Hours
MAT0028 - Elementary Algebra - 4 Credit Hours
Combined/Compressed Courses
The College also offers developmental courses that enable students who place at the entry (or lower) level based on a common placement exam to complete two developmental courses in one combined, compressed course within a 12- or 15-week term/session. The following developmental courses are taught in a combined/compressed format:
REA0022 - Essentials in Reading I and II - 5 Credit Hours
ENC0022 - Essentials in Writing I and II - 5 Credit Hours
MAT0022 - Essentials in Mathematics I and II - 5 Credit Hours
Note about the 0022 Courses: The 0022 developmental courses represent a combination of the content from the lower- and upper-level courses in a specific subject area. By successfully completing a 0022 course with a grade of C or higher, students fulfill their developmental education requirements in the appropriate subject area. These students should not take any additional developmental courses in that subject area.
Successful Completion of Developmental Education Courses
Developmental education courses taught in a compressed or combined/compressed format are considered to be pre-college level. They are not intended for transfer, counted for graduation, or calculated in total hours or grade point average. However, these courses will count as hours enrolled for financial aid/veteran’s aid purposes, social security, satisfactory academic progress, and other enrollment verifications.
Non-exempt students who test into developmental education must choose from the developmental education options and successfully complete the developmental requirement. Successful completion of a developmental course involves passing it with a grade of C or higher before enrolling in college-credit courses in that skill area.
Research has shown that FSCJ students who are successful in developmental education courses consistently attend scheduled class sessions. Developmental education students should check the instructor’s attendance policy in the course syllabus of each course taken.
Recommended Course Sequencing for Developmental Education Students
Full-Time Students
Full-time students who test into MAT0018 should take it in their first term of enrollment. Full-time students who test into REA0022, ENC0022, and MAT0022 must take all three of the courses by the end of their second term. Full-time students who test into REA0017, ENC0025, and/or MAT0028 must enroll in at least one of these developmental education courses each term until they have completed all such required courses. Students should complete REA0017, ENC0025, and/or MAT0028 by the end of their second term.
Part-Time Students
Part-time students who test into MAT0018 should enroll in it by their second term. Part-time students who test into REA0017, ENC0025, and/or MAT0028 or who test into REA0022, ENC0022, and/or MAT0022 must enroll in these courses by the time they have accumulated 12 hours of college-credit coursework and must maintain continuous enrollment in developmental education coursework each semester until the requirements are completed. Part-time students are recommended to take developmental education courses in the following order: reading, writing and mathematics.
Student Success Strategies Course Requirement
Non-exempt students who test into one or more developmental education subject areas will be required to take the four-credit developmental education SLS0005 - Foundations of College Success* or the three-credit IDS1107 - Strategies for the Pursuit of Knowledge. Students will take the SLS or IDS course in the first term of enrollment at the college. Students who are taking SLS0005 or IDS1107 under this requirement cannot drop or withdraw from their SLS or IDS class without seeing an advisor.
*SLS0005 is numbered like a developmental education course and will not count toward any degree but will count toward full-time attendance.
Limits to Enrollment in Each Developmental Education Course
Florida State statute limits a student’s enrollment in each developmental education course to three attempts. Unless a student officially withdraws before the drop deadline, each registration in this course will count as a semester of enrollment regardless of the grade received. Students may have only two attempts at a developmental education course at the in-state tuition rate. After two attempts, students must pay the non-Florida resident tuition rate, or may qualify for another remediation option, upon faculty recommendation, that provides an alternative to traditional class-based instruction.
Additionally, students testing into developmental education instruction may access alternative private sources for this instruction. Students with two unsuccessful attempts at either a lower- (e.g., MAT0018) or upper-level (e.g., MAT0028) developmental course may enroll in the appropriate 0022 (e.g., MAT0022) course at the in-state tuition rate. Students with two unsuccessful attempts at a 0022 course should consult with an advisor about their developmental education options. In addition, students are advised to review the section on Financial Aid for Developmental Education closely.
Financial Aid for Developmental Education
Non-exempt students and exempt students who choose to enroll in developmental education may be eligible for Title IV financial aid for up to 30 developmental education credits. Students enrolled in a five-credit 0022 course are advised that failure to earn a C or higher may significantly impact their satisfactory academic progress and their eligibility for federal financial aid. Students should see an advisor to review their financial aid eligibility.
Veteran’s aid benefits will not cover the tuition and fees of exempt veteran students who wish to opt into developmental education classes. Only those veteran students who have non-exempt status will be able to receive veteran’s aid for developmental education courses.
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