Basic Skills Core Requirement

CP 6200 Basic Skills Core Requirements

Status                                      Active

Legal Authority

Adopted

Last Reviewed            Reaffirmed 9/26/2018 by NSCC Board of Trustees

North Shore Community College shall ensure that all students are assessed and placed in courses which are appropriate to their academic skills.  Students who cannot document proficiency through an alternative means shall be required to complete computerized placement tests to determine the current level of ability in communications and mathematics, and the results shall be used to determine appropriate course placement.  In addition, the results shall verify proficiency for courses that require prerequisites.

NSCC policy pertaining to multiple measures and scoring for basic skills requirements is detailed in CP 8100 Basic Skills Proficiency (pp 8-12). As per the Student Confidentiality Policy (CP7000), the Center for Alternative Studies and Educational Testing does not provide information to any external sources regarding an individual's test scores unless written permission is received from the student.

AP 6200 Basic Skills Core Requirements

Basic Skills Core

Students must meet certain requirements before registering for college-level courses. These are called pre-requisites and often pertain to communications and mathematics proficiencies known as basic skills core requirements. Requisite skills level may be accomplished in a number of ways. Students must demonstrate a minimum proficiency in communications and mathematics in order to graduate in a credit based degree or certificate.

Communications Proficiency

Communications Proficiency may be achieved in the following ways:

• By Testing:

• A score of 68 or higher on the Reading section of the Computerized Placement Test plus a score of 7 or higher on the 12-point WritePlacer or a score of 4 or higher on the 8-point WritePlacer section of the Computerized Placement Test.

• SATs taken prior to the redesign in 2016, a score of 500 or higher on the Reading portion of the SAT plus a score of 500 or higher on the Writing portion of the SAT. If students achieve a 500 or better in Reading but not Writing, they need to pass the WritePlacer Section of the Computerized Placement Test with a score of 7 or higher on the 12 point WritePlacer or a score of 4 or higher on the 8-point WritePlacer section of the Computerized Placement Test. If they achieve a 500 or better in the Writing but not the Reading, they need to achieve a score of 68 or higher on the Reading section of the Computerized Placement Test.

• For the Redesigned SAT (taken 2016 or later) a score of 550 on the Evidence Based Reading and Writing section.

• A PSAT score of 550 on the Evidence Based Reading and Writing section.

• A score of 80 percent correct or higher on the entry level Massachusetts Firefighters' Exam.

• A score at or above 85 percent correct on the Reading Comprehension portion of TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) version 3.0/4.0 plus a score of 7 or higher on the 12-point WritePlacer or a score of 4 or higher on the 8-point WritePlacer section of the Computerized Placement Test.

• A score at or above 69 percent correct on the Reading Comprehension portion of TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) version V plus a score of 7 or higher on the 12-point WritePlacer or a score of 4 or higher on the 8-point WritePlacer section of the Computerized Placement Test.

• A score at or above 54 percent correct on the Reading/Reasoning section of the CNET (Center for Nursing Education and Testing) Exam.

• A score of 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement English Test.

• Acceptance into the VERIZON Next Step Program.

• An ACT English score of 22 or higher.

By Course:

• Completing NSCC's COM099 with C or better.

• Completion and passing of Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) – CMP101 and COM015

• Completing NSCC's ESL 122 and ESL 128 with A's.

• Transferring courses and grades equivalent to the above or higher.

• By Degree:

• An associate degree from a U. S. college or university will be accepted as demonstrated communications proficiency.

• A bachelor's degree from a U. S. college or university will be accepted as demonstrated communications proficiency.

• A master's degree from a U. S. college or university will be accepted as demonstrated communications proficiency.

For more information see http://www.northshore.edu/cas/

College Preparatory Courses

In order to succeed in college level courses and programs of study, students may need to improve their skills in Foundational Literacy and in Mathematics. All students are assessed when they come to the college to determine if they need college preparatory coursework to help them prepare for college-level reading and writing known as communications proficiency, English as a second language, or mathematics proficiency to achieve communications or mathematics proficiency. These courses may extend the time it takes a student to complete his or her academic program. In addition, these pre-college classes have academic credit, and credits earned from these course count when computing credits for satisfactory academic progress, financial aid, and veterans’ benefits. However, credits earned in these classes do not count toward a credit certificate or associate degree; they are at a pre-college level and have no elective status.

