Regulations

This bulletin is intended to give general information about courses, fees, and regulations governing correspondence study. We reserve the right to change instructors, to discontinue courses and change textbooks, and to adjust fees listed in this catalog as circumstances warrant.

Texas Success Initiative

(formerly known as the Texas Academic Skills Program)

The following information was furnished by the

SHSU Registrar's Office, May 2005.

When must students take a TSI ( Texas Success Initiative) test?

Students must take a TSI Test and have scores on file before they can enroll in college-level classes. It is the student's responsibility to inform the institution of his/her exemption.

Who must take a TSI test?

Students who are:

entering or enrolled in a Texas public institution of higher learning and are not exempt;
exempt (other than by TAKS scores) only in one subject area must test in the other area(s); or
in a teacher education program.

Who is exempt from taking a TSI test?

Students who:

have earned an associate (AA or AS) or a baccalaureate (BA or BS) degree from a Texas public institution of higher education;
have an ACT composite score of 23 or higher with at least 19 on both the Math and English sections;
have a re-centered SAT score of 1070 or higher with at least 500 on both the math and verbal sections;
scored at least TLI X-89 in reading, TLI X-86 in math, and 1770 in writing on the TAAS Test;
scored 2200 on the ELA and Math sections of the TAKS Test with a writing essay score of 3 or higher;
transferred from outside Texas or from a private Texas college or university and successfully completed an approved course in each of the reading, math, and writing portions of the TSI test;
are determined to have met readiness standards of a previous institution; or
are serving on active duty in the military, the Texas National Guard, or the reserves or were honorably discharged, retired, or released from active duty in the military, the Texas National Guard, or the reserves after August 1, 1990.

Who qualifies for a waiver (temporary exemption)?

Students who are:

are enrolled in a certificate program of one year or less; or
are not seeking a degree or certificate may be exempt at the discretion of the institution.

What is an exemption by subject area?

An ACT composite score of 23 with a minimum of 19 on the English or the mathematics section shall exempt the appropriate section of tests taken as of April 2004. However, the student must test in the area that was not exempt.
An SAT combined score of 1070 with a minimum of 500 on the verbal or the mathematics section shall exempt the appropriate section of tests taken as of April 2004. However, the student must test in the area that was not exempt.
A TAKS with a minimum of 2200 on the ELA (with a sub score of 3) or the mathematics test shall exempt the appropriate section of tests taken as of April 2004. Students still must test in the area(s) that was (were) not exempt.

What are the responsibilities of students who do not pass all parts of a TSI test?

They must enroll in at least one appropriate developmental course before they can enroll in college level courses.
They must enroll and participate in a required developmental course each semester until they satisfy all TSI requirements.

When must students begin remediation?

Only students who fail or defer sections of a TSI Test are required to take developmental courses.
Students must enroll in at least one developmental course each semester until they satisfy all TSI requirements.
Students who fail the reading portion one of a TSI Test must enroll in a developmental reading class before enrolling in any other developmental class..

What tests have been approved as TSI tests?

The following tests have been approved: (a) the ACCUPLACER, (b) ASSET, (c) the COMPASS, and (d) the THEA or THEA Quick Test. Students must provide SHSU with official score reports of tests taken at another institution or a letter on the institution letterhead listing the scores and confirming they are official.

What is a passing score?

The following scores are considered as passing scores for TSI tests. However, SHSU requires a higher than passing score for enrolling in college-level math courses. Refer to SHSU Specific Requirements for math.

How may students meet TSI requirements?

Students may meet TSI requirements by:

passing a TSI test;
using a score on an ACT, SAT, or TAKS test that meets the exemption standard in the appropriate area after testing,
completing an approved college-level course(s) in the appropriate area with a grade of "C" or better;
acceptable performance in the approriate developmental program(s); or
retesting and acceptable performance in the appropriate developmental program(s) if their initial score was less then:

passing scores

How are ACT/SAT scores used to place TAKS exempt or partially exempt students?

