Undergraduate Catalog - Fairmont State University

Introduction
CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS
Various activities of community interest are provided by the
College with recognition as Continuing Education Units (CEU).
Permanent records of CEU completions are kept on file. CEU credit
is not accepted toward completion of degree requirements.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT
Advanced placement and/or credit will be granted to
entering freshmen who have qualified on the basis of the tests
of the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance
Examination Board. Scores of three, four, or five are required.
MATHEMATICS
Students may not enroll in a mathematics course unless the
minimum score prescribed below is earned on at least one of the
following tests:
a.) A score of 19 or above on the mathematics section of the
ACT.
b.) A score of 460 or above on the quantitative portion of the
SAT.
c.) A scaled score of 40 on the numerical test and 38 on the
elementary algebra test of the ASSET.
d.) A scaled score of 59 on the pre-algebra test and a scaled score
of 36 on the algebra test of the COMPASS.
e.) A scaled score of 85 on the arithmetic test and 84 on the
elementary algebra test of the College Board’s ACCUPLACER
Testing System.
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
Physical examinations are not required for admission to
Pierpont Community & Technical College, but all Health Careers
students must have a physical examination prior to entering any
Health Careers program; forms should be submitted to Program
Coordinators. All Early Childhood students must have a physical
examination prior to entering the program; documentation of
examination should be submitted to the Early Childhood Program
Coordinator.
SCHEDULING CLASSES
At the beginning of each semester or term, all students are
expected to complete registration on the days designated for
this purpose. While all students are expected to register on time,
late registration periods are permitted with prescribed limits as
set forth in the schedule. Late registration fees are assessed in
accordance with the fee schedule cited under Special Fees.
ADMISSION TO COLLEGE LEVEL ENGLISH
AND MATH COURSES
The State College System Board of Directors has adopted the
following requirements for students before they are permitted to
enroll in college-level mathematics and English courses:
ENGLISH
Students may not enroll in English 1104 unless the minimum
score prescribed below is earned on at least one of the following
tests:
a.) A score of 18 or above on the English section of the ACT.
b.) A score of 450 or above on the critical reading portion of the
SAT-1.
c.) A scaled score of 38 on the writing skills test of the ASSET.
d.) A score of 71 or above on the writing skills test of the
COMPASS.
e.) A scaled score of 88 on the Sentence Skills test of the College
Board’s ACCUPLACER Testing System.
f.) Satisfactory performance on a writing sample administered by
each institution.
Students not meeting any one of the above standards must
successfully complete ENGL 0097 before enrolling in ENGL
1104.
Students not meeting any one of the above standards
must successfully complete MATH 0095 before enrolling in an
introductory college credit math course. NOTE: Students may
also be required to complete MATH 0093, General Math, and
or MATH 0094, Pre-Algebra, before being permitted to enroll in
MATH 0095.
Fairmont State offers the COMPASS test during semester
registration periods on main campus and at several satellite locations.
COMPASS testing is free of charge. Students may take a COMPASS
test up to two times for placement per semester. A COMPASS score is
valid for up to two years. Students who enter Pierpont C&TC without
a high school diploma or GED must take both an Algebra and Pre-
Algebra placement test in order to demonstrate “ability to benefit” for
financial aid. Students who do not have a high school diploma or GED
should notify the placement testing administrator of this to ensure they
are administered the appropriate tests.
All developmental skills courses (those for math and English
courses with course numbers below 0100) must be completed
within a student’s first 32 credit hours.
COMPASS TESTS AND ACADEMIC SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
If a student’s ACT/SAT scores fall below the following cutoff, s/
he must take a COMPASS placement test, and may need to enroll
in the appropriate Academic Skills classes described below.
ACT CUTOFF SCORES:
17 on the Reading test
18 on the English test
19 on the Mathematics test
SAT CUTOFF SCORES:
450 critical reading
460 quantitative
COMPASS tests, designed by ACT, are designed to accurately
measure a student’s academic capabilities. These tests are taken
on the computer and are multiple-choice. They are not timed.
The student does not need any computer experience. For more
information on COMPASS tests, contact Nancy Parks, Director
of Assessment, Pierpont C&TC at (304) 367-4990 or nparks@
fairmontstate.edu.
12 Introduction Fairmont State University