The Developmental Education and College Readiness Program at Eastern Kentucky University helps students achieve academic success by developing or enhancing skill level proficiencies in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics needed for success in college-level courses. Proficiencies in these areas are measured by student performance on the ACT, SAT, and EKU placement tests. Students needing additional preparation, identified through testing, are required to enroll in college readiness or developmental education coursework. College readiness is defined by minimum ACT subscores of 18 in English, 19 in mathematics, and 20 in reading. College readiness is based on the Kentucky System-Wide Standards of Assessment and Placement (http://www.lrc.ky.gov/kar/013/002/020.htm).
Developmental Education and College Readiness courses are defined in the following manner:
Developmental Education Course: A developmental course is a college or university class numbered 090 or 095 that prepares a student for college-level study and does not award credit toward a degree. (13 KAR 2:020, Section 1, #3).
College Readiness Course: A college readiness course prepares a student for college-level study within the context of a supplemented course that awards credit toward a degree and is numbered 100 or higher. These courses will have additional academic support, such as class sections, additional labs, tutoring, and increased monitoring of students beyond that which is usually associated with an entry-level course.
| Developmental and College Readiness Course Descriptions | Enrollment & Completion Requirements |
| Placement Guidelines | Restrictions |
| Transfer Students | Grades in Developmental Courses |
| Advising & Course Load |
Developmental Education and College Readiness Course Descriptions (top)
Developmental education and college readiness courses in the areas of writing, reading, and mathematics are designed to improve essential skills in these areas. The Departments of English & Theatre and Mathematics & Statistics offer these courses, which include: ENG 90 (Basic Writing), ENG 095 (Developmental Composition), ENR 090 (Developmental Reading I), ENR 095 (Developmental Reading II), ENG 116 (Strategies for College Reading), MAT 090 (Prealgebra), and MAT 095 (Developmental Algebra I).
NOTES:
- Students completing ENR 095 have met college readiness standards for reading and are not required to complete ENR 116.
- Students take MAT 098 to prepare for MAT 107. MAT 098 is not required of students needing to meet developmental mathematics requirements.
Each developmental course numbered 090 or 095 is a three-hour institutional course. The credit hours for courses beginning with a zero course number, like 090, 095, or 098 do not apply toward graduation but do count toward enrollment status for such purposes as financial aid eligibility and full-time student status.
Placement in and successful completion of these courses is required of students who do not demonstrate proficiency in the basic skill areas.
- ENG 090 (Basic Writing)
This course focuses on academic writing. It provides strategies for improving content, organization, voice, reading to write, and editing from sentences to essays. Exit exam required.
- ENG 095 (Developmental Composition)
This course focuses on academic writing. It provides strategies for improving content, organization, voice, reading to write, and editing in analytical essays and reports. Exit exam required.
- ENR 090 (Developmental Reading I)
This course focuses on improving reading skills by developing vocabulary and active reading strategies such as previewing, organizing information, and identifying main ideas and supporting details.
- ENR 095 (Developmental Reading II)
This course focuses on developing comprehension skills. It provides systematic methods for learning college-level vocabulary, analyzing structure and ideas of written materials, and developing critical reading skills.
- ENR 116 (Strategies for College Reading) [1 credit hour]
This five-week, one-credit hour course concentrates on developing reading comprehension, analysis, rate, and vocabulary in various disciplines.
- MAT 090 (Prealgebra)
Course content includes the real number system, ratio and proportion, order of operations, measurement, exponents and radicals, probability and statistics, graphs, a strong strand of geometry, and basic algebraic concepts such as solving linear equations and understanding variables and algebraic expressions.
- MAT 095 (Developmental Algebra I)
Prerequisite: MAT 090, with a course grade of at least "C". Course content includes the real number system, algebraic expressions, integer exponents, linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, polynomials, graphing linear and quadratic functions, factoring, systems of equations, radical expressions, and basic descriptive geometry.
EKU offers an academic orientation course specifically designed for students with two or more developmental requirement areas. Following is a description of that course:
- GSO 102 (Transition to College)
This course is a three-credit hour academic orientation course that is taken by referral or placement. This course is an intensive introduction to the University, including study skills, cultural and learning resources, academic life, university policies and procedures, self-exploratory activities and growth. This course is required for all students with two or more developmental area requirements.
Placement Guidelines (top)
All students are required to demonstrate college readiness skills in reading,
mathematics, and writing. These skills are assessed by ACT and
SAT scores and placement test scores. Students are encouraged to prepare for the placement tests by using the sample online placement tests available at www.testing.eku.edu. These tests may be scheduled by contacting the EKU Office of Academic Testing. Students not demonstrating proficiency are required to successfully complete additional coursework.