A student who has a TAKS test exemption has satisfied the TSI requirement. However, the student's ACT or SAT scores will be used for placement purposes at SHSU to realistically improve the student's success in freshman academic coursework. See the Chart below:

For more information on the Quick THEA or Accuplacer Test, the Testing Center can be contacted by e-mailing Test.Ctr@shsu.edu or by telephone at (936) 294-1025. See www.shsu.edu, click on University Fast Links, then click on Testing Center.

Writing-Enhanced Courses.

Since the 1991 fall semester, all beginning freshman students are required to complete six writing-enhanced courses prior to their graduation. These six courses include ENG 164, ENG 165, two courses in the student's major, and two courses in any discipline.

At the present time, the following correspondence courses have been designated as writing-enhanced courses: AGR 461, ENG 265, ENG 330, ENG 360, ENG 361, ENG 381, ENG 382, ENG 384, ENG 385, ENG 472, ENG 476, FCS 167, FCS 369, GEO 330, GEO 369, HED 166, HIS 265, HIS 266, PHL 261, PHO 235, POL 261, POL 285, SOC 261, SOC 264, SOC 333.

Quality of Work Submitted for Correspondence Courses.

The written answers to all lessons, tests or examinations submitted by each student for grading and/or credit in a correspondence course must be his/her own work. Failure to submit original work and/or to follow the aforementioned rules and regulations may result in disenrollement from the course without credit.

The use of abusive, indecent, profane or vulgar language, which by its very nature is offensive to others, will not be tolerated in any correspondence course work submitted by students. Any such occurrence may be grounds for disenrollment from a correspondence course without credit.

Who can enroll in a correspondence course?

Students in academic good standing may register and begin work on a correspondence course at any time. It is recommended that first time correspondence course students enroll in only one course at a time. Students who desire to enroll in two correspondence courses at the same time may petition the Coordinator of the Correspondence Course Division for permission to do so. If a student is enrolled in a class (resident classroom instruction), he/she must drop that class before enrolling in the correspodence course. A student who has received a D or F in a course may not repeat that course by correspondence, for the purposes of improving their GPA, unless written permission is obtained from the dean of the respective college or university. Such permission may be granted only under very restricted circumstances.

Do you plan to use a correspondence course to complete a degree from SHSU or obtain teacher certification?

Students who plan to complete degrees at Sam Houston State University should note the following:

To obtain a bachelor's degree from SHSU, a student must complete at least 25 percent of the semester credit hours in residence, of which 24 semester credit hours must be advanced hours. As mentioned earlier, semester credit hours earned in a correspondence course(s) are not considered "resident classroom instruction" hours and are not used in determining the minimum semester hour requirement for academic honors: cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude, the Dean's List, and the President's Honor Roll. However, the semester credit hours and grade points earned for correspondence courses are included in the calculation of the overall SHSU grade point average.
A minimum of twelve semester hours of advanced work in a student's major field must be completed in residence at the University.
A minimum of six semester hours of advanced work in the minor must be completed in residence at the University.
A student will not be allowed to complete by extension and correspondence courses from all sources more than one-fourth (thirty semester hours) of the work required for a bachelor's degree. Of this thirty hours, a maximum of eighteen may be completed by correspondence courses.
Students desiring to obtain a degree from SHSU should ensure that correspondence courses are carefully integrated with overall degree requirements. It is recommended that each student interested in completing a degree obtain a degree plan through their major academic department at their early convenience.

Teacher Certification? Business Major? Sociology Major/Minor at SHSU?

To complete deficiency plan or degree requirements for teacher certification, a maximum of six hours may apply to a degree with teacher certification. Any exceptions may be approved by the Dean of the College of Education and Applied Science. A correspondence course may not be used to improve grades for certification purposes. Only students who have successfully completed sixty or more semester credit hours and are declared business majors will be permitted to take 300-400 level business courses by correspondence.

Students who are Sociology majors at Sam Houston State University are not allowed to take any Sociology course by correspondence study, except SOC 261. Sociology minors at Sam Houston State University cannot take Sociology core requirements through the Correspondence Course Division with the exception of SOC 261. Accordingly, Sociology minors cannot take SOC 366, SOC 383, and SOC 386 through the Correspondence Course Division.

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