The Testing and Evaluation Center at FAU is installing a security system that can contact the police. Students are going into panic mode when they find out they haven’t fulfilled their graduation requirements, especially when the only thing holding them back is a test.
“We had a student who broke the door stopper of the front door,” said Frando Patterson, the director of the center. The incident prompted the center to install security cameras in the reception area.
The student was denied admission to the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) due to not having a valid ID.
“She went berserk and verbally called me everything under the sun. We had to call the FAU police and Student Affairs to step in,” said Patterson.
As of July 2009, the CLAST exam — a test used to measure math and writing skills needed to continue on to upper division courses — was eliminated and replaced with new requirements. Although there is no longer a test, students are still required to meet College Level Academic Skills (CLAS) standards.
Students who earn less than a 2.5 GPA in English or math are considered not to have shown proficiency and would have had to take the CLAST test. Even though the test is eliminated, students still have to meet the test requirements.
When the CLAST exam was still used, the university system placed a hold on students’ accounts if they failed to take the test. In order to remove the hold blocking students from registering for classes, they would have to take the CLAST exam.
“[The student] had 96 credit hours. She was at a point where passing the CLAST was her only means of getting the hold lifted,” added Kris Dalton, program assistant at the Testing and Evaluation Center, regarding the student who broke the door stopper.
Students are not being fully informed about all the requirements for graduation, which causes frustration and confusion. They are fully responsible for their progress in their academic careers, and according to the Testing and Evaluation Center, students are not reading their FAU e-mails, attending orientations or meeting with their advisers as they should.
“We had a student who assumed he fulfilled his requirements for graduation, which means everything: his English and math classes. He moved to Puerto Rico [and] was offered a job. They wanted proof that he graduated before they gave him the job. When he called FAU to find out why his diploma wasn’t issued, he found out he never satisfied the CLAST,” recounted Dalton.
“He ended up having to fly back to Boca Raton. Talk about a huge expense to take the CLAST. He thought he was good to go.”
That student thought he was done with college, when in reality he wasn’t. If only he had made sure he had all of his requirements fulfilled before relocating, this situation could have been avoided.
Not being able to graduate when anticipated can be upsetting, but not having a diploma can hold back life and career advancement.
“We actually had someone come in to show us their mortgage payment, saying that the hold was keeping them from continuing their education to support their family,” said Dalton.
The Testing and Evaluation Center plans to send out e-mail notifications to students who have not met the CLAS requirements. Students who have 30, 60 or 90 credit hours will receive a reminder in their FAU e-mail accounts.
“Now that we don’t have holds, we are using the e-mail notifications and we are working with the academic advisers,” said Dalton.
“I think the university would like that the students fulfill the requirements through academic means [rather] than through a test,” explained Dalton.
The Testing and Evaluation Center’s advice for students is to not procrastinate and knock out the general education courses last. Students who communicate with their advisers, are up-to-date with graduation requirements and check their FAU e-mail frequently are better informed students and can transition smoothly through college.
Patterson advises students just beginning their college careers to “take your math and English classes first. Don’t wait until you have 70-something credit hours.”
For information on CLAS and different ways to fulfill the requirements, visit the Testing and Evaluation Center Web site at www.fau.edu/testing/newclas.php.
Here are some ways to fulfill the College Level Academic Skills (CLAS) requirements:
1) Attain a 2.5 GPA or better in any two of the following college-level courses: ENC 1101, ENC 1102, ENC 1930, ANT 1471, NUR 1016 and CHM 2051C.
2) Attain the minimum score or better on one of the following exams: 22 on Enhanced ACT in Reading; 20 on Composite of original ACT; 500 on Verbal section of recentered SAT-I or Reading SAT Reasoning Test; 93 on ACCUPLACER Reading Comprehension and 105 on ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills
3) Attain a 2.5 GPA or better in any two of the following college-level courses: MAC 102 or higher, MGF 106, MGF 107, MGF 113, MGF 114, MGF 118, MGF 202 or higher and STA 014 or higher.
[Source: www.fau.edu/testing/newclas.php]
