Learning Support English Policy and General Information Sheet
A. GENERAL INFORMATION
Purpose: Students required to enroll in Learning Support English Classes at Middle Georgia
State University to satisfy English and/or Reading requirements based on placement scores are not
eligible for certain college level courses until they have successfully completed these Learning
Support requirements. These courses are designed to prepare students for college-level work.
Students may exit Learning Support courses when they meet specified requirements. (See
Learning Support Syllabus Supplements for ENGL 0999 and ENGL 0989.)
Required Textbooks:
ENGL 0999 – A developmental level college reader or comparable text to be determined
by the instructor.
ENGL 0989 – A developmental level college reader to be determined by the instructor
Suggested materials for both courses: Online Writing Lab (OWL), college handbook
Learning Support Syllabus Supplements for English 0989 and 0999: All Learning Support
English syllabi, both ENGL 0989 and ENGL 0999, should include the “Syllabus Supplement”
appropriate to the course. These supplements contain departmental and college policy statements
required for all Learning Support English courses, the department’s approved definition of plagiarism,
and other important information for Learning Support English students and should be incorporated
directly into individual course syllabi as a unified document.
Learning Support ENGLISH Essay and Writing Requirements: Writing should include both
in-class and out-of-class experiences and may include both formal and informal contexts.
ENGL 0999 classes should include weekly informal writing experiences that mirror work
in 1101 (writing that may or may not turn into full-blown essays), including paragraphs
and prewriting activities that focus on structure, editing, and revision practice. These
experiences also should include a combination of formal essays and paragraphs. One of
the formal essays will be an exemplification essay and will be used for assessment.
Weighting of grades for ENGL 0999
Informal writing
= 20% (five to six informal writing experiences)
Formal writing
= 35% (fully developed formal paragraphs and essays)
Grammar quizzes
= 35%
Final exam
= 10%
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This course will include one Writing Assessment (formal essay) towards the end of
semester, an exemplification essay. Topics will be decided upon by committee. This
essay will be graded according to the Standards for Grading Written Work in
Learning Support English used for assessment purposes. These standards are
posted on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link:
Learning Support General Information Sheet 2

http://www.mga.edu/arts-sciences/english/documents.aspx). (See Writing
Assessment below for full description.)
This course will include one reading assessment (annotation exercise) called
Achieving Rich Annotation. This assessment is based on a prior class assignment.
This assignment is posted on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct
link: http://www.mga.edu/arts-sciences/english/documents.aspx). (See Reading
Assessment below for full description.)
ENGL 0989 classes will include weekly informal writing experiences, including
paragraphs and prewriting activities that focus on structure, editing, and revision
practice. This course will include a combination of formal paragraphs, grammar quizzes
and tests, and three (3) formal essays. One of the formal essays will be an exemplification
essay and will be used for assessment.
Weighting of grades for ENGL 0989
3 formal essays
= 30%
Informal writing
= 25%
Grammar quizzes
= 35%
Final exam
= 10%


This course will include one Writing Assessment (formal essay) towards the end of
semester, an exemplification essay. Topics will be decided upon by committee. This
essay will be graded according to the Standards for Grading Written Work in
Learning Support English used for assessment purposes. These standards are
posted on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link:
http://www.mga.edu/arts-sciences/english/documents.aspx). (See Writing
Assessment below for full description.)
This course will include one reading assessment (annotation exercise) called
Achieving Rich Annotation. This assessment is based on a prior class assignment.
This assignment is posted on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct
link: http://www.mga.edu/arts-sciences/english/documents.aspx). (See Reading
Assessment below for full description.)
All essays are to be filed for one full semester. After one semester, students may pick up their papers.
Assessments:
1) Writing Assessment (exemplification essay): An in-class Writing Assessment in the
form of an exemplification formal essay will be assigned towards the end of semester.
The Writing Assessment for Learning Support English shall be administered and evaluated
according to the Standards for Grading Written Work in Learning Support
English and can be found on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link:
http://www.mga.edu/arts-sciences/english/documents.aspx). The Learning Support
English Writing Topics Committee is responsible for developing and choosing the slate of
topics for the Writing Assessment essay in a manner that ensures consistency and fairness. This
committee will develop and select new exemplification topics each semester and disseminate
the list to all faculty teaching Learning Support English. Individual faculty may then select five
topics for each class from the list.
