REQUEST TO CHANGE CURRENT ACADEMIC POLICY
OR
CREATE NEW ACADEMIC POLICY FORM
Date: 4/21/11
New Policy Title: n/a
Old Policy Title:n/a
Author: Deb Nordgren
Administrators
to Review:
Author’s Title: Chair, WRLS
AAC
Faculty Senate
The signatures required to draft/change policy are listed below and must be followed in the order presented.
1 Review and Comment:
Academic Affairs Endorsement: 4/26/11
2
Faculty Senate Endorsement:
FINAL APPROVAL TO MOVE FORWARD AS
3
OFFICAL UWS POLICY
4 UW Regent approval required?
Provost’s Signature:
Faculty Signature:
Faculty Signature:
Chancellor’s Signature:
Create as UWS Policy #:
UW Policy Number Affected:
Date:
Date:
Date:
Date:
I. Background and Purpose:
Since students in ESL courses are developing their skills in what is, for them, a foreign language, and since the level of
language mastery required is more than equivalent to that attained in the 100-level French, German, Chinese, and Spanish
courses that students take at UW-Superior and at universities across the US, it is only fair for ESL credits to count
towards graduation.
As the table below shows, five of the six UW-System schools that offer ESL, including Madison, count between 3-16 ESL
credits towards graduation.
ESL credits across the UW-System:
UW-La Crosse
Offers many ESL courses,
four are worth four credits each.
Up to 16 degree credits
UW-Madison
Offers several ESL courses, but only
six credits can count towards degree.
6 degree credits
UW-Eau Claire
Offers many ESL courses and levels.
Students taking ESL and undergrad.
Up to 10 degree credits
courses concurrently may earn degree credits for ESL.
UW-Milwaukee
Offers many ESL courses,
six courses earn degree credits.
Up to 10 degree credits
UW-River Falls
Offers three ESL courses, not for credit,
plus a WRIT 101 especially for ESL
3 degree credits
UW-Stevens Point
Offers many ESL courses, but not for credit.
0 degree credits
UW-Platteville
No ESL courses.
UW-Stout
No ESL courses.
II. Current Policy Language:
English as a Second Language (ESL) Requirements
ESL Placement Exam:
Non-Native English- speaking students who submit English proficiency scores in the following ranges are required
to take the UW-Superior ESL placement test prior to the beginning of their first semester.
TOEFL iBT:
61-81
TOEFL PBT:
500-550
IELTS:
5.5-6.0
International students whose score falls above these ranges, or who score at least 450 on the SAT critical reading
section or at least 18 on the ACT English section, are required to take the UW English Placement Test (EPT) prior
to their first semester.
Four ESL courses are offered at UW-Superior:, ESL 090 (2 credits), ESL 091 (3 credits), ESL 092 (3credits) and
ESL 093 (2 credits). Credits for these courses , the credits for which do not count toward graduation. Students are
placed into appropriate ESL course(s) based on their ESL placement test results. Students who are required to
ESL also take one or more appropriate undergraduate credit-bearing courses during their first semester.
Transition from ESL 092 to WRIT 099, 101 or 102:
Students who are required to take ESL 092, Writing for Academic Purposes, are required to take an appropriate
English writing course, WRIT 099, WRIT 101 or WRIT 102, the following semester. In the latter half of the
semester, ESL 092 students are given the following assignments as part of the ESL 092 course: 1) a 30- to 40minute timed writing assignment and 2) a multi-draft, two- to three- page essay assignment. The ESL 092 instructor
forwards scanned copies of the students' work to the Composition Coordinator two weeks prior to the last day of
classes. Determinations regarding placement into WRIT 099, 101 or 102 are made based on the assessment of
these writing assignments, not the UW EPT. The Composition Coordinator is responsible for overseeing these
determinations and notifying students by the final day of classes.
III.
Draft Policy Statement:
English as a Second Language (ESL) Requirements
ESL Placement Exam:
Non-Native English- speaking students who submit English proficiency scores in the following ranges are required
to take the UW-Superior ESL placement test prior to the beginning of their first semester at UW-Superior:
TOEFL iBT:
61-81
TOEFL PBT:
500-550
IELTS:
5.5-6.0
Four ESL courses are offered at UW-Superior:
ESL 131 Reading Academic Texts (3 credits)
ESL 132 Writing for Academic Purposes (3 credits)
ESL 133 Listening to Academic English (2 credits)
ESL 134 Speaking for Academic Purposes (2 credits)
Students are placed into appropriate ESL course(s) based on their ESL placement test results. Students who are
required to take ESL courses also take one or more other appropriate undergraduate courses during their first
semester.
Non-native speakers of English whose English proficiency scores fall above the scores shown above, or who were
not required to take any one of these tests, will not take ESL courses, with the following exception: Non-native
speakers of English with scores too high to be required to take ESL courses may, with the ESL instructor’s
permission, take one or more ESL course if in the judgment of the instructor, doing so would be beneficial to the
student in improving his or her ability to do adequate work in English.
Students currently enrolled at UW-Superior who previously took ESL 090 (now 134), ESL 091 (now 131), ESL 092
(now 132) and ESL 093 (now 133) may petition to have these courses count for graduation credit.
Transition from ESL 132 to WRIT 099, 101, or 102:
Students who are required to take ESL 132, Writing for Academic Purposes, are required to take an appropriate
English writing course, WRIT 099, WRIT 101 or WRIT 102, the following semester after they successfully complete
ESL 132. In the latter half of the semester, ESL 132 students are given the following assignments as part of the
ESL 132 course: 1) a 30- to 40-minute timed writing assignment and 2) a multi-draft, two- to three- page essay
assignment. The ESL 132 instructor forwards the students' work to the the Coordinator of First-Year Writing two
weeks prior to the last day of classes. Determinations regarding placement into WRIT 099, 101, or 102 are made
based on the assessment of these writing assignments. The Coordinator of First-Year Writing is responsible for
overseeing these determinations and informing the ESL Writing instructor, who informs the students and the
Placement Test Coordinator. The Placement Test Coordinator puts the writing milestone into the computer so
students can register for the appropriate writing course.
Non-native speakers of English who are not required to take ESL courses will be placed into WRIT 099, 101, or 102
by the same means of placement as native speakers of English (that is, the ACT English score, SAT verbal score,
or Wisconsin English Placement Test score).
A student who fails an ESL course is expected to repeat the course in the following semester.
IV. Policy Procedures: