Transitional Studies

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Transitional Studies (formerly Developmental Studies Program DSP)

In order to be successful in college—level courses, students must have adequate foundational knowledge and skills. Pellissippi State provides refresher courses in reading, English, math and study skills to assist students in developing collegelevel skills in each of these areas. Students are placed into these courses based on the results of a placement test. First—time degree—seeking students who are under 21 years of age must present valid ACT or SAT scores for placement decisions.

First—time degree—seeking students who are over 21 years of age must undergo placement testing or provide valid ACT or SAT scores. Transfer students who have not successfully completed equivalent English and mathematics courses at another approved higher education institution must also undergo placement testing or provide valid ACT or SAT scores. Other students experiencing difficulty in college—level courses may request a test appointment for an analysis of academic skills. Once tested, students must enroll in recommended DSP courses. Astudent may appeal placement in a DSP course by meeting with a counselor or the DSP director. If the appeal is approved, additional testing may be required. All challenge testing must be completed before the first day of classes. (See Mandatory Placement of Degree Admission Students for additional information.)

Developmental Studies Programs are individualized as much as possible, and students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. If a student does not complete the work in one semester but has demonstrated satisfactory progress during the semester, a grade of E will make it possible for that student to continue to work toward the completion of the course. Students may withdraw from a DSP course only for extraordinary reasons. (See Drop, Add, and Withdrawal Standards in the Admissions and Registration section of this Catalog and Handbook for additional information.)

DSP courses are available in several formats. Accelerated formats as well as other alternative DSP options and DSP and college—level course combinations are offered. The FLAG (Flexible Learning for Achievement and Growth) Center offers DSP reading and writing courses in flexible formats that provide students with the opportunity to attend class while accommodating individual work and family scheduling problems. These accelerated, combined and flexible courses have been developed to enable students to complete their developmental studies requirements in less time. The DSP mathematics course also has FLAG sections that accommodate students' need for a flexible schedule. Students in a FLAG section work in the Math Center and attend classroom activity days an equivalent number of hours a week as students in traditional sections.

English as a Second Language. If their assessment results indicate the need, students whose first language is not English enroll in the same DSP math courses as do native speakers. However, to help those students with particular skills in learning to write English effectively, the College offers special courses in reading and writing at the basic and developmental levels. To enroll in these courses students must submit minimum TOEFL scores of 450 on the paper—based examination or 133 on the computer based examination.

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