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the Writing Assessment essay is an essay written towards the end of the semester
faculty members are responsible for administering the Writing Assessment essay to their own
classes
Learning Support General Information Sheet 3
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faculty members should choose essay topics from the list provided by the Learning Support
English Writing Topics Committee and follow the accompanying instructions for
administration
faculty members should evaluate each essay using Standards for Grading Written
Work in Learning Support English to assess levels of competence. These guidelines are
posted on the English Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link:
http://www.mga.edu/arts-sciences/english/documents.aspx).
This assessment data will be reported at the end of the semester using Survey Monkey to
collect Writing Assessment success rates for both the Foundations and the co-requisite
course models (ENGL 0989 and ENGL 0999).
2) Reading Assessment (Achieving Rich Annotation – activity and assessment):
An in-class Reading Assessment in the form of an annotation assignment (Achieving Rich
Annotation) will be assigned. The Reading Assessment may be administered at any time during
the course of the semester at the discretion of the faculty member but preferably after some
exposure to the concepts listed under course expectations above and certainly after the course
activity that precedes the assessment. This assessment, along with directions for the course activity,
is posted to the English Dept.’s space on the MGA website (direct link:
http://www.mga.edu/arts-sciences/english/documents.aspx).
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the Reading Assessment is administered during an appropriate point during the semester
faculty members are responsible for administering the Reading Assessment essay to their own
classes
faculty members should use the Achieving Rich Annotation handout and guidelines posted
on the department’s webspace and follow the guidelines
faculty members should evaluate the Reading Assessment using Achieving Rich
Annotations – Faculty Assessment. These guidelines are posted on the English
Department’s space on the MGA website (direct link: http://www.mga.edu/artssciences/english/documents.aspx).
This assessment data will be reported at the end of the semester using Survey Monkey to
collect Reading Assessment success rates for both the Foundations and the co-requisite
course models (ENGL 0989 and ENGL 0999).
B. LEARNING SUPPORT POLICY for FOUNDATIONS and CO-REQUISITE COURSES
30-Hour Rule: In accordance with Board of Regents policy, students must complete ENGL
1101 and ENGL 1102 before earning thirty hours of course credit.
Learning Support attempts: Because of the 30-hour rule (above), students with Learning
Support requirements who are enrolled in ENGL 0999 and ENGL 1101 will have unlimited
attempts to exit Learning Support English and may continue to enroll until they reach the 30hour limit. Upon reaching the 30-hour limit, however, this rule will apply. However, students
enrolled in ENGL 0989, the Foundations course, must successfully complete this course in no
more than two attempts or be subject to Learning Support exclusion for one year.
Learning Support Exit Requirements: Students may exit Learning Support courses when
they meet specified requirements. Depending on placement scores, students may place into
either an entry level course (ENGL 0989) or an exit level course (ENGL 0999). Students may
exit Learning Support English from the exit-level co-requisite courses only. (See Learning
Support Syllabus Supplements for ENGL 0999 and ENGL 0989.)
Learning Support General Information Sheet 4
ENTRY LEVEL: Students placed into ENGL 0989 must first earn at least a C in ENGL 0989.
With a grade of at least a C in ENGL 0989, students will be eligible to enroll in the exit level
Learning Support co-requisite courses: ENGL 0999 and ENGL 1101.
EXIT LEVEL: Students enrolled in ENGL 0999 and ENGL 1101 may exit Learning Support
English when they satisfy the following requirements:
1) Learning Support English requirements will be satisfied, and students may progress to
English 1102 under the following conditions:
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Students who pass ENGL 1101 with at least a C and pass ENGL 0999 will satisfy
Learning Support requirements and progress to English 1102.
Students who pass ENGL 1101 with at least a C but fail* ENGL 0999 will satisfy
Learning Support requirements and progress to English 1102.
*Please note that passing ENGL 1101 with a grade of C or higher satisfies the
Learning Support English requirement, regardless of the grade received in
the co-requisite support course. As such, it will be possible to earn an F% or
an IP% in ENGL 0999 yet still exit Learning Support English and enroll in
English 1102.