Reading
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The reading section of the ACT is used to identify students who have not met college readiness standards in reading. The following guidelines have been established.
- ACT Reading score 01-14 - placement in ENR 090
- ACT Reading score 15-17 - placement in ENR 095
- ACT Reading score 18-19 - placement in ENR 116
- ACT Reading score 20 or above or a sum of the SAT verbal/critical reading and mathematics score 870 or higher - basic reading skills are assumed
- Mathematics
The mathematics section of the ACT is used to determine placement in developmental mathematics courses. The following guidelines have been established.
- ACT Math score 01-16 - placement in MAT 090
- ACT Math score 17-18 - placement in MAT 095
- ACT Math score 19 or above or a sum of the SAT verbal/critical reading and mathematics score 870 or higher - basic mathematics skills are assumed
- Writing
The English section of the ACT test is used to determine placement in the appropriate level freshman English composition course. The following guidelines have been established.
- ACT English score 01-14 - placement in ENG 090
- ACT English score 15-17 - placement in ENG 095
- ACT English score 18-27 or a sum of the SAT verbal/critical reading and mathematics score 870 or higher - basic writing skills are assumed and students are placed in ENG 101 (English Composition I)
- ACT English score 28 or above - basic writing skills are assumed and students are placed in ENG 105 (English Composition Honors)
Transfer Students (top)
Transfer students must demonstrate proficiency in the essential skill areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. The University will consider transfer course work, ACT or SAT scores on file at the University, and EKU placement tests in determining skill proficiencies.
Students transferring to Eastern Kentucky University with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Sciences, and Associate of Science in Nursing degree, or equivalent, are considered proficient in the three basic skill areas of English (writing), mathematics, and reading.
Advising & Course Load (top)
Students with two or more developmental area requirements are enrolled as associate degree or "Undeclared" majors, and restricted to 13 hours of University enrollment, unless otherwise specified by admission status. The Office of Academic Advising and Retention will assist these students in creating linkages to the departments of their intended majors.
Enrollment & Completion Requirements (top)
Following are the policies concerning developmental enrollment and completion requirements for degree seeking students:
- All full- or part-time students with developmental requirements in two or more areas must take GSO 102 in the first semester of enrollment.
- All full- or part-time students with college readiness or developmental requirements, identified by ACT, SAT, and local placement testing, are required to enroll in the specified developmental course(s) during their first and each subsequent semester of enrollment, excluding summer, until all developmental requirements are completed.
- Part-time students must enroll in any required college readiness or developmental course before attempting course work which carries academic credit, with the exceptions of GSO 102, ENR 116, or other required orientation courses.
- Students with college readiness or developmental education requirements are allowed a maximum of two consecutive terms of University enrollment, excluding summer, to successfully complete each required course. Students not completing these requirements in the specified time frame will have developmental holds placed on their course registration.
- Students with developmental education requirements must complete all required courses by the end of the term in which they attempt their 45th credit hour, including developmental hours. Withdrawal from a developmental course counts as one semester of University enrollment toward the attempted completion of developmental requirements. Students not completing all developmental requirements within 45 hours will be developmentally dismissed.
Placement in and successful completion of these courses is required of students not demonstrating proficiency through testing. Each developmental course (listed with a prefix of 090 or 095) is a three-hour institutional credit course. The developmental and college readiness courses offered at Eastern Kentucky University are as follows: ENG 090 (Basic Writing), ENG 095 (Developmental Composition), ENR 090 (Developmental Reading I), ENR 095 (Developmental Reading II), ENR 116 (Strategies for College Reading), MAT 090 (Prealgebra), and MAT 095 (Developmental Algebra I). Credit hours for developmental courses do not apply toward graduation but do count toward enrollment status for such purposes as determining eligibility for housing and financial aid.
Restrictions (top)
- Students with two or more developmental area requirements are enrolled in associate degree programs or as "Undeclared" majors. The Office of Academic Advising and Retention will assist these students in creating linkages to the departments of their intended majors.
- Students with two or more developmental area requirements are restricted to 13 hours of University enrollment, unless otherwise specified by admission status.
- Students enrolled in MAT 090 (Prealgebra) cannot enroll in any course with the following prefixes: AST, BIO, CHE, CIS, CNM, CSC, FOR, GLY, NAT, PHY, SCI, or STA.
Grades in Developmental Courses (top)
- Developmental course grades are not included in the calculation of GPAs.
- Developmental course grades include the grades A, B, C, and F. There are no course grades of D in developmental courses.