A reading placement score (CRDR) of 68 allows students to take the WritePlacer (WP2W) exam. If a student scores below 68 on the CRDR, the student does not take WP2W and is instead directed to the appropriate foundational literacy class. Students who score within the placement band of 49-55 on the CRDR and have graduated from high school within the past ten years with a cumulative high school grade point average (HSGPA) of 2.7 or above are eligible for Level 2/ALP placement. A WP2W score from 0-3 places students into either level 2 reading and writing or ALP.

Therefore, Foundational Literacy Placement Proficiency is determined through: (1) A CRDR score of 68 and (2) a WP2W score of 4 or above or completion of foundational literacy coursework with a grade of “C” or better or any of the alternative placement methods available at the following link: Communications Proficiency

Mathematics Proficiency

Mathematics Proficiency may be achieved in the following ways:

• By Testing:

• A score of 56 or higher on the Arithmetic Skills section of the Computerized Placement Test.

• A score of 72 or higher on the Elementary Algebra section of the Computerized Placement Test.

• SATs taken prior to the redesign in 2016, a score of 510 or higher on the mathematics SAT. This score can be used for placement into Liberal Arts Math, Introduction to Statistics, or Intermediate Algebra and a score of 530 or higher can be used for placement into Precalculus1.

• For the Redesigned SAT (taken 2016 or later) a score of 540 on the Math section. This score can be used for placement into Liberal Arts Math, Introduction to Statistics, or Intermediate Algebra and a score of 560 or higher can be used for placement into Precalculus1.

• A PSAT score of 540 on the Math section. This score can be used for placement into Liberal Arts Math, Introduction to Statistics, or Intermediate Algebra and a score of 560 or higher can be used for placement into Precalculus1.

• A score of 22 in ACT Math (This score can be used for placement into Liberal Arts Math, Introduction to Statistics, or Intermediate Algebra and a score of 24 or higher in ACT can be used for placement into Precalculus 1).

• A score of 80 percent or higher on the entry level Massachusetts Firefighters' Exam.

• A score of 44.4 percent or higher on the Mathematics section of the TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) version 3.0/4.0.

• A score of 60 percent or higher on the Mathematics section of TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) version V.

• A score of 8 or above on Part A of the Numerical Ability portion of the CNET (Center for Nursing Education and Testing) Exam.

• A score of 3 or higher on either the Advanced Placement Calculus Exam or Advanced Placement Statistics Exam.

• By Course:

• Completion of any NSCC math course at the 013 level or higher with a letter grade of C or better.

• Successful completion of MAT050 with a C or better.

• Transferring any math course at the 100 level or higher to NSCC.

• Transferring any physics course (PHY) to NSCC.

• By Degree:

• A bachelor's degree will be accepted as demonstrated mathematics proficiency.

• A master's degree will be accepted as demonstrated mathematics proficiency.

• By Other:

• Successful completion of Module 4.

• For 2014 high school graduates and beyond a documented HS GPA greater than 2.7.

NOTE: Documentation may include a copy of grade reports from other colleges, an unofficial or official transcript, a copy of an SAT report, an associate's (communications only proficiency), bachelor's or master's degree.  For more information, see here.

Students take CPT’s in the Center of Alternative Studies and Educational Testing, located in DB-213 in Danvers or LS-215 in Lynn. No appointment is required. Testers receive a numerical score for mathematics and communications upon test completion. CPT’s are untimed, except for the writing portion of the test. CPT’s are comprised of the following:

• Communications:
• Reading Comprehension - 20 multiple choice questions.
• Writing is a five paragraph essay.
• ESL Communications:
• Reading Comprehension - 20 multiple choice questions.
• ESL Listening - 20 multiple choice listening questions.
• Writing is an essay in response to a prompt.
• Mathematics:
• Divided into three operations: Arithmetic - 17 multiple choice questions covering fractions, decimals and percents. Determines Mathematics proficiency; Elementary Algebra - 12 algebra questions. Places students into courses from Elementary Algebra 1 - Precalculus; and College Level Math - 20 questions. For placement into Precalculus and Calculus.

A photo ID (valid driver's license or school ID with photo) and signature are required for admission to a testing session. Calculators and dictionaries are not permitted. Scrap paper and pencils are provided.  Study Guides are available on the Test Prep Resources page