2) Students will remain in Learning Support and will need to repeat courses under the
following conditions:
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Students who fail ENGL 1101 but pass ENGL 0999 will remain in Learning Support
and will need to retake both ENGL 1101 and ENGL 0999 as co-requisites.
Students who fail both ENGL 1101 and ENGL 0999 will remain in Learning Support
and will need to retake both ENGL 1101 and ENGL 0999 as co-requisites.
Withdrawal Policies: Students are allowed to withdraw from any Learning Support English
course and remain enrolled in other collegiate courses with this exception: Students may
not withdraw from ENGL 0999 without withdrawing from ENGL 1101 and vice
versa.
Withdrawal from ENGL 0999: Students who choose to withdraw from ENGL 0999
must also withdraw from ENGL 1101 and vice versa. Students who withdraw from both
courses may earn grades of “W” if they withdraw before and including the midterm date
(Wednesday, October 14, 2015 for full-session fall classes). After midterm, students who
withdraw must withdraw from both ENGL 0999 and ENGL 1101 and will receive a grade
of “WF” for both courses.
Withdrawal from ENGL 0999: Students may withdraw from ENGL 0989 and
remain enrolled in other collegiate courses; however, students in ENGL 0989, the
Foundations course, must successfully complete this course in no more than two
attempts or be subject to Learning Support exclusion for one year. Students may
withdraw from the course and earn a grade of “W” up to and including the midterm date
(Wednesday, October 14, 2015 for full-session fall classes). After midterm, students who
withdraw will receive a grade of “WF.”
Learning Support General Information Sheet 5
When withdrawing from either ENGL 0999/ENGL 1101 or ENGL 0989 after the midterm date,
students will receive a grade of WF. A WF is calculated in the GPA as an “F.” Instructors may
assign “W” grades for students with excessive absences (beyond the number of absences
permitted by the instructor’s stated attendance policy). Students may withdraw from a
maximum of five courses throughout their enrollment at Middle Georgia State. Beyond the fivecourse limit, withdrawals result in “F” grades.
C. OTHER POLICIES
Faculty-initiated student withdrawals: Faculty may initiate a course withdrawal for a
student who has excessive absences as defined by the University’s Attendance Policy. Each
faculty member should provide a statement on the course syllabus regarding his or her practice
related to students who have excessive absences. Faculty who elect to withdraw a student for
attendance reasons should complete the Instructor-Initiated Class Withdrawal Form
(available on the Registrar’s Office webpage), including the last Date of Attendance, and
submit it to the Registrar’s Office for processing.
Plagiarism Policy:
Each instructor must develop and include a plagiarism statement in his or her syllabus that
aligns with the English Department policy regarding academic dishonesty. This policy must
explicitly announce the instructor’s penalty for students found guilty of plagiarism in the class.
There are two specific offenses against the academic community: plagiarism and cheating. All
academic work, written or otherwise submitted by any student, must be that student’s own
thinking, research, and/or self-expression. Cheating is generally thought to be the unauthorized
giving or receiving of information in any fashion on an examination. When a student submits
individual work that borrows ideas, organization, wording or anything else from another source
without appropriate acknowledgement, the student is guilty of plagiarism. In any case in which a
student feels unsure about a question of cheating or plagiarism, that student is obliged to
consult the instructor on the matter before proceeding. Academic dishonesty is regarded by all
instructors as a serious institutional violation.
The penalty for plagiarism or cheating is addressed in the Middle Georgia State University
Student Handbook under the heading, Special Procedures for Adjudicating Cases of Academic
Misconduct, which may be accessed on the web at http://www.mga.edu/studentaffairs/docs/MGA_Student_Handbook.pdf. Normally, plagiarized assignments receive a zero, and
a student may also fail the class.
Middle Georgia State University Syllabus Checklist: Syllabi for Learning Support English
and Reading courses must include all of the items and information enumerated and explained in
the Middle Georgia State University Syllabus Checklist and can be found posted on the
departmental space on the MGA website (direct link: http://www.mga.edu/artssciences/english/documents.aspx).
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information on English Learning Support classes at Middle Georgia State University,
please contact the English Department Learning Support Coordinator, Susan Phillips, at
susan.phillips@mga.edu or 478-471-2098.
Updated July 30, 2015