By Andrew Brenner/reporter
Beginning Oct. 31, SE Campus will offer free Accuplacer Prep Workshops for students who have missed the college-level cutoff score by just a few points.
Jacquelyn Warmsley, reading assistant professor and Achieving the Dream campus coordinator, said the workshops’ goal is to help students so they can enroll in credit-bearing courses as opposed to going through the developmental courses.
She said this saves students time and money.
Instructors will prepare eligible students to retake the reading, writing, and math portions of the Accuplacer test by introducing test-taking strategies and practicing critical-thinking questions similar to the test.
For the math workshop, students who have not taken Math 0350 and previously scored 48-63 on the college-level math Accuplacer test are qualified and can visit the math department to verify their scores and sign up. A successful score on the math Accuplacer will enable students to take College Algebra.
Eligibility for the writing workshop requires students to have made 70-79 on the writing portion of the Accuplacer and a 4 on the essay. A score of 70-77 on the reading Accuplacer qualifies students for the workshop. Students who have passed Reading Techniques I (RDNG 0361) and scored 75-80 on the COMPASS reading test are also eligible.
Cathy Costello, mathematics instructor and SE Developmental Educational Task Force chair, said similar workshops in the May term had great success.
Sixty-three percent of the students who took the first reading workshop tested out of developmental reading courses, Costello said. Eighty percent of the students in the second group passed their Accuplacer retake. One hundred percent of students in the writing workshop passed, she said.
The goal of these workshops is to get students out of the developmental courses into college level, Costello said.
For information on the reading and writing workshops, contact the liberal arts division at 817-515-3030 or visit ESEE 2109 on SE Campus. For math workshops, call Denise Stewart at 817-515-3317, visit ESED 2132A or contact Costello at 817-515-3372.
The English for Speakers of Other Languages department also offers Accuplacer workshops. The new ESOL program on SE Campus aims to improve listening, speaking, reading and writing skills of students who speak English as a second language.
Students currently enrolled in ESOL 0308, 0309, 0310 or 0312, which are the two highest levels of the program, are eligible for writing and reading workshops for those who aren’t native English speakers. For information on the ESOL workshops, contact Mary Cinatl at 817-515-3147 or drop by ESEC 2130C.
Cinatl said the workshops are targeting what second-language learners need in preparation for retaking the Accuplacer test. If students did not score high enough on the tests, they should also consider enrolling in ESOL classes, she said.
In addition to the workshop, there will be an information session offered for ESOL students 11 a.m. Nov. 4 in ESEE 1326. Students will be informed about the registration process, financial aid and spring course offerings